05-13-2011, 04:25 PM
Grace62 wrote:
I think it's a good topic for conversation, you could start a new thread on that if you wish.
I agree, but it's a considerable investment of time to become seriously acquainted with religious/social/economic issues. I was just thinking aloud when I posted and am not the person ideally grounded to introduce this issue. Introducing such a discussion would require more specific knowledge then I currently have time to gather.
Another thought I did have, which is germane to the discussion, was why wouldn't the economic value provided by the religious community appear in other forms? It doesn't seem that if churches were taxed, or if they disappeared, it necessarily follows that economic contribution would disappear. In my mind it would manifest itself through other avenues. A person who fed the homeless through a church program could find a secular program that provides the same end. To me, it all comes back to my opinion, which I expressed in a previous thread, that all the works of religion can find expression in a secular context, and that would alleviate the specter of religious tension and animosity I often encounter.