Being free of taxation is not what makes a church, or a person, do the right thing.
In his recent opinion, “Government shouldn’t decide which churches ‘deserve’ a tax exemption,” my dear friend and long-time colleague Bill Duncan dutifully defends against critics of tax exemptions for religious institutions. But times have changed, so, new rules.
I could write a book explaining why our side, institutionally, should step away from old ways to protect what we’ve already lost, get out of culture wars that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints never should be a part of, and let the Lord, not governments, protect us.
Not Approaching Zion
Every other month, we receive a copy of LDS Living magazine, I suppose because we shop at the Deseret Book store. Each issue is filled with uplifting stories about LDS personalities or LDS who have overcome great hardships with inspiring stories. Notwithstanding those People magazine-type articles, LDS Living is a commercial for the LDS Church. But not just the LDS Church. LDS Living is a commercial for LDS products — you know, food storage, Holy Land tours, comfort foods, religious conferences, event venues, and, of course, products from Deseret Book. And, not oddly but uniquely, addiction treatment centers and fertility clinics advertise on its pages. read more