Must churches pay taxes?

in #musing5 years ago

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I don't know how it is in other countries but in my country Nigeria, I say yes, i have a firm belief that churches should pay taxes. I believe so because most churches everywhere have become more like businesses that churches. A church is meant to be a holy place, a place where a man, woman or child can go and feel a connection to his or her heavenly father. A church is meant to give us that strong connection to Him and the pastors and preachers are meant to help us grow that connection. But in Nigeria and maybe the whole world, the supposed men of God have taken advantage of blind faith of Christians and have interpreted the Bible in the most perverted ways that suit their personal motives. I have seen pastors who sell bring things like candles, oil, even water, then say their holy and sell them for outrageous prices. I've heard many times of preachers using the Bible to lure women in and then take advantage of them. Pastors setting things up to produce false miracles so as to deceive his congregation into believing in him more. That's the kind of things that go on in my country. It's strange how preachers live their lives nowadays. When the church has a problem, they turn to the congregation but when a member of the congregation has a problem, the church asks them to turn to God. Then we have the pastors who own private jets, schools that majority of their congregation can't afford to go to, even though it was their tithes and offerings that built the school and so much more. In light of all these I feel that they can and should be taxed. After all, Jesus Christ paid his tax without complaint, so churches should be able to do the same.