Have you heard about the war on religion…in Israel?
It seems Israel’s secular government wants to eliminate exemptions to military service including those now enjoyed by Ultra-Orthodox Jews. In addition, the Israeli Supreme Court just ruled that funding to ultra-Orthodox seminaries whose students avoid the draft should be stopped.
If the Obama administration did something like this conservatives would be calling for his impeachment. They would insist that he was infringing on their First Amendment rights because he was anti-religious and anti-God. His war on religion would finally be exposed.
For years they have made the charge that he was no friend to Israel, as if the U.S. should support everything the Israeli government says or does.
Wonder if they still believe that now that the Israeli government is “attacking” Ultra-Orthodox Jews?
Or is it possible this ironic twist in international politics might lead them to see that there is no war on religion in Israel anymore than there is one here in the U.S., that what is going on in both nations are honest efforts to maintain a sensible balance between government responsibilities and religious liberties.
If Ultra-Orthodox Jews want to be exempt from compulsory military service, why should their educational institutions enjoy tax exemptions? The Supreme Court there apparently thinks they can’t have it both ways.
Maybe the same principle should be at work here.
At the moment religious hospitals, schools, and other institutions, including churches, get all the benefits taxes allow the government to provide, such as roads, bridges, safety, educational grants, etc., while at the same time picking and choosing which government programs and policies they like and don’t like.
What if the government said that because of the desire of religious institutions to be free of government intrusion of their right to discriminate against gays and lesbians or refuse contraceptive care through insurance policies, it would refuse to provide federal grants to students who attend religious colleges and universities, or it would end tax exemptions for such institutions?
The cry of bloody murder would be heard around the world, and the complaint would be legitimate if religious bodies played by the rules everyone else plays by.
They don’t. They want and get special treatment, but there is a price to pay for that. It’s called civic responsibility.
But they want none of it.
It’s time to stop this nonsense.
Unless religious institutions gain some balance and use some commonsense when it comes to such issues as healthcare and political involvement, any tax exempt status they and those of us who serve in them enjoy should come to an end.
Nobody else has it both ways. Neither should religion.
linnposts.com 
Right on, Jan! I’ve thought this for quite some time and hope a wide-spread dialog develops from your comments. It brings to mind a quote from one of my favorite childhood books “The Five Chinese Brothers” when the comment “It’s only fair, said the Judge.” You’d have to read the book to find out why that statement stuck with me all these years 🙂 I must have been interested in fairness even when I I was a young child. My other favorite childhood book was “Ferdinand The Bull” so that explains why I’m a peace-lover rather than a fighter 🙂 I’m smiling big!
Thanks, Laura. Good to have your thoughts. I hope the heart and spirit of others are where yours are.
I agree whole heartedly with your views. Religion should not “have it both ways” any more than any other segment of our society should. I also agree that trying to make it that way will provoke the loudest screams, wailing, and gnashing of teeth this country has ever seen. I don’t think charitable organizations, and religion is one of those, should be able to build & support multi million
edifices with their tax exempt status while there are kids suffering from cold & hunger as noted in your last blog. I object to tax subsidies to religious entities as we now have. Do Muslim mosques and groups, or maybe Buddhist temples & groups get the same tax exemptions as other religions? I don’t know that answer.
It may be that in the founding or early days of our country there was some valid rationale for subsidizing religion, but I see no valid rationale today.
Wally, tax exempt status is not limited to Christianity, so other religions and/or charitable organizations can apply for it as well. It’s interesting that the supposed scandal of IRS targeting conservative groups was actually an effort to reign in groups that were political. but claimed to be religious. Mistakes in how that was done were made, but the intention was not political retribution, but stopping groups like Liberty Council from using religious tax exemption as a cover for political activity. There is a pending law suit to overturn a lower court ruling that removed the tax exemption for clergy housing. We’ll see where that goes, but it is an indication of a growing backlash to religious groups and churches pushing the envelope too far.