I think what Brisket is trying to get at is that our much vaunted separation of church and state is actually a delicately crafted, diplomatic truce that successfully ended about 1,500 years of struggle in the West over the proper place and roles of the secular and ecclesiastical authorities. And it absolutely collapses once you start taxing churches. No taxation is, in fact, true separation. The state has no claim to spiritual authority or influence over spiritual matters and in exchange, the church does not try to exercise secular authority. And of course there are attempts at cheating on both sides and pushing the boundaries, but it’s held remarkably well for over two centuries. The moment the state taxes the church, is the moment the state breaks the truce and tells the church, effectively— “you exist and operate at our leave and pleasure, and you will pay tribute accordingly.” Which totally upsets the apple cart.
Those of you actually advocating for this should really think out beyond the benefits to the treasury. Because another fundamental principle of democracy is that taxation gets you representation. A model like this will lead to the actual small, non intrusive, potluck and soup kitchen outfits going under and a consolidation into most effective money raisers and corporate modeled entities. They will survive, and all of a sudden…just like Amazon, Wal-Mart, and Microsoft, they get to lobby and politic just like every other taxpaying entity. No more need for cut throughs and wink-wink sermons. You think the defense industry has pull? Well, just wait till the Vatican and SBC start retaining K Street firms directly. On a local level, imagine what Lakeway can do to say, school board elections once you start tapping them for cash.