URGENT - Congress, Don't Penalize Seniors! for paying tithe

[Adventist News]

The following item is important. A proposed law would penalize senior citizens (applying for Medicaid) for their giving to charities--including tithes and offerings to our churches. A vote is due as early as January 31. Please share this information widely and take action.

--Audray Johnson, Religious Liberty and Public Affairs Dept

>>> []ajreinach@churchstatecouncil.com[/] 1/24/2006 10:00:00 AM >>>

Church State Council / NARLA-West

URGENT - Congress, Don't Penalize Seniors!

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Take Action Now!

http://churchstate.c.topica.com/maaeqkKabnK57aK6IdVeadIb3f/

S. 1932 Will make it tough for seniors who give to charity to be

eligible for Medicaid

Dear Friends of Freedom:

There is a bill pending in the House of Representatives that would

make it much harder for many seniors who tithe and make other

charitable donations to qualify for Medicaid. The bill is not

designed to penalize faithful tithe payers, but that is exactly what

it does!

We urgently need letters written to Congress letting them know about

the problem and telling them to fix it before the bill is passed.

To write a letter, simply go to www.religiousliberty.info and enter

your zip code in the "Write to Congress" box. You can send a letter

to Congress in about two minutes and make YOUR voice heard on this

critical issue.

May God bless you,

James Standish

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Sample Letter

Dear Representative:

I am writing to request that you oppose S. 1932 unless it is amended

to prevent a penalty to seniors who support their churches and other

non-profits.

S. 1932 would change the current look back period for Medicaid

eligibility from the current 3 years to a new 5 years. More

problematic is the fact that the period of ineligibility would begin

at the time an individual applies for Medicaid rather than at the

time the gift is made as is the case under current law. The law

applies to all gifts or other disqualifying transfers and there is

no exception for charitable gifts. As a result, the law will

penalize seniors who pay tithe, offerings and other support for

their churches and other nonprofit entities.

Unless S. 1932 is amended, it will have serious consequences on

churches and other nonprofits. In addition, it will be devastating

to seniors who have few assets but whose faith prompts them to give

to charities.

I sincerely hope you will vote NO on S. 1932 unless it is amended to

ensure seniors are not harmed.

Sincerely,

YOUR NAME

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Get your Representative's Contact Info - Write, Call, Fax, Email

NOW!

http://churchstate.c.topica.com/maaeqkKabnK58aK6IdVeadIb3f/

[bevin]

Let me get this straight.

You believe that senior citizens should be allowed to give money to the church, and then have the government repay them the money.

i.e. you believe the government should launder payments to the SDA church through senior citizens.

So much for the separation of church and state.

Personally I don't believe donations to a church should be any more tax deductable than donations to a golf club.

/Bevin

[cricket]

1 Timothy 5:16 If any man or woman that believeth have widows, let them relieve them, and let not the church be charged; that it may relieve them that are widows indeed.

Is Medicare/Medicaid even warranted? Aren't Christians supposed to support their widows (and widowers)? If there be no blood relative, then isn't the Church to support them?

[bevin]

Christian's are free to decline Medicare etc.

In fact the early christian churches gained a lot of their popularity and membership precisely because they acted as a supplier of social welfare.

How does one have a pleasant old age? By having children to take care of you. To be sure of this, you should have many children. But this causes a population explosion and a decrease of per-person resources. So instead our society has decided to provide "virtual children" to take care of you. We are sharing the risk - and we gain a lot from it.

It is poorly implemented in the USA - but a lot better than in Africa...

/Bevin

[Dr. Shane]

The idea is that money given to the church is God's money and since God is a high authority than the government His money should not be taxed. The idea is that government shouldn't be taxing God.

This comes from a Christian prespective of tithe which believes that tithe does not belong to the believer and is to be returned to God. So if it doesn't belong to the believer and the believer returns it to God, the believer shouldn't be taxed for it.

The United States shows its respect for religion when it makes it tax exempt and contributions to it tax deductable. I believe church contributions should be able to be written off even for those that don't itemize like student loan interest is.

[bevin]

Quote:

---

The idea is that money given to the church is God's money and since God is a high authority than the government His money should not be taxed. The idea is that government shouldn't be taxing God.

---

All my money is God's, and God wants to spend it on clothing/feeding/housing/educating my family, so the government should not tax any of it.

/Bevin

[cricket]

Agreed, Bevin. However, I do think that Americans should pay for services as provided by the government.