Portland ME Catholic Diocese Donated $550K To Defeat Same-Sex Marriage Campaign.
By Susie Madrak Wednesday Nov 25, 2009 5:00pmLet's not give the Mormon church all the credit - the U.S. Catholic churches are doing their part to make sure gay citizens remain second class. From the National Catholic Reporter:
Gathering money from 50 U.S. dioceses, the Portland, Maine, diocese contributed more than $550,000 to the campaign to rejected Maine's law extending civil marriage to gay and lesbian couples, according to financial records filed with the state agency that tracks political contributions.
In the Nov. 3 referendum, Maine voters rejected 53 to 47 percent the same-sex marriage law.
Supporters and opponents of the law spent more than $7 million, according to the Portland Press Herald.
During the summer, Bishop Richard J. Malone of Portland sent an appeal to other Catholic bishops seeking contributions to defeat the law that the state legislature passed and the governor signed in May.
According to financial records filed with Maine's campaign finance watchdog, the Portland diocese donated nearly $286,000 to Stand For Marriage Maine, which was seeking to repeal the same-sex law. Malone had ordered a second collection be taken up at Masses one September weekend which netted $86,000.
After Portland, Maine, the largest diocesan contributors were the Philadelphia archdiocese and Phoenix diocese, each giving $50,000. The sees of Newark, N.J., St. Louis, Mo., and Youngstown, Ohio, each contributed $10,000. The Diocesan Assistance Fund of Providence, R.I., gave $10,000.00.
Lots more on the list, go see if your local diocese contributed. Imagine, the same church whose local dioceses are filing for bankruptcy to avoid paying off victims of pedophile priests have so much money to spare for this. I think the Catholic church would benefit from a little prayerful introspection on this.
If nothing else, you'd think they'd see they're causing the faithful to doubt their leadership. The only Catholics I know (and I know quite a few) who think the church should be taking sides in this are very old and very conservative - in other words, not typical Catholics.
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without jeapordizing their tax-exempt status?
Are they able to do that without jeopardizing their members in need?
Their payments made for the collection plates for their pedophiles on the past... Which the protected by moving from parish to parish..
Then they complain about same sex marriage.
The government has also given them public status so they can collect public tax funds to run I believe 7 our their schools in Florida.. They are using the same teachers and instructors but claim they are public..
This is just another way , for tax payers to pay for their teaching of their religion to their members..
Bingo. Close the doors unless the church pays taxes.
Close the doors period. These churchs are the most destrutive force we have ever had to face, they spred right-wing lies, they deny religious services to those who don't share the same political beliefs (a very Christian position I must say)
I would just love to see all church done away with...you can still believe in your space god if you want to but you don't need special house to go and compair clothes. If you don't have the mind to be able to interact with your imaginary friend without the help of a large group of people, all I can think is maybe you don't really believe in the first place. - so do yourself a favor and drop the nonsense and take life at face value. Oh and that would prompt you to think for yourself more I hope and maybe we could get real change in America.
I think Obama is starting to prove to everyone that we cannot look to our leaders for change (or even support) we need to be the change we are looking for. We need to do away with both Repug party and Democratic party and start over with real people and not these money hungery assholes - we also need to make a real separation of Church and State as well as a separation of Corporation and State to ensure we preserve the America dream for those who seek it
That'll learn them alter boys to expect a ring!
No longer just a religious entity.
It fricken time to tax the churches. No more tax exempt status. No more tax payer money to fund them.
There fricken double dippin.
And to top it off, the country is in dire financial straights right now.
It's time to make them pay their fair share. The country needs it.
Maybe that would make them shut the F up.
I'm so fed up with those manipulators.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOD805iAqjY
Are these contributions legal?
What politician would go against the Catholic church and expect to get re-elected. It would take you or I to organize a referendum on local ballots to change these laws. Then the church would spend the funds not used on paying hush money for pedophile priest to take it to the Supreme Court.
Good thing the Catholic Church receives government funding otherwise they may not have the $550k for political campaigning. Thank goodness they get tax-exempt status otherwise they might be burdened with taxes that other businesses have and they might not be able to use $550k for campaigning. Thank goodness the rest of us get to pay more taxes so the Catholic Church can continue to fight against freedoms for American citizens. Thank goodness a bunch of that money gets sent back to the Vatican because it's an Americans job to pay taxes so the Pope can get richer.
If you see one of those Knights of Columbus guys ringing a bell this holiday season take some money out of the pot, they owe you.
With all areas of government needing money the Church is taking a risk with their tax exempt status.
How much cash could we rake in if we taxed Church property alone?
Are you listening Arnold?
Taxing the catholic church alone could end the California budget meltdown. We need to find a way to take action on this. Not one politician would touch it though. It would be political suicide. We need someone with a voice, money and a plan of action to put a referendum on ever ballot in every state to start taxing churches. Where do we go? How do we do this? It must be done or they'll never stop dictating laws in this country.
Taxing the church and the land it sits on.
I'd go so far as to say, they can keep their tax exemption status on the land and even the donations.
What most people don't realize is the Catholic Church has been buying prime real estate for decades. Tax Free.
They own whole city blocks in every major city in the country.
Time to pay their fare share !
But I say tax them on everything. Bullshit. Like every normal citizen in this country who has a say in our political debate they must be taxed just like us. Give them an option, STFU or you will be treated like every other citizen in this country and pay your share of taxes. I guess they could act like the rich and move their finances overseas. I don't know about you but this is frustrating and it pisses the shit out of me. What do we do? How do we change this.
I do know one thing. This is finally getting some airtime and I hope it makes a difference. I guess I should say blogtime instead of airtime. I haven't heard anything on the MSM about taxing the churches. This should be our Tea Party.
They're every fuckin where.
They own so much stuff.
Just look at the art.
Once again Mudshark, a great point. Who else could afford to wear seven layers of clothing. If they were to buy at the GAP, the GAP's stock would be priceless.
Back in Scotland and watch him make the rounds on businesses.
He'd come out with tons of stuff and a sack with cash in it.
The same goes on here.I could tell you stories.
I got to see the Catholic church make it's moves up close and personal.
That's why I feel the way I do.
A little to long and personal to explain here but to make a long story short, girl, pregnant, premarital sex, marrige, stay out of our church even though your family has been coming and donating for 40 years. BASTARDS!
Where they got that art.
Isn't it funny though that most of their art has exposed penile? For being anti gay and forbidden to marry isn't kind of...well, just things to make you go hmmmm?
Happy Thanksgiving gump.
Thanks, you too mudshark. Loosen the belt a notch tomorrow.
"Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's."
And I sure don't see them feeding the poor very much. I got it, strip the gold of St. Peter's, send it to Cash4Gold then open up 1 billion free pantries.
Them and any corporate interest that bought back in the 30's. Disneyland pays about a nickel per square foot in taxes and has been for decades.
In my city alone tuition for Catholic schools have gone up over 100%, they say they're broke and beg for money, and you see ads from the catholic church asking for money for the clergy pension fund. Yet they can give over half a million dollars to defeat a harmless bill? This shit just pisses me off. Stick to teaching to your believers, the Crusades ended centuries ago. I've contacted my Rep and Senators demanding we tax the catholic church. But we know nothing will come of it because it would be political suicide. There has to be another way. What can we do?
So what? That's pennies compared to what they had to spend on hiding the pedophiles and paying off the abused. But losing their tax status would be a nice start to ridding the world of this sick cult.
If a religious institution (Catholic, Mormon, or what have you) wants to act like a political lobbying group and attempt to influence public policy...
If they want to spend that kind of money which could have been used to benefit the lives of people within the proper sphere of their influence (namely, their own congregations)...
If they continue to insist on doing this even though they know that success on their part would to say the least push the envelope where the First Amendment Freedom of Religion is concerned...
Then I say...MAKE THEM PAY TAXES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If the Portland Catholic diocese can manage to collect half a million dollars on behalf of a political referendum -- especially considering the limited means which many retired nuns are expected to live on after dedicating their lives to serving other people -- then they can damn well afford to pay taxes!
That $500k could have gone to shelter, feed and clothe some people in need, in the US or abroad, but instead the Church has decided stopping gays from being able to get married is more important.
Because you know, the best way to preserve life is to spend tons of money preventing gay people from getting married, not spending it on feeding the homeless and getting them out of the cold.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mInSViwZFss&fe... (Episcopal)
Leaving the ever-less-defensible tax-exempt status aside, when you think of the dozens, if not hundreds, of homeless people who could have been fed by that same money it says something painful about the modern Catholic church, or at least the leadership in the US, and how far in some ways it has strayed from its central tenets.
Speaking as someone who was born and raised in the Catholic church, spent time cleaning and decorating a tiny church every weekend of my childhood, served as a eucharistic minister, and generally did my best to support the Church (capital c), the events of the last year or two have caused me to question my choice of Christian faiths--certainly, enough to reduce my activity to zero--and the last few weeks have probably been the final straw.
When you're involved with a large organization--be it US government, business, or church--that goes far astray from your beliefs, you're left deciding between sticking with it to try and fix the things you see as having harmed it, or just jumping ship and going somewhere else.
I'd like to see the Catholic church be an organization I can be proud to belong to--and at the very least, their lack of war on science (at the Vatican level) is, when compared to a lot of other Christian flavors--but I feel more and more like it's time to jump ship and find somewhere else to go for organized worship.
Anybody have a recommendation of a Christian religion that's similar to Catholicism in terms of style of worship and lack of annoying proselytizing, but isn't downright insulting on equality and social issues?
Why do you feel the need to be a part of some organization that worships?
Catholic Church (Parish). I felt the need to switch parishes because the priests were repeating themselves every week in their homilies, constantly telling us that our country was going to hell and we were as bad as Nazi Germany because we kill babies and the upcoming elections were our only chance to change things. They flat out told us to vote republican because they were all pro-life and would pass laws restricting and banning abortion. I was tempted to ask why the republic party didn't bother outlawing abortion while they controlled the Whitehouse, Congress and had a stacked SCOTUS for 6 years. Republicans aren't about to actually pass any real legislation restricting abortions - it's the carrot stick they use to keep their religeous faithfall following. "Family Values" and what not. Blind faith in religion, blind faith in republicans.
There is always the Anglican or Epispicopal Church -- it is like the Catholics minus the Pope (and the wealth.) They are also very tolerant. It was amusing to see them put an openly gay minister at a retirement community that I knew. Not sure how well it worked out (I'm an athiest but have relatives in the 'biz) but I would have given up my soul to see the reaction when it was first announced.
Wed, 11/25/2009 - 18:44 — Marc
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Anglicanism.
They recite creeds, and wear fancy surplices and stoles
But their beliefs are all over the map, and they ordain women and gays.
except for the holy exceptions:
War!
Death Penalty!
for Jesus, of course.
To be fair, I think that the Catholics are against war and the death penalty. I have seen them at local anti-war rallies but that might be a local thing.
I may be Atheist at this moment, but I was baptized Catholic and suffered at the hands of nuns for 5 years. I don't collect unemployment and could really use some help paying my rent. Why is my money going to lobbying?
...is I've seen older people in their 70's and 80's on fixed incomes putting $5's and $10's into those white envelopes for years, and all the while these cynical, spoiled, over-fed purple-robed pricks are taking the money and using for their bizarre misguided political agendas ... sickening. Almost makes me wish there was a white bearded sky fairy to come down and smote their chubby asses.
Tax ALL 'Religions' especially the Big Box Teevee ones ...
It's time for the Catholic church to stop the pretense of being a church, as they are actively dabbling in politics. There goes their separation of church and state, and their tax exempt status!
Time to start funding Protestants. Maybe Islamist groups, too.
.
I had an emotional attachment to some Catholic seminarians when I was young. They were homosexual, and didn't know it, or denied it--like me. It is a pity many of them ended up being caught in a web of enforced celibacy and repression by the hierarchy. They are now either embittered old men or scarred sexual offenders. I was lucky and never took the hook the church offered people it really didn't like in the first place. I have a 20 year gay relationship, loving and satisfying. The bishops may have the ability to deny us the civil rights marriage would convey in the short term, but they are dying out. Screw them.
The church becomes a secular institution the moment it attempts to coerce the legislative process.
TAX 'EM!!!
TAX 'EM NOW!!!
TAX THEIR LAND!!!
TAX THEIR PROCEEDS(read donations)!!!
AND TAX THEIR POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS!!!
TAX 'EM GOING FORWARD!!!
AND TAX 'EM GOING BACK A DECADE!!!
TAX 'EM PUNITIVELY!!!
TAX 'EM AS THE EXAMPLE FOR ALL RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS TO WITNESS!!!
And Christ said: "Render unto Caesar what is Caesars..."
And the First Amendment says: "Freedom FROM religion"
TAX 'EM GOOD and TAX 'EM HARD!!!
I am but one pissed off ex-catholic who was chased out of the church for honestly being who I am. Christ said to welcome ALL the children. Are we ALL not children of God, whether we accept it or not? For the Church to prefer I be a lie, that I be a false witness for Christ (because honestly, how can one witness for Christ when they are forced to live a lie, in His name?) is preposterous. I can say that I am not alone.
Who did Christ force to live a lie just to make Him happy?
The Catholic Church is dead to me!
They refuse to fully and honestly walk Christ's path.
WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?
... Tell me to "Get lost"?
If it is marriage they seek to preserve, and it is quite obviously an honest observation to say that, the Catholic Church seems to be "POLITICALLY" silent on divorce, NO?
Preserve marriage... OUTLAW DIVORCE!
And take away the tax deductions for those donating to the Church too.
Our community in St. Louis is outraged by our Archbishop Carlson sending $10,000 to Maine. We are so upset that we are organizing a huge rally outside their beloved Cathedral Basilica St. Louis this Sunday, November 29th 11:30am to 1:30pm, which also happens to be the first day of Advent. Exactly, it is time to take to the streets and push back the Catholics, Mormons and Christians who are bullying Americans. It is time to put the Church back on warning that America is not a Theocracy but a Democracy.
The Archbishop will be serving Mass as will be a packed Cathedral with many other Bishops. We hope to send a clear message that the funding of hate, bigotry and homophobia into our States' Constitutions are not only ethically and morally wrong, its not American.
The Church seems to be calling for a line to be drawn, and we are about to push that line back.
Let me get this straight (heh heh) if I am a huge corporation I can donate a limited amount of money to help political campaigns. But I give as much as I like to a big (too big to fail) church, then they can donate it to whoever they like, and I get to deduct this political donation from my taxes.
What a sweet deal. It's time to get rid of K street and move on over to C street.
It's beginning to look like being Catholic can be equated to being a bigot. The RCC has crossed the line. We should amend the IRS laws so that engaging in lobbying of any sort in behalf of superstitious beliefs subjects the religion to forfeiture of their tax exempt status.
doesn't surprise me. Maine and Rhode Island are the only hold-outs left in New England - which, if we stop to consider how RI started out in 1636 being the place where New England's religious dissenters could go and be left alone, seems uncharacteristic. By 1900 or thereabouts, though, the Catholic Church had taken over the state. Whatever lineage was left of the original, mainly Baptist, settlers was swamped by the immigration of Irish, Italian and French-Canadian Catholics. To this day it is the most Catholic state in the US according to this survey from USA Today.
http://www.usatoday.com/graphics/news/gra/gno...
FULL DISCLOSURE: treestump was born and raised in RI as a Catholic.
Look what happens when you allow a church to have to much power in the State, even the police will not carry out investigations.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/83811...
Oh here is a British Documentary on the subject.
http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=333...
I grew up with 12 years of Catholic School and had friends at another Catholic elementary whose 'pastor' was always trying to get them to 'sit on his lap'.
The corruption that has plagued 'my' church is a direct indictment of the institution. The vatican should be sold to feed the world's under privledged and the 'religious' chores localized to independent 'parishes'. Even this Pope is tainted with this scandal.
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