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To: Moominoid who wrote (53538)7/18/2006 8:22:03 AM
From: shades  Read Replies (2) | Respond to of 116555
 
I believe she is wrong on one thing - there were some buddhists who did destroy a christian church - and when she says god is satan son of mary - well you know the bible says eating that fruit of knowledge and having all that science and wisdom is bad eh? better to trust blindly in the lord no?

What other industrialized nations besides Japan have such a monoculture and ZERO racial disparity? Do Japanese blow themselves up in New York protesting the bomb dropping on grandpa - I saw thier PM singing elvis songs - strang eh?

pluralism.org

On May 2, 2006 News24 reported, "Some 300 Buddhist villagers, apparently angered by a rival faith within their community, have razed a partially built Christian church to the ground, near the Cambodian capital, says an official on Tuesday. Ros Sithoeun, a representative of the area's Christian community, said that in a rare act of religious intolerance, the mob chanted 'Destroy the church!' and 'Long live Buddhism!' as it descended upon the unfinished Protestant Church on Friday in Boeng Krum Leu, 30km east of Phnom Penh. Che Saren, the chief of Lvea Em district, said the Buddhists felt threatened by the visible presence of another faith. The church would have been the area's second, but there was only one Buddhist pagoda to serve the spiritual needs of the overwhelmingly Buddhist community. Che Saren said: 'The villagers were angry with the Christians in the village who they felt mocked their Buddhist beliefs.' The building was nearing completion when the villagers destroyed it with hammers and sticks. The structure - situated only 700 metres from the Buddhist pagoda - was torn down and the rubble torched by the mob."
(May 2, 2006, News24)



To: Moominoid who wrote (53538)7/18/2006 8:29:11 AM
From: shades  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 116555
 
IRS warns churches

Speaking of churches - the BIG MONSTER is coming for them - church meet state - hehe

news.yahoo.com

LOS ANGELES - The Internal Revenue Service has been warning churches and nonprofit organizations that improper campaigning in the upcoming political season could endanger their tax-exempt status.

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In notices to more than 15,000 tax-exempt organizations, numerous church denominations and tax preparers, the agency has detailed its new enforcement program, called the Political Activity Compliance Initiative, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.

Under the initiative, the IRS plans to expedite investigations into claims of improper campaigning, no longer waiting for an annual tax return to be filed or the tax year to end before launching a probe. A three-member committee will make an initial review of complaints and then vote on whether to pursue the investigation in detail.

"While the vast majority of charities and churches do not engage in politicking, an increasing number did take part in prohibited activities in the 2004 election cycle," IRS Commissioner Mark W. Everson said in a statement. "The rule against political campaign intervention by charities and churches is long established. We are stepping up our efforts to enforce it."

Since 2004, the IRS has investigated more than 200 organizations, including All Saints Church in Pasadena.

Two days before the 2004 presidential election, the Rev. George F. Regas, the church's former rector, delivered a guest sermon that pictured Jesus in a debate with George W. Bush and John Kerry. Although Regas didn't endorse a candidate, he said Jesus would have told Bush that his pre-emptive war policy "has led to disaster."

The church drew national attention when the Rev. Ed Bacon, rector of All Saints, disclosed the IRS investigation and later said the agency believed the church had violated federal tax code barring tax-exempt organizations from intervening in political campaigns and elections.

Church leaders have not heard from the IRS since October, when the agency said the investigation was being taken to a higher level, according to Regas. The IRS has not confirmed whether the investigation is still ongoing.

Of the 62 organizations determined by the IRS to be in violation, three lost their nonprofit status and 59 received warning letters. The three who lost their status were not churches, and some of those warned were ordered to pay an excise tax.

Federal law prohibits the IRS from releasing the names of those under investigation, but the agency said it has more than 100 cases pending and 40 of them are churches.

This month, OMB Watch, a Washington-based nonprofit government watchdog group, issued a report criticizing the IRS enforcement program and said the program could prompt retaliatory and harassment complaints unless the agency develops clear guidelines.

"I don't think this is a case of bad faith," said Kay Guinane, author of the report. "I just think it's a poorly structured program."