I'd started writing a response to someone who had a hissy over my last post over free speech absolutism when I listened to this and realized the exact same principle of 18th century enlightenment bull shit was the basis of why Paula White and the latter day Mammonists are allowed to lie and cheat and steal and dupe the desperate, the vulnerable and the just plain numb, that we pretend the law, judges, etc. are incapable of distinguishing lies from the truth, con-men like Paula White from Catholic Worker or the UCC and other churches that run food-pantries, soup kitchens, clothes and, sometimes, when they are set up for it, house the homeless, and do literally the opposite of what these TV hallelujah peddlers do.
The very same legal establishment that claims to be incompetent to tell the difference between a crook who fleeces the flock instead of caring for it, then sells it off for slaughter at a profit and someone who tries to follow The Law, the Prophets, the Gospel, etc. have no problem in deciding the most obscure, complex, arbitrary issues of contract and business law in which who is lying is often of little interest to the judges and, especially, the "justices" who rule on them. But when it comes to the difference between Paula White and servants of the poor, they claim to be incompetent to make that distinction. The 18th century "enlightenment" is one of the biggest con jobs in the history of human culture.
I suspect the churches wouldn't like to revisit the "Congress shall make now law respecting an establishment of religion. . " part of the First Amendment but this kind of thing damages them a lot more than taking a chance on preventing this kind of massive grift. Any more honestly considered legitimate church which would have their activities seriously questioned by any laws preventing something like this swindle from being allowed probably shouldn't be doing something, as well. I know the Catholic Church would gain enormously in credibility from divesting itself from a large part of its property and activities* That's an enormous scandal within the Church as well as outside of it. Its totally laudable activities are overshadowed by that scandal, the Catholic Church is a house divided over that.
I would criticize one thing that was said by Samantha Bee, much church owned property is subject to taxation, though not enough is. And a lot of it should be. But one thing I'd do is take the tax exempt status from any so-called religious organization that doesn't make service to the least among us their primary financial activity. I don't have terribly well developed ideas on that but I don't think any organization that collects large amounts - or small - of money as charitable contributions should be keeping its figure heads in luxury.
I will also point out that what you say about religions as tax exempt organizations you can also say about many atheist and non-religious secular tax exempt organizations. Singling out religion in that regard is the habit of those in the media and having college-credentials but that's pretty cowardly, considering religion is one of the least powerful sectors of modern culture. I'd include the prep-university system, secular as well as those parts of it run by religious organizations. Education is more a commodity than a public good among the rich and powerful. They use it to steal and rob and shaft the poor, often by going into the legal and political professions. As can be seen all through the Republican-fascist establishment, the product turned out by those schools are doing more to hurt people than even the likes of Paula White.
* I wonder how Creighton University's trustees and administrations actions in regard to fossil fuel matches up against Pope Francis' great essay, Laudato Si. The Jesuits aren't the only ones who should seriously reform their activities in the education business but they sure as hell are among the worst offenders in the United States.
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