[News] Should The Church pay tax?

[Simster]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chancel_repair_liability

"In the vast majority of ecclesiastical parishes (into which all of England and Wales is split) chancel repair liability is not applicable. However it was brought into use for the first time in a few years in 2003 in a particularly lightly populated glebe. Andrew and Gail Wallbank received a demand for almost £100,000 to fund repairs of their ecclesiastical parish's medieval church at Aston Cantlow. After a protracted legal battle, as they sought to challenge this ruling, the Law Lords found in favour of the Parochial Church Council, leaving the Wallbanks with a £350,000 bill including legal costs.[8][9]"

How lovely.

 

[Arthritic Toe]

When was the last time some shook a tin at you for the roof? I don't know churches in Swindon, but as I've pointed out several times in this thread, St Peters is slowly being restored without begging for donations.

Maybe its more of a village thing. Most local village fete's round here are on behalf of church funds. Old ladies selling their teapots on the white elephant stall raising money for the organisation that owns (or still has a sizeable stake in) the Metro Centre, speaks for itself.

 

[Uncle C]

When was the last time someone shook a tin .

I was at a church recently (doesn't happen very often) and at the end of proceedings the vicar said a collection would be made and to fold our contribution into the envelope provided. Cheeky ******* - I gave them nothing.

 

[Uncle C]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chancel_repair_liability

"In the vast majority of ecclesiastical parishes (into which all of England and Wales is split) chancel repair liability is not applicable. However it was brought into use for the first time in a few years in 2003 in a particularly lightly populated glebe. Andrew and Gail Wallbank received a demand for almost £100,000 to fund repairs of their ecclesiastical parish's medieval church at Aston Cantlow. After a protracted legal battle, as they sought to challenge this ruling, the Law Lords found in favour of the Parochial Church Council, leaving the Wallbanks with a £350,000 bill including legal costs.[8][9]"

How lovely.

The Church is very powerful with vested interest everywhere. I hate them.

 

[Geestar]

Definitely.

Sent from my TA-1020 using Tapatalk

 

[essbee1]

Indeed - but it could sell one of the multi-million pound shopping malls it owns with no problem whatsoever.

This, The church encapsulates everything I hate. A self-centered, pretentious, backward institution.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Businesses are taxed on their profits. So, how much profit did the CofE make last year?

tbh, my post was mainly a rant against religion. CoE certainly has investments.....shareholdings that have on occasion raised an eyebrow....fair bit of property.... a decommissioned church down my road has just been sold... anyway...moving on...

 

[One Love]

tbh, my post was mainly a rant against religion...

Really, I've never seen you do that before

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Really, I've never seen you do that before

 

[Seasidesage]

Tax the church and all other religions, private education and private health.

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

This, The church encapsulates everything I hate. A self-centered, pretentious, backward institution.

A good Church - or even group of Churches - is far from all of thoes things and should have a heart for its community and ALL the people in it........ whatever they believe.

 

[beorhthelm]

Tax the church and all other religions, private education and private health.

and other charities and not for profits organisations too? or just those things you ideologically object to?

 

[Half Time Pies]

I always think its strange how some posters on here like to take every opportunity to use a thread to have a pop at religion in general and belittle peoples beliefs. There also always seems to be some real anger behind this hatred of anything religious which I can't really understand. In the case of the CofE for example most parish congregations in the UK go about their business very quietly, gone are the days when religion was rammed down peoples throats.

I am not a christian but I have visited a lot of churches near where my business is located and between them they organise a food bank and deliver food to vulnerable people in the community, their church halls are used by various groups and organisations and the vicars that I have met seem like a decent bunch who generally want the best for the community. In the same town the quakers run an excellent care home for the elderly, you don't have to be a quaker to live there but its really well run and half the price of comparable ones in the area. Then just down the road there is the beachy head chaplaincy which has a team of volunteers up on the downs in all weathers helping to prevent people from committing suicide.

So as these religious organisations are quietly going about their business, doing some good and keeping themselves to themselves, how about giving them a break and letting them believe what they want to believe?

 

[dazzer6666]

A lot of churches would like nothing better than to move out of the old stone buildings that are hard to maintain. A lot of Free churches have converted warehouses, which are easy to clean and heat although not as beautiful.

Listed buildings come from Heritage England via the Secretary of State, and quite often the churches find it a burden.

Imagine the best-attended, or at least one of the best attended churches in Burgess Hill is ‘The Kings Church’.......which operates from a former warehouse on an industrial estate. Always looks mobbed there on a Sunday, cars everywhere (bit of an obsessive lot as well, but that’s another story)

 

[Uncle C]

A good Church - or even group of Churches - is far from all of thoes things and should have a heart for its community and ALL the people in it........ whatever they believe.

So what's your opinion on CRL as a good Christian?

 

[maffew]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chancel_repair_liability

"In the vast majority of ecclesiastical parishes (into which all of England and Wales is split) chancel repair liability is not applicable. However it was brought into use for the first time in a few years in 2003 in a particularly lightly populated glebe. Andrew and Gail Wallbank received a demand for almost £100,000 to fund repairs of their ecclesiastical parish's medieval church at Aston Cantlow. After a protracted legal battle, as they sought to challenge this ruling, the Law Lords found in favour of the Parochial Church Council, leaving the Wallbanks with a £350,000 bill including legal costs.[8][9]"

How lovely.

Cant believe that just crazy

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I always think its strange how some posters on here like to take every opportunity to use a thread to have a pop at religion in general and belittle peoples beliefs. There also always seems to be some real anger behind this hatred of anything religious which I can't really understand. In the case of the CofE for example most parish congregations in the UK go about their business very quietly, gone are the days when religion was rammed down peoples throats.

I am not a christian but I have visited a lot of churches near where my business is located and between them they organise a food bank and deliver food to vulnerable people in the community, their church halls are used by various groups and organisations and the vicars that I have met seem like a decent bunch who generally want the best for the community. In the same town the quakers run an excellent care home for the elderly, you don't have to be a quaker to live there but its really well run and half the price of comparable ones in the area. Then just down the road there is the beachy head chaplaincy which has a team of volunteers up on the downs in all weathers helping to prevent people from committing suicide.

So as these religious organisations are quietly going about their business, doing some good and keeping themselves to themselves, how about giving them a break and letting them believe what they want to believe?

Good post. No problem will all of it except the last bit. Organised belief, especially in an imaginary deity, is delusional. Doing good things is good, and doing it under the auspices of a club or friends society is great. Having a ceremony where you drink the imaginary blood of a long dead person is perverse. That said, CoE is harmless. That, sadly, is why it is so unsuccessful these days in attracting punters, versus the hardline religions including Catholicism and Islam.

I have every respect for people who collect food for the poor and man the soup kitchens in hostels. etc. However, do it becauase you want to, not because you think god will like you for it.

Low alcohol lager (CoE) is mostly harmless, and the alcoholic (religious maniac) is bound to opt for vodka or buckfast (militant Islam etc) in the search for salvation. But it is all part of the same slippey slope of delusional bollocks. It may take another 100 years before most people are as relaxed as me about saying 'there is no god' but it will happen eventually.

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

So what's your opinion on CRL as a good Christian?

I'm not an Anglican, and so can claim not to be "blighted" by it. Neither do I know a great deal about it.
But it is, to say the least, not something I would be comfortable with. But I'm a liberal leftie wishy-washy Protestant Christian who would not get wound up about things like same-sex marriage or working with people from other faiths. I would hazard a wildly prejudiced guess that those who would look to use CRL would be more likely to be in rural locations in the Tory Shires.
If I were a member of a Church that had the opportunity of using it, I would not be happy about doing so and would vote against it if I were a member of a PCC that was considering using it, particularly if it were clearly going to cause hardship.
And in terms of a solicitor not turning it up in a property search and then that not being tackled after an appeal to the law Society, I think that is disgusting.

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

Good post. No problem will all of it except the last bit. Organised belief, especially in an imaginary deity, is delusional. Doing good things is good, and doing it under the auspices of a club or friends society is great. Having a ceremony where you drink the imaginary blood of a long dead person is perverse. That said, CoE is harmless. That, sadly, is why it is so unsuccessful these days in attracting punters, versus the hardline religions including Catholicism and Islam.

I have every respect for people who collect food for the poor and man the soup kitchens in hostels. etc. However, do it becauase you want to, not because you think god will like you for it.

Low alcohol lager (CoE) is mostly harmless, and the alcoholic (religious maniac) is bound to opt for vodka or buckfast (militant Islam etc) in the search for salvation. But it is all part of the same slippey slope of delusional bollocks. It may take another 100 years before most people are as relaxed as me about saying 'there is no god' but it will happen eventually.

I don't think people do good things because they think "God will like them for it" - I certainly don't. They do it because their faith tells them it is the right thing to do..... but many people would also be doing it without that extra stimulus.

As for your assertin that belief in God will die ..... Dream on.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Imagine the best-attended, or at least one of the best attended churches in Burgess Hill is ‘The Kings Church’.......which operates from a former warehouse on an industrial estate. Always looks mobbed there on a Sunday, cars everywhere (bit of an obsessive lot as well, but that’s another story)

I know. Kings church started from my church Christ the King, in Brighton.