Exemptions (Religious) from Obama's Healthcare

[Moliere]

You want to know what exemption pisses me off? All of the ones Mormons get, just because they are a religion. I want to know why Mormons get to be tax exempt when they buy land, build temples, and put up big KEEP OUT signs.

For a while now I've been thinking about starting a tool collective, which is basically a warehouse with a tool library. People would rent space and have access to tools and a little storage for projects. Rather than setting this up as a for-profit venture, I've been considering the advantages of making it a non-deistic church. I would call it The Church of the Divine Creator, and the doctrine of the church would be that human spirituality reaches its full potential through the exercise of creative pursuits. The warehouse would be a temple, and the only people who could enter would be full tithe-payers (I've gotta collect rent to make it work). Every other Friday night, I would preach a sermon (a performance art piece) and there would be an an opening to display the creative efforts of the members of the church. It would all be a very elaborate effort to not have to pay taxes just like the Mormons don't have to pay taxes.

As the saying goes, if you can't beat them, join them.

No one is stopping you from doing this...well no one but yourself. If you'll let me have dual membership with the LDS church I'll join and contribute.

This reminds me of the time I almost joined the Presbyterian church. My son went to their church for preschool as it was cheap and good. However, since we weren't members we paid more per month than those who were members. I mulled over getting baptized just for the sake of saving $50 a month in tuition. My wife didn't like the idea so I nixed but I never saw the harm in getting baptized and having dual membership in churches.

[RobinFinderson]

No one is stopping you from doing this...well no one but yourself. If you'll let me have dual membership with the LDS church I'll join and contribute.

This reminds me of the time I almost joined the Presbyterian church. My son went to their church for preschool as it was cheap and good. However, since we weren't members we paid more per month than those who were members. I mulled over getting baptized just for the sake of saving $50 a month in tuition. My wife didn't like the idea so I nixed but I never saw the harm in getting baptized and having dual membership in churches.

Dual membership would be totally fine (in fact, encouraged). Once this thing gets rolling, I hope to see you at a church.

The tax benefits I am talking about are not the ones individuals receive for contributions to a church. I am talking about the BIG tax breaks the church itself receives... no property taxes for the warehouse, all tool/computer/software purchases will be tax deductible, members' tithes (rent) will be tax deductible, I will live in the warehouse and be clergy, so everything that I buy and use for the support of my congregation (which will be pretty much everything) will be tax free.