HoreTore - an innocent victim of religious persecution. Call amnesty now!!

[HoreTore]

Hello everyone.

My name is HoreTore, and I live in a country known as Norway. It is a cold and bitter place right now, I am forced to wear wollen socks with my shorts...

But it's also a country of fiery religious persecution.


Yesterday, I watched my beloved Mjøndalen IF conclude a season that started out disappointing, but we managed to save our place in the end with a string of very strong wins... I paid 165 NOK for my ticket; and that's when it hit me:

My club will have to pay taxes on this, while those who got their priorities wrong and went to church instead got a tax cut!!

How on earth can this atrocity possibly be justified? How is this not an obvious example of discrimination? Where is the ECHR? Yes yes, I know what you're going to say: "you don't pay money to go to a church!", "churches are non-profit organizations!" and "relgion does a lot of good things in its community!". And I of course have the rebuttals ready. First of all, yes, you pay for a church service. Churches live in donations, and the more donations you get, the more/the nbetter/the nicer church service you get in return. Donate x dollars to your church, and you get x amount of religous stuff in return. That's exactly the same as paying for a ticket, you just call it something else. When I pay my ticket, I do it so that I can see football. The more tickets they sell, the better football I get to see. Exactly the same. Secondly, the non-profit thing: this is an easy one, have you ever seen a football club with a profit? Neither have I. There are no owners profiting from the revenue generated by the money I pay for my tickets, in fact, Mjøndalen IF doesn't have any owners at all, they are "owned" by the members of the club. But what about the players then? They make a lot of money! Well... Have you seen the clergy lately? They're not exactly the poorest chaps around.... You could probably buy Sweden with the gold and other valuables in the Vatican. So, that brings us to our final point: religion contributes to its community. Yes, they do. But so does a football club. Hundreds of kids from the age of 6 to 16 learn respect, cooperation and team spirits from playing football, as well as the obvious health benefits. Football provides a community with a sense of shared purpose, pride and knits us all tighter together. You can't walk up and start talking with a complete stranger these days. But if he wears the same team colours as you do, you can. Sure, there are problems with hooligans and such. But honestly, that pales in comparison to the crusades, inquisition, thirty years war and 9/11.....


Support equal rights and end discrimination:

TAX JESUS!

[drone]

My religion got relegated a few years back. It's no fun in the second division, but hopefully we can pass the Zoroastrians and Wiccans and get back to the top flight.

[Louis VI the Fat]

Well, like so many states run by petrodollars you are governed by heriditary princes and a state religion. Deal with it. Living standars are too high to make revolution.
Are your women allowed to drive cars yet? Must they wear a veil?


Meanwhile, the ECHR has indeed ruled against forced religious education in Norway, three years ago: FOLGERØ AND OTHERS v. NORWAY, 29 June 2007, no. 15472/02.



I say stop slaughtering whales, pay taxes to Brussels like a good boy, stop buying up Europe for your national trust fund, and then Europe will see how we can bring freedom to your shores and fjords.

[Hosakawa Tito]

I thought socialists liked to pay taxes.

[Beskar]

I thought it was something to do with the 100k per week footballers wages for kicking a ball around the pitch?

Don't worry, while England's poor might be on the streets, we still find the money for Wayne Looney.

[HoreTore]

Ah, yes religion in schools.... The wonderous new course "noone could object to" because it is so "fair and balanced". Hah!! I teach the seventh grade in religion from time to time as a substitute, and their textbook has 10-15 pages on islam, buddhism, judaism and hinduism, 20 pages about humanism and ethics, and a whooping 80 pages about christianity, inckuding indepth analysis of parts of the bible....

Blanaced? Hah! My behind.

You sure that foreign legion of yours isn't available for some invading, Louis?

But hopefully we'll never stop whaling and clubbing baby seals. And I mean that in all seriousness. Everything but humans are food, and both whale and seal tastes delicious. Seals also make excellent clothing. And to top it off, they're both sustainable resources with no danger of extinction. Go whalers!!

[Louis VI the Fat]

I teach the seventh grade in religion from time to time as a substitute

They employ you as a religion teacher...?


Next they'll organise cultural sensitivity training by Fragony and a course 'flower arrangement to poetry readings' by Dave.

[Beskar]

They employ you as a religion teacher...?


Next they'll organise cultural sensitivity training by Fragony and a course 'flower arrangement to poetry readings' by Dave.

Don't forget the Sex Education classes by Prussian Iron

[Louis VI the Fat]

...or economy 101 by Beskar.

[HoreTore]

They employ you as a religion teacher...?

I'll let you know that I got the grade "5" in religion back in school, on a scale going from 1-6, and nobody in my class got a higher grade
It isn't one of my principal subjects though, hence I rarely teach in it.

Anyway, could we switch back to the original topic, boys? Let's discuss taxing religion! The state church has nothing to do with this though, the US doesn't have one, but still they give tax breaks for those who wish to buy religion, while they penalize those who instead wish to spend their money on sports or whatever else.

Is somebody capable of explaining why this isn't a gross example of religious discrimination that should be outlawed instantly?

[rory_20_uk]

I'm happy to see all religions taxed, unless they can show the same criteria to reach charitable status as other charities do.

[Husar]

Ah, yes religion in schools.... The wonderous new course "noone could object to" because it is so "fair and balanced". Hah!! I teach the seventh grade in religion from time to time as a substitute, and their textbook has 10-15 pages on islam, buddhism, judaism and hinduism, 20 pages about humanism and ethics, and a whooping 80 pages about christianity, inckuding indepth analysis of parts of the bible....

Blanaced? Hah! My behind.

Yeah, and what's wrong about learning about the foundations of your country, your ethics and your culture? Of course it's missing paganism but of the 80 pages on the bible are actually relevant for the others, too. Firstly half the bible is about judaism, secondly Islam does not disregard the bible either, it's one of their religious books if I'm not entirely mistaken, thirdly buddhism should have no problem with learning about Christianity, surely a buddhist should be interested to find out why Norway is the way it is.
It's also weird that you want all religions represented the same without mentioning that you'd rather have people learn none of it and be taught about atheism instead.

[Fragony]

Rediculous that religion is teached in public schools in a non-historical context. If my kids had to read bible or qu'ran-texts I would sue them to hell and surroundings.

[Hax]

thirdly buddhism should have no problem with learning about Christianity, surely a buddhist should be interested to find out why Norway is the way it is.

Supposedly, yes. Of course.


Also, next up: Why Islam is a danger to everyone. By me, of course.