No no no no no...don't try to move the goal posts here. The question was should church's be punished for not supporting gay marriage and the counter claim was this was not happening. I proved that it is happening in Illinois and may be happening in NY. Don't try to change the rules to meet your needs. Up until this law was passed in IL, these religious organizations where allowed to help the people they chose to help (which is a legal in every state in the union) and now they are not allowed to continue their work, which is related to their beliefs, because they don't believe in same sex marriage. They are being punished for their beliefs. It is a fact. You lost. Sorry.
No. I never changed the goal post.
I said from the get go that a church shouldn't lose it's tax exempt status for being against gay marriage. But that I had questions regarding church-affiliated public service organizations.
You sent, as evidence, that churches are losing their tax exempt status because of gay marriage, an article about Catholic Charities dropping its adoption services because, as a recipient of state taxpayer dollars, they would have to abide by state law in the provision of services.
The church did NOT lose its tax exempt status, which is the issue at hand.
A church-affiliated, state-taxpayer-dollar-receiving, public service organization was given a choice to abide by state law in exchange for receiving taxpayer dollars OR receive no state funds to support the provision of services.
They have every right to discriminate all they like. They just won't receive taxpayer dollars to do so and the Catholic Church its self did not lose its tax exempt status and is not forced to perform or recognize any marriage it doesn't want to perform or recognize.
An affiliated service organization is NOT the same thing as a church. From their own website: "Catholic Charities is an independent 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation. Our Federal Tax Identification number is 93-0386801." Independent 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation means that they are a separate organization from the Catholic Church its self. Every local affiliate is overseen by its dioceses, but it is still a separate organization for tax purposes and is subject to the laws of the state - where the church its self is not.
You are arguing things about legality. I work for a 501(c)(3) and have for the past 16 years of my life (three different ones, mind you) - so I know how these things work.
Non-profits are not exempt from laws the way a church is exempt. The church proper was not impacted by this law. The separate charitable corporation was affected and they had a choice to abide by the laws of the state or not and they opted not to.
That is not punishment of a church in any way, shape, or form.
