Hawaii the battle ground for taxing Mormons

[DTisme]

Actually, I DID mean taxing all on-profits, but I can be convinced that there are ways to tax the wealthiest of non-profits w/o hurting the poorest. As far as monies coming into the observatories going to operations, wages, research and outreach, when you think about it, monies coming into for-profits goes into operations and wages as well. It's the research and public outreach that are supposed to make them worthy of tax-free status.

e.g., it's supposed to be community service that give religious organizations the status of not paying taxes. The idea is that if an organization gives, and only gives, to the community, then it can be considered non-profit. It's debatable for a lot of non-profits for sure, especially mega churches that own tons of real estate and pay no property taxes or other fees to support infrastructure when their properties cause wear and tear on the infrastructure by their very use.

It's an argument being had worldwide. What constitutes a non-profit? What makes it worthy of not paying taxes?

Here's a good list of the types of non-profits in the U.S.: https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=1559. I would argue that a lot of these don't deserve special status.

[TomK]

Operations, wages, research, and public outreach are all intertwined. Without operations and wages, you don't get research and outreach, and without research and outreach, you don't have a need for operations and wages. Taxing just part of those things is taxing them all, and the additional cost would likely close several of the MK observatories. They already operate on very tight budgets.

[Old Croc]

quote:

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Eric 1600: Well, it wasn't until 1978 that they allowed blacks to join. Their doctrine also teaches that in biblical times whites and blacks lived in America and the dark skinned ones were evil and destroyed the whites, which is why when early explorers arrived there were no whites in America -- in spite of all scientific evidence they still insist on this story. They refuse repudiate their past racial doctrines.

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I remember the 1978 thing. Blacks were always allowed to join their Church. They had/have a significant presence in Africa. You mean allowed them to hold their priesthood beginning in '78.
I'm interested in anthropology. Please explain the "scientific evidence" and "this story" you mentioned.

[Eric1600]

In general black males who paid tithing can be a member in "good standing", but until 1978 black women were not historically admitted to LDS temple worship nor are they allowed today to hold any priesthood positions (and this includes all women).

The Book of Mormon teaches that long ago whites ("Nephites") and darks ("Lamanites") lived in the US who came from Israel from a group known as the "Jaredites". The Lamanites were originally Nephites who broke off early and began their own race after being cursed and declared wicked. God gave a "skin of blackness" to the Lamanites for disobedience to God while the Nephites were allowed to remain white ("White and Delightsome").

It's a well known and documented part of their mythology. It drove them to try and make Indians more white. The Mormon Church has an extensive history of trying to breed out the blackness in tribes such as the Navajos of Utah. Navajo children were adopted into white Mormon families where the Navajo was stripped of his/her identity. Schools were set up to "re-educate" Native Americans leaving enormous scars on the Navajo families and children. Mormon Prophet Spencer W. Kimball remarked that Navajo children placed in white families were several shades whiter than children still on reservations.

You can read a technical summary behind the genetic lack of proof of their white Nephite theory

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetics_a..._of_Mormon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nephites#Archaeology

As far as their tax free status, many churches now violate the original intent of the law. They often are involved in "state" affairs and lobby in various ways for candidates, likewise they pursue many non-religious profit based activities on the order of billions of dollars. They are not the only offenders, but certainly one of the largest.

[Old Croc]

Thank you, Eric1600.