> Also, while Americans fiercely object to
> taxation, private giving to religious organizations has been going up, I
> think.
>
The last time I checked, religious giving was actually on a decline.
> How much money does organized religion control?
Too much.
> How do they raise it?
All kinds of ways.
> To
> what extent does organized religion serve as a way to _tax_ the working
> class?
Interesting question. Probably depends on what kind of "spin" you want to put on religious tithing and various other forms of contributions.
> And don't the wealthy use donations to organized religion in order
> to minimize their tax obligations while employing religious
> organizations--their prestige as well as manpower--to influence ideological
> conditions and even explicitly political affairs? And how do religious
> organizations spend their money?
At one time, they actually employed artisans and others. Depending on the religious denomination, the money could be spent in all kinds of ways. Much of it does go to charitable causes, but I am talking off the cuff here, based on some figures I saw a while ago showing that religious giving is the number one source of charities.
> Who monitors their books?
The Catholic Church has a bank, along with CPAs and all that. Numerous scandals and all that. No doubt you are right for your skepticism. I say the Catholic Church should give away all its money and follow a life on the road like Jesus. Let the pope make the Vatican into a museum. Still, even were this to happen, would you be impressed? Or is your mind so clouded by ideology that it can only see red when you hear "religion" pronounced?
> Shouldn't religious organizations be _taxed_?
I think the Catholic Church should have no possession at all to tax. Maybe you are right, though. But then you might have a problem with the supposed wall separating church and state.
>
chuck miller