You might want to read a few before posting them.

Here's a sample of the wisdom that you just linked to:

"Most church organizations (particularly the Roman Catholic Church) have financial advisors, real estate holdings, stocks & bonds, issue loans with interest, along with a host of other money making methods."

"I love power and control. There are three subjects that instill the most conversation and passion in people: religion, politics and sex. With my new religion I can have all three! I will have political power as my new religion and church financial holdings grow, and I can have all the sex (safe) I want as indicated by the past history of the papacy.."

 

 

This seems to prove that any idiot can put up a web site, but I am looking for PROOF that Craig's plan can actually work.

Anyone got proof?

Some protestors feign ordination in a church to receive tax exempt status. Many become ministers in mail order churches, like the Universal Life Church, the Basic Bible Church of America, or the Life Science Church. Most often, the officers and members of the congregation will be limited to the protestor and members of the protestor's immediate family. Using a church framework, the protestor usually adopts one of two schemes. Under the first, a vow of poverty is executed, ostensibly assigning all income and worldly possessions to the protestor's church. The protestor then contends that his or her income is the church's income and, therefore, not taxable to the minister. The protestor uses the funds, ostensibly assigned to the church, to pay personal and other expenses, just as the protestor had done before taking the sham vow of poverty. See, e.g., United States v. Ebner, 782 F.2d 1120 (2d Cir. 1986); United States v. Masat, 948 F.2d 923 (5th Cir. 1991); United States v. Dube, 820 F.2d 886 (7th Cir. 1987); United States v. Zimmerman, 832 F.2d 454 (8th Cir. 1987).

A tax protest church is not organized and operated exclusively for religious purposes, with no personal inurement to any individual and, thus, it does not have a tax-exempt status. 26 U.S.C. § 501(c)(3), Exemption From Tax On Corporations, Certain Trusts, Etc. Generally, the government's proof takes the form of evidence showing that although the protestor signed a vow of poverty, the vow was not fulfilled in practice -- the protestor lived and carried out his or her economic and financial affairs the same as in the past. See United States v. Peister, 631 F.2d 658 (10th Cir. 1980), cert. denied, 449 U.S. 1126 (1981), upholding the conviction of Peister for filing a false "withholding exemption certificate form W-4". Peister formed a church with himself as minister and his wife and parents as its trustees, took a vow of poverty in form only, set up church checking accounts, and used the funds in those accounts for personal purposes. Peister, 631 F.2d at 660. The court stated:
"In the instant case the record contains adequate evidence from which the jury could infer that Peister set up the church to avoid taxes. Viewed most favorably to the government, the evidence showed the church was a shell entity, fully controlled by Peister and his wife, or at the least by them together with Peister's parents. The vow of poverty was one in form only, and had no substantive effect on defendant's lifestyle. The use of the purchased forms to establish the church and the sequence of events all indicate a deliberate plan to manufacture a religious order exemption. The jury apparently chose to disbelieve Peister's testimony of his belief in the church, and that was within the jury's power as the fact finder. "

from:
http://www.usdoj.gov/tax/readingroom/criminal/taxc40.htm#40.09%20CHURCH%20SCHEMES

Are you saying that Ireland does adhere to his poverty clause?? Awful nice car for a poor man. Craig has as much right (as we all do) to operate as a church (and pay himself for services rendered). I will also follow this route as a form of protest if this CC monstosity is passed.

I'll do the same, no problem.

I already took the exam when we had my brother in law ordained to perform our wedding.

Piece of cake.

OK, I'll buy that, but the tax exempt status listed above allegedly relies on the vow of poverty and proof of keeping that vow.

So is that only for Catholic churches too?

Well, I...uh...

lol

Well, we didn't want some justice to marry us and we weren't involved with any church at the time, so we ordained my brother in law (our band's guitarist) to perform the ceremony.

And yes, I took the test for him.

Passed with flying colors, might I add.

Maybe we rednecks are heathens after all.

p.s. I’m certain you’re aware that marriage is a contract between you and the state and doesn’t require clergy at all to perform the ceremony to begin with. We did it for the novelty and also to placate my aunt—the original Church Lady—who was not happy about my being on my second marriage in the first place.

"The use of the purchased forms to establish the church and the sequence of events all indicate a deliberate plan to manufacture a religious order exemption"

If it was this easy to avoid taxes, millions of people would be getting away with it.

The Gov't successfully prosecutes tax evasion cases like this every year.

This is a pipe dream.

Go ahead and try it if you think it will work.

Of course, this strategy, or the threat of it, would not stop CC from coming.

 

 

"I have explored church status with a lawyer. "

Lawyers will tell you many things if you give them money.

In that regard, they're a bit like fortune-tellers.

Hey craig, know any good steeple guys?

So whattya think, maybe volume discount?

We could even learn to yodel from one tower to another and could throw away our phones--live like the Amish.

Halleluja!

Whoa--no, you didn't get the email yesterday (I think)?

I'll forward it to you--glad you asked! I thought they had mailed you guys too. I don't think anyone's taking care of that area.

I've got Upper Hibernia and most of the Green Pond development, and I think Maria will do WML near her, although there are TONS of houses there.

Is there anyone else we can get some flyers out to, to hand out the night before the planning board meeting?

 

If yout think you can pass yourself off as a church craig, just remember that the IRS will look at it this way:

"If it don't look like a duck, or walk like a duck or act like a duck, it ain't a duck"

Of course in your case, we already knew that.

'Cause it's a Loon.