* Why Government Should Look Elsewhere Than Churches For More Revenue

Leroy Huizenga, “Euro Cities to Try Taxing Churches,” First Thoughts (First Thingsmagazine), Sept. 16.

“Why shouldn’t churches be taxed, in general? One reason has to do with preserving a healthy separation of Church and State. If Churches can be taxed, then the government can get into the business of running them (or crushing them) through tax policy, like it does most everything else. Another reason is that private institutions like churches contribute to the common good both as charitable institutions directly serving people through its various programs and also as space as a community mediating between individual and the State. A third reason is more practical: Churches generally do a better job administering social programs than government does (which, one suspects, grates government functionaries). A fourth reason applicable to Europe in particular: The reason most people bother visiting Europe and spending significant tourist dollars there is the legacy of beauty produced by Europe’s Christian heritage. I speak here of course of the great Cathedrals and churches of Europe, as well as European art, much of which is Christian.”

* Catholic Schools Subsidize the Government

Sister Mary Ann Walsh, “Catholic schools give America more than chump change,”USCCBlog, August 22.

“I’ve bought pizza, chaperoned dances, donated to appeals – all fundraisers for Catholic schools – and paid tuition. Which is why I am bent out of shape by an article on church finances in Aug. 18 issue of The Economist. The article in the magazine that defines itself as ‘authoritative’ makes all kinds of claims without data to back them up. Most annoying is its blithe statement that local and federal government ‘bankroll’ Catholic schools. . . .

“The government has a mandate to educate youth, and some public schools in well-off suburbs perform spectacularly; in other areas, not so well. However, in meeting its obligation, the government gets huge help from the Catholic Church, to the tune of about $23 billion dollars a year. That is what the government does not have to pay because Catholic schools educate about two million U.S. students annually. Catholic schools provide a realistic choice in education. Given this $23 billion, you could argue it’s the church subsidizing the government (or ‘bankrolling’ it, if you wish to use The Economist‘s hyperbole), not vice versa.”

* More Transparency Is Not Always Better

“Is Transparency the Best Medicine?” Reid and Riege, P.C., Nonprofit Organization Report, Summer 2012.

“[T]ranslucence is the best medicine. There are outside parties with a legitimate interest in knowing that your organization is well managed and financially sound . . . and it is important to let in sufficient light to obtain its sanitizing benefits and to maintain goodwill and a positive reputation. Nevertheless, nonprofits should not lose sight of the fact that they are private associations with both a fiduciary duty and a right to keep many things private.”

H.T. Alliance for Charitable Reform

* Curtailing Essential Services By Squeezing Religious Freedom

Casey Mattox, “Obama HHS-Abortion Mandate Hurts Access to Healthcare for the Poor,”LifeNews.com, Sept. 20.

“[B]ecause of this mandate, Christian ministries that refuse to compromise their faith will be forced to curtail their services to those in need, forcing them to choose between debilitating fines or abandoning aid to the poor and needy altogether.

“Sure, the Obama administration has provided an ‘exemption.’ But the so-called ‘exception’ has four requirements that an organization wishing to claim its protections must satisfy. Among others, the organization seeking an exemption must ‘primarily serve persons who share its religious tenets.’

“In other words, Christian ministries must do 1 of 2 things to satisfy the Obama Administration’s demands. Either sacrifice your convictions about sexual ethics or stop serving non-Christians.

“Christian ministries feed millions of hungry people all over the world and here at home every day. They provide clean water and medicine, they build homes, schools, and orphanages, and provide the supplies and staff to run them. They also work to stop child sex trafficking and provide disaster relief all over the world. And they don’t turn away the Muslim mother of a hungry child or the Hindu refugee. It’s that last part that makes them ineligible for any grace from the HHS mandate. Because they serve persons of other faiths, HHS demands that they must sacrifice tenets of their own faith.”