2011-06-22, 06:07 PM
Providence Wrote:"Society" doesn't refer to the entire human population. It's a subset, and there are others. Accepted behaviors and interests differ from society to society, and strangeness tends to be lost in these variances. As an example, even amongst the collective English-speaking population, there are many who would believe Mormons to share bizarre customs. Based upon this definition, they could be considered a cult to some, even though they are a recognized and established religion with hundreds of millions of followers. Establishment could be what spares them from the word, and with establishment would come tax exempt status.
I think that definition of the word "cult" is silly and I am not ignorant for thinking this way.
Actually no, I'm not sure you know what the purpose of them being tax exemped is. Religion is a non-profit organization, they are given exempt status from the IRS because they make no profit. It's no different than a government ran company, or educational. How many followers or it's history has no outstanding value towards why they are given this, it's a service or "company" dedicated solely for the public.
The only thing they are tax exempt from is purchases' they make for the establishment. If they were to go buy cigar's, they'd be taxed, and if they sold anything, they would be taxed. The laws vary state to state but typically that's the rule of thumb towards any non-profit organization.