Church 'communal' responsibility.

Hmmm. 

My particular view is to compare the two non-profit organizations that I am most familiar with.  Churches and animal welfare organizations.  Neither pay taxes.  Both are considered charitable organizations.

When a disaster strikes, or dangerous weather is present, the ASPCA, animal shelters and rescue groups reach out to any animal in need, regardless of whether or not the animal's owner has supported that organization through donations or volunteerism.  Their charity is extended to anyone in need.  They save and protect animals' lives, provide shelter, food, veterinary care and find homes for those that have been abandoned or lost.

Churches, however, do not - there is always, to one degree or another, a string attached.  If they help you, they expect you to believe as they do.  Their members' needs are of a higher priority than non-members' needs.  Compliance with their worldview is expected, more or less. 
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That being said, I have personally grown up watching my parents give time, money and skills to their church for decades, but after my father passed away, the church members were nowhere to be found when my aging mother needed help to stay in her own home. 

No one volunteered to take her to doctor appointments; she would ask, but generally had to pay the neighbor to do this task.  Very infrequently, the church would provide a meal or two.  Visiting my house-bound mother was even more rare.  The best they could do was phone calls and prayers. 

I had to hire professional caregivers to help my mother with her meds, buying groceries and cleaning the house.  I had enough on my hands with my own life and responsibilities, but took on paying her bills, calling repair companies when something broke, and bringing her house enough up to code to reinsure.  All the really hard stuff fell to me, her atheist daughter, despite the countless hours she spent as a children's choir director, preparing food for communal meals, singing in the adult choir, giving rides to members for services and visiting shut-ins. 

My father saved the church a lot of money, volunteering his skills as a carpenter, electrician, general fix-it guy, and video taping all the services so absent members could watch a worship service.  He took the tapes to people who couldn't get there, in hospitals, nursing homes and individual's homes.  These two people were charter members of this church, my mother is the only living charter member left, but no one can be bothered to help her when she needs it. 

So, if this church won't do much of anything for a charter member, what are they doing for non-members? NOTHING.  Writing a donation check for the missionaries so they can brainwash others to accept their beliefs.  Once a year, a few members volunteer at a soup kitchen in an under-privileged part of town.

Observing their lack of concern for my mother's well-being has merely reinforced my atheism.  For fourteen years, I have watched what they didn't do for a member that had contributed so much for so many years.  Finally my mother has had to go to a care facility, she cannot be in her home.  One church friend visits her about once a month, another phones her about once a month.

Yes, this is just one church - others most likely do more.  And yes, this is a church in a relatively wealthy neighborhood, so there are few people 'in need' that knock on their doors.  Members would actually have to travel distances to help the less fortunate.  

In addition to what he did for the church, my father also helped animal welfare groups, financially, and as a volunteer.  He would use his van to pick up damaged boxes and bags of dog and cat food that the company couldn't sell, and distribute the food to several animal shelters, and to 'people' shelters, too - some disadvantaged people have pets, and Dad made sure those needs were met.

Have churches changed so much in the years since my parents poured their hearts and souls into this one?  Their charitable contributions to the community and people in need seem to be non-existent.  The mega-churches focus on keeping members occupied with activities within the church, and ignoring any community efforts.  Have the churches changed, or the people changed?
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As an atheist and secular humanist, I help people and animals in real need in the real world.  Most of the rescue people I know are not religious, either.  The few religious people I do know focus on their church, their members, their activities and their "message", whatever that is.  I have seen mostly exclusivity in church communities, and inclusivity in secular humanist organizations.  Our animal rescue group makes room for any animal in need, and we work together with other groups to make a difference in the community.  A lot of it gets funded out of our own pockets, because donations don't match the need.

Can a general conclusion be reached, here?  I don't know, my perspective is admittedly biased.  I have seen the lack of involvement of my parents' church increase over the years.  My perspective isn't broadly informed.  And should we expect more from churches?  I would say, as someone raised in the church, that Jesus extended His help to anyone in need.  I was a part of all that volunteering, too, given that my parents were so involved.  We practically lived at the church. And yes, I am only looking at Christian organizations, not Jews or Buddhists or Hindus or Muslims that are in the USA.  I see tax-supported social agencies spread too thin. I think that our social structure, as formed by government, as more responsive to social issues than the churches.

I'll get off my soapbox, now.  Just sayin', if churches paid taxes, maybe our governmental social support system would be better funded.

Rant over.  

Taxing them wouldn't amount to anything tax revenue wise but would give them a voice. Separation of church and state would by necessity cease to exist as the government just charged them the right to political speech.

Real Estate taxes are loca, but that means they would have a say in local government as well.

Do you mean missionaries you ignorant dribble monkey?

I didn't even notice that, but there probably is some truth to that as well (the private military company Blackwater is headed by a Christian fundamentalist)

no use just sitting alone in your doom





sitting at the right hand
of
god the father all whitey
might seem like
okay
that's cool
getting to bend the rules
and
rotate the tools
the church has been wielding 
for endless centuries.


but is
living life on your knees
any different than
say
a hooker moaning 
pretty please
as you forget to pay him
for the sake of ease
anytime
anyone demands
i can get that for you wholesale
but
you'll have to carry 
the disease.





sjw 02/21/19 inspired at this very moment in time by rainy days and thursdays always make me down to clown.





from the 'blasphemy series' of poems

They don’t have a voice at all.

What politicians allow is not the same thing as what the law allows.

However I do agree that tax won’t make much of a difference since there will be no revenue beyond property taxes

You know what I meant, dipshit.

Hopefully the edit is made before some of the feebler minds take it seriously.