‘Extend that tyranny to all citizens’: Holy war erupts over taxes on Christians
The fight is in court now, over whether a Virginia county will be allowed to charge a Christian ministry property taxes on its building while exempting other organizations that own buildings, and represent other religious, from those costs.
It is the chief of the Rutherford Institute, John W. Whitehead, who explained, “The First Amendment not only affirms the right to religious freedom for people of all faiths, but it also requires that the government treat all faiths equally and not favor or disfavor one over the other.”
He continued, “This is the slippery slope that affects us all, whether you’re talking about religious freedom, free speech, or privacy: if the government is allowed to deny freedom to one segment of the citizenry, it will eventually extend that tyranny to all citizens.”
The fight is over a decision in Blacksburg, Virginia, where officials decided to refuse the Bradley Study Center, a nonprofit Christian Scholars Network site that ministers to Virginia Tech community members with worship services, prayer meetings and Bible Studies, a tax exempt status.
The Rutherford Institute said it has “challenged a local government’s refusal to recognize CSN as a religious association that uses its property exclusively for charitable, religious, or educational purposes, which would thereby qualify CSN for a property tax exemption under the Virginia Constitution and state laws.”
The lawsuit in Montgomery County Circuit Court is against the county and the town of Blacksburg after the board and the commissioner of the revenue refused the allow an exemption, “even though the county provides a property tax exemption to a similar organization for college students of another religion.”
The legal team reported, “At trial, Institute attorneys argued that the government is failing to comply with the will of the people as set forth in the Virginia Constitution and laws, and that the government’s narrow interpretation of certain statutory terms violates church autonomy and favors more formal religious practices and hierarchical denominations in violation of the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause.”
The report said CSN is a “nonprofit ministry which has been exempt from federal income tax by the IRS under section 501(c)(3). In 2019, CSN purchased real estate near the Virginia Tech campus and opened the Bradley Study Center to cultivate a thoughtful exploration of the Christian faith and how one’s faith connects to their studies, work, and life.”
Contrary to the judgment of local officials, witnesses at a trial described the benefits the center profits to the community.
A court ruling on the dispute is expected in months.
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