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From: slb@drutx.UUCP (Sue Brezden)
Newsgroups: net.religion,net.politics,net.flame
Subject: Tax relief for Churches--ARRRRGHH
Message-ID: <40@drutx.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 27-Sep-85 11:08:30 EDT
Article-I.D.: drutx.40
Posted: Fri Sep 27 11:08:30 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 29-Sep-85 08:09:58 EDT
Organization: AT&T Information Systems Laboratories, Denver
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Xref: watmath net.religion:7808 net.politics:11244 net.flame:12095


I am pissed!!!  Did anyone notice the disgusting act that passed 
the Senate yesterday?

  "(UPI) The Senate, with nary a wisp of protest, voted Thursday
   to crack down on the worshipers of Satan, and the 
   practioners (sic) of witchcraft...the Senate approved
   legislation denying tax exemptions to any cult promoting
   Satanism or witchcraft."--Rocky Mountain News

THAT is what is wrong with tax exemptions for churches.  It can
be used as a battering ram against religions.  By denying tax
exemption to any religion, as has been done here, it becomes a
bonus to the others.

Wicca, running on a smaller budget than the major churches, anyway,
could be hurt badly by this.  There will probably be an attempt to 
take tax exemption from Thelema (after all, they will say, Crowley was a
Satanist.  The people who make such decisions don't know better.)  Then
how about Tibetan Buddhism and Hinduism--after all they have all those 
dieties with skulls and such, obviously Satanist.  (:-)

Sigh.

So Falwell gets his millions without tax, and any religion that
some IRS person thinks is witchcraft does not.  And you can bet your
booties that Helms (who sponsered this abomination) wants it to apply
to anything non-Christian.  The bill itself is Christian in that the
definition of something as "Satanist" or "witchcraft" has no real 
meaning outside of the Christian view.  I hope someone takes this to 
court.  If this is not a law "respecting the establishment of any 
religion," I don't know what is.

I'm just too mad to type anymore.

-- 

                                     Sue Brezden
                                     
Real World: Room 1B17                Net World: ihnp4!drutx!slb
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        Your god may be dead, but mine aren't.
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