Sales of indulgences returns in Germany

[Skybird]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19699581

Actually, I would not even disagree. If you don't pay services, then you cannot expct them to be given to you.

What is revealing and tells its own story, is the fact that Germany still allows the churches and Jews to raise obligatory taxes - and state offices even assisting in that. That is a bit too much of medieval order for my taste.

Anyhow, nobody is forced to stay. And that this way they will stem the tide of people leaving them, remains in doubt.

If you want to give money for social causes and doing something good, donor privately to aid organisations of research foundations of your choice (and careful examination!). Don't throw it after mandatory payment duties of religious institutions as if you still were a medieval peasant serving his tenth.

[Gerald]

Jesus has already been forgiven!

[Takeda Shingen]

All Germans who are officially registered as Catholics, Protestants or Jews pay a religious tax of 8-9% on their annual income tax bill. The levy was introduced in the 19th Century in compensation for the nationalisation of religious property.

Well there's your problem. These churches an synagogues have had their hand forced in this situation; simply a result of centuries of anti-clerical legislation. Congratulations, Skybird. Your dream of a religion-free Germany just came a step closer. You must be very pleased.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Vendor

Jesus has already been forgiven!

Yes, the priests allowed him a free ride. Would explain why he decided not to hang around for too long, and left with all bills settled.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Takeda Shingen

Well there's your problem. These churches an synagogues have had their hand forced in this situation; simply a result of centuries of anti-clerical legislation. Congratulations, Skybird. Your dream of a religion-free Germany just came a step closer. You must be very pleased.

I give you a "Good morning!" as well!

I do not see however, why the church has property at all. And whom they intiially got it from. Try to explain that to a Franziskan monk. Or Jesus himself, once he's back in town.

The state should not assist religions in colelcting taxes, in a theocracy that may be okay, and medieval society where royals and church worked hand in hand to press the last Taler from the farmers. In secular nations, such cooperation should be considered unacceptable.

Instead, when a hospital gets build, and 90% of the construction costs is payed from public taxes, and the church adds the remaining 10%, and whehnj afterwards the running costs are payed by the public tax pool, and the church again adds let'S say 10 0r 15% (these relations are realistic and are to be found in many example in Germany, btw), then this earns the church the right to call it a Catholic or Protestant hospital, run it by its own rules, see it as its property and manage it like own possession (which now it actually has become), and run it by church-law legislation (a parallel justice system that gains special status beside the state' law codes, and that way my civil taxes to some parts still get sacked in and benefitted of by the church although i have left it long, long time ago. So, even non-members of the church, non-believers, members of other faiths, and atheists, by this system must contribute to the wealth of especially the Catholic church.

Unacceptable.

For church-fans, that might not be an issue, and they may ask why pepope, not sharing their views are so upset. But for people having no sympathy for the church, it is double standards, corrupted laws, and being forced to pay for the church via the ordinary taxes.

I can recommend some books on the criminal finance policy of the church in general, and Germany in special, if somebody is interested (in german). But be warned, such reading is no pleasant one, but one that is upsetting the mind. The church behaves like a Mafia, when it comes to finance policies.

[Skybird]

Anyhow, this is a BBC report picking up the story of the church reviving the medieval sales of indulgences. Stick to this, or this thread gets ugly as well.

[Takeda Shingen]

You could have saved yourself 13 minutes if you cut out all the circular logic and other mental gymnastics and just typed "yes, I am pleased".
Sheesh.

EDIT: My bad, read that wrong.