Zone1 The Great Difficulty Of Being Religious.....

[Meriweather]

I'm good with that.

It's better not to believe a word that comes from that poster.

 

[Trickster]

"Communism is naturalized humanism." Karl Marx

Whar are you talking about, silly goose?

 

[Woodznutz]

It's better not to believe a word that comes from that poster.

I don't know why atheists come here. Maybe the Devil sent them.

 

[Trickster]

I don't know why atheists come here. Maybe the Devil sent them.

There is that Christian condescension again.

 

[Woodznutz]

There is that Christian condescension again.

There are two spiritual types of people. God's children, , and the children of the Devil. People who openly attack Christian beliefs are the children of the Devil. How hard is that to comprehend?

 

[Trickster]

There are two spiritual types of people. God's children, and the children of the Devil. People who openly attack Christian beliefs are the children of the Devil. How hard is that to comprehend?

Shouldn't you be in church?

 

[Woodznutz]

Neglecting your mind to submit the whims of faith will never brimg happimess.

Au contrare. Faith builds a strong mind, and happiness follows. I'm living proof.

 

[Woodznutz]

Shouldn't you be in church?

If you are in accord with the faithful you are in church.

 

[Trickster]

Au contrare. Faith builds a strong mind, and happiness follows. I'm living proof.

Firstly, don't botcher the French language like that.

Faith is by definition to neglect of reason, logic and sense perception to just float around with eyes closed letting your preachers and your emotions guide you.

My position is that one cannot be both happy and religious. I have never met a happy Christian, Muslim or Jew.

 

[Woodznutz]

Firstly, don't botcher the French language like that.

Faith is by definition to neglect of reason, logic and sense perception to just float around with eyes closed letting your preachers and your emotions guide you.

My position is that one cannot be both happy and religious. I have never met a happy Christian, Muslim or Jew.

I agree about Muslims and Jews. Too many restrictions and tiresome rituals. The Christians I know are quite happy however.
Let me help you with the faith thing.

faith
[fāTH]
noun

1. complete trust or confidence in someone or something:
   
2. strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.
   

 

[Ace Nova]

"Tithing and sacrifices are a form of "redistribution of wealth".


So that is what you favor?

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In the Old Testament, tithing, meaning giving a tenth, was a requirement of the Law where Israelites were expected to give 10% of their crops and livestock to support the tabernacle/temple and the Levites, who served as priests.



Here comes your education on the subject.

1. Federal taxes should be enough to cover the enumerated powers listed in Article 1, section 8 of the Constitution.

Any collected not used for said purposes should be returned in a tax cuts.




2. As far as the Left is concerned, taxes are punishments for the successful, those who made their own success, without recourse to government.

1. The Left has been far more interested in fighting material inequality than tyranny, which is why Lenin, Mao, Pol Pot, Ho Chi Minh, Castro, etc., tend to have the support of Leftists around the world.
2. The Left is less interested in creating wealth than in distributing it.

3. Who is to decide what is fair, and what is too much? Some religions suggest tithing, and government demands taxes.

1. Joseph gathered very much grain: It seems it was customary for Pharaoh to take 10% of the grain in Egypt as a tax. Essentially, Joseph doubled the taxes over the next seven years (Genesis 41:34 mentions one-fifth, that is, 20%).
2. That 20% figure appears again in the relationship of colonists to North America, and the English crown "....colonists were free to retain all the profits and fruits of their labor save for the crown's 20 percent share of any gold and silver discovered." "Freedom Just Around the Corner: A New American History: 1585-1828," by Walter A. McDougall, p.33

4. Succinctly put, socialism in the form of taxation, is theft.



5. There is no perennial group in America known as "the rich." The mobility of our system has a great amount of economic mobility.

"One way to quantify income mobility is to examine how many people remain in the same tax bracket over time. We compared the returns of tax filers in the lowest tax rate bracket (zero) in 1987 with their returns in 1996. Only one third of the tax filers were still in the zero tax bracket, but 25% were now in the 10% bracket, 32% had moved up to the 15% bracket and 9% were in the 25%, 28%, 33% or 35% brackets. And that was following them for a decade, not a generation.

. For example, the new Census data find that only 3% of Americans are "chronically" poor, which the Census Bureau defines as being in poverty for three years or more. Many of the people in the bottom quintile of income earners in any one year are new entrants to the labor force or those who are leaving the labor force.

The data also show downward mobility among the highest income earners. The top 1% in 1996 saw an average decline in their real, after-tax incomes by 52% in the next 10 years.

America is still an opportunity society where talent and hard work can (almost always) overcome one's position at birth or at any point in time. Perhaps the best piece of news in this regard is the reduction in gaps between earnings of men and women, and between blacks and whites over the last 25 years."
http://online.wsj.com/public/article_print/SB122143692536934297.html




What if you find that based on Federal taxes, state taxes, local taxes, sales tax, parking fees, license fees, speed cameras, hidden taxes of all sorts......
....and the insidious tax, inflation.....

....amounted to more than half your income at least?

“House Democrats unveiled proposals on Monday to pay for a $3.5 trillion spending plan, with tax increases that could mean the wealthiest New Yorkers and Californians face rates of about 60 percent.Sep 13, 2021

under House Democrats' bill to fund $3.5trillion spending plans
https://www.dailymail.co.uk › ushome › article-9985809

Generally speaking, most people in the U.S. do not pay half their income in taxes. That said, the lower middle-class and the working class can end up paying a higher "effective tax rate", especially when you include fixed costs like housing expenses and transportation - than those making more money. That's why there is a graduated scale with Federal Income Taxes.

For example, someone making $100,000 per year could pay roughly $15,000 in Federal taxes after deductions. Then another $6,000 in payroll taxes. Leaving them with around $79,000 net. Then depending on where they live, they could pay state taxes - let's say another $2,000...

So after they paid all their income taxes, they could be left with around $77,000 net.

$5,000 - property taxes
$2,000 - sales taxes
$1,000 (all other taxes, tolls etc)

So they would have a net income of $69,000 before housing and transportation expenses, Giving them an effective tax rate of 31%. Now if you add fixed housing costs - let's say $18,000 per year - their net income drops to $51,000 per year - which would give them an effective tax and fixed housing cost rate of 49% of their income.

With the remainder of the $51% they would still need to pay for transportation costs, food, clothing, utility bills, etc etc.


Now let's take a look at someone making $30,000 per year.

Federal Tax: $3000
Payroll Tax: $1800
State tax: $1000
Sales Tax: $1000
All other taxes: $1000

So out of $30,000 they would pay $7,800 in total taxes, netting them around $22,200 giving them an effective tax rate around 26%.

But when you add effective tax plus fixed housing cost of let's say $12,000 per year - it drops their net all the way down to $10,200 giving them an effective tax rate plus fixed housing cost expense rate of 66% of their income which is a higher effective tax and fixed housing cost rate than the wealthiest people in the country pay as a % of their income.

There is no "redistribution of wealth" in terms of % of people's incomes. In terms of overall fixed dollar amounts - the top 50% of income earners pay the vast majority of Federal Taxes - but as a % of their income when looking at effective tax rates and fixed housing expense- as you can see - it could be the same - potentially less than those in the bottom 50% of income levels.

That's why there is a graduated scale for Federal Income Taxes.

That said, US Citizens and residents are fortunate to live in a country where even the lower middle classes and working classes have housing, food, healthcare, etc - and if needed, can get help from social safety nets.

Social Safety nets are vital for any first world country to succeed as a top economic Super Power. Without them, there could be substantial ramifications economically - along with healthcare issues, housing issues, crime, hunger, etc.

Plus, as a Christian - would you want to see rising rates of poverty, disease, crime, people suffering etc? It goes against the very principles written in the Bible itself.

 

[Trickster]

I agree about Muslims and Jews. Too many restrictions and tiresome rituals. The Christians I know are quite happy however.

No, Christians are the worst because they try so hard to show everybody how "happy" they are with fake smiles, overpoliteness not to be polite, but rather as a way of claiming superiority and showing off a facade of a happy family, but behind closed doors, wife and children are being beat up.

Chrstians believe life is suffering and that real joy comes after death or in "afterlife" as they call it. With these premises one can never be truly happy.

 

[Woodznutz]

No, Christians are the worst because they try so hard to show everybody how "happy" they are with fake smiles, overpoliteness not to be polite, but rather as a way of claiming superiority and showing off a facade of a happy family, but behind closed doors, wife and children are being beat up.

Chrstians believe life is suffering and that real joy comes after death or in "afterlife" as they call it. With these premises one can never be truly happy.

I have known those. They are called "tares".

 

[PoliticalChic]

Generally speaking, most people in the U.S. do not pay half their income in taxes. That said, the lower middle-class and the working class can end up paying a higher "effective tax rate", especially when you include fixed costs like housing expenses and transportation - than those making more money. That's why there is a graduated scale with Federal Income Taxes.

For example, someone making $100,000 per year could pay roughly $15,000 in Federal taxes after deductions. Then another $6,000 in payroll taxes. Leaving them with around $79,000 net. Then depending on where they live, they could pay state taxes - let's say another $2,000...

So after they paid all their income taxes, they could be left with around $77,000 net.

$5,000 - property taxes
$2,000 - sales taxes
$1,000 (all other taxes, tolls etc)

So they would have a net income of $69,000 before housing and transportation expenses, Giving them an effective tax rate of 31%. Now if you add fixed housing costs - let's say $18,000 per year - their net income drops to $51,000 per year - which would give them an effective tax and fixed housing cost rate of 49% of their income.

With the remainder of the $51% they would still need to pay for transportation costs, food, clothing, utility bills, etc etc.


Now let's take a look at someone making $30,000 per year.

Federal Tax: $3000
Payroll Tax: $1800
State tax: $1000
Sales Tax: $1000
All other taxes: $1000

So out of $30,000 they would pay $7,800 in total taxes, netting them around $22,200 giving them an effective tax rate around 26%.

But when you add effective tax plus fixed housing cost of let's say $12,000 per year - it drops their net all the way down to $10,200 giving them an effective tax rate plus fixed housing cost expense rate of 66% of their income which is a higher effective tax and fixed housing cost rate than the wealthiest people in the country pay as a % of their income.

There is no "redistribution of wealth" in terms of % of people's incomes. In terms of overall fixed dollar amounts - the top 50% of income earners pay the vast majority of Federal Taxes - but as a % of their income when looking at effective tax rates and fixed housing expense- as you can see - it could be the same - potentially less than those in the bottom 50% of income levels.

That's why there is a graduated scale for Federal Income Taxes.

Seems difficult for you to answer a direct queston.


"Tithing and sacrifices are a form of "redistribution of wealth".


So that is what you favor?




Here's another one: who'd you vote for?

 

[PoliticalChic]

There is that Christian condescension again.

Being atheist is the fundamental requirement of Marxism, and Marx worshipped Satan.

 

[Meriweather]

I don't know why atheists come here. Maybe the Devil sent them.

Or, perhaps God draws them, not necessarily for their sake, but for our own.

 

[Trickster]

faith
[fāTH]
noun

1. complete trust or confidence in someone or something:
2. strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.
   

Just what I said. Silly goose.

 

[Trickster]

Or, perhaps God draws them, not necessarily for their sake, but for our own.

Ooor maybe God sent us to help you?

 

[Meriweather]

There is that Christian condescension again.

Christian humor. However, our curiosity is genuine. What draws people to any website or forum is interest. I have no interest in a flat earth, unicorns and other things I have no belief in, mountain climbing, etc. so I dismiss the idea of going to any of these sites. Based on that, I'm curious as to why people with no belief and no interest in God come here because, based on my own interests and non-interests, I can't figure it out.

 

[Meriweather]

There are two spiritual types of people. God's children

I see it more as people of truth and who pursue goodness versus deceivers and those who do evil. Many atheists are very good people who abide in truth as well as any person of faith.