|
Religious activities generally need some infrastructure to be conducted. For this reason, there generally exist some form of organizations that organize: In addition, such organizations may have other responsibilities, such as: the formation of priests, the establishment of a corpus of doctrine, the disciplining of priests or other people with respect to religious law, etc. A church building is a building used in Christian worship. ...
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of the Islamic faith. ...
A synagogue (from Greek συναγωγη, transliterated sunagoge, place of assembly literally meeting, assembly) is a Jewish house of prayer and study. ...
Salary is a form of periodic payment specified in an employment contract. ...
Roman Catholic priest LCDR Allen R. Kuss (USN) aboard USS Enterprise A priest or priestess is a holy man or woman who takes an officiating role in worship of any religion, with the distinguishing characteristic of offering sacrifices. ...
Legal status
Public organizations Some countries run the activities of one or more religions as part of their government, or as external organizations closely supported by the government. See state religion. A state religion (also called an established church or state church) is a religious body or creed officially endorsed by the state. ...
Private organizations In some countries, the government is prohibited by law from establishing or supporting religions, though there may be exceptions to such rules. Religions are thus necessarily supported by private organizations, generally funded by those who attend their services.
France The French Republic is constitutionally laïcité (roughly, secular) and prohibited by a 1905 statute to salary, subsidize or recognize any religion; for historical reasons, this statute however does not apply to the Alsace-Moselle area (where four religions are state-subsidized), to French Guiana (Catholic priests are employed by the local government, although this situation is likely to change) and to military chaplains (as of 2005, there are indications that the statute of religious services to the military will be changed). This article concerns secularity, that is, being secular, in various senses. ...
The Alsace-Moselle is the current legal name of the France that was part of Germany from 1871 to 1919 (and then from 1940 to 1944_1945), consisting of the départements of Haut-Rhin and Bas-Rhin (both of which make up Alsace), and the département of Moselle (itself...
A chaplain is a priest or military unit, a private chapel, a ship, a prison, a hospital, a parliament and so on. ...
2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Religious organizations are not required to register, but may if they wish to apply for tax-exempt status or to gain official recognition. The Government defines two categories under which religious groups may register: "associations cultuelles" (associations of worship, which are exempt from taxes) and "associations culturelles" (cultural associations, which are not exempt from all taxes). Associations in these two categories are subject to certain management and financial disclosure requirements. An association of worship may organize only religious activities, defined as liturgical services and practices. A cultural association may engage in profit-making activity. Although a cultural association is not exempt from taxes, it may receive government subsidies for its cultural and educational operations, such as schools. Religious groups normally register under both of these categories; the Mormons, for example, runs strictly religious activities through its association of worship and operates a school under its cultural association.
Under the 1905 statute, religious groups must apply with the local prefecture to be recognized as an association of worship and receive tax-exempt status. The prefecture reviews the submitted documentation regarding the association's purpose for existence. To qualify, the group's purpose must be solely the practice of some form of religious ritual. Printing publications, employing a board president, or running a school may disqualify a group from receiving tax-exempt status. A common method is to run such activities in another financially separate association ("cultural association" or other similar denomination). The term prefecture has been used to denote a self-governing body or area since the time of Constantine I, who divided the Roman Empire into 4 districts (each divided into dioceses). ...
Religious charities, like other charities may, under a number of strict conditions, be recognized by the government to be of "public usefulness" (utilité publique). This entitles them to receive donations without taxation; furthermore, the donators may deduce a proportion of their donation from their income tax. Charity is a term in Christian theology (one of the three theological virtues), meaning loving kindness towards others; it is held to be the ultimate perfection of the human spirit, because it is said to both glorify and reflect the nature of God. ...
Income tax is a direct tax which is levied on the income of private individuals. ...
As an example, the Catholic Church operates churches through its diocesan associations, headed by the bishops. These, as associations cultuelles, only deal with the upkeep of church buildings and costs associated with worship and prayer. There exist a variety of other religious associations dealing with other aspects of religious life. Finally, the French government recognizes the Secours Catholique as a charity of public usefulness. The Roman Catholic Church believes its founding was based on Jesus appointment of Saint Peter as the primary church leader, later Bishop of Rome. ...
In some Christian churches, the diocese is an administrative territorial unit governed by a bishop, sometimes also referred to as a bishopric or episcopal see, though more often the term episcopal see means the office held by the bishop. ...
A bishop is an ordained member of the Christian clergy who holds a specific position of authority in any of a number of Christian churches. ...
According to the 1905 law, associations of worship are not taxed on the donations that they receive. However, the prefecture may decide to review a group's status if the association receives a large donation or legacy that comes to the attention of the tax authorities. If the prefecture determines that the association is not in fact in conformity with the 1905 law, its status may be changed, and it may be required to pay taxes at a rate of 60 percent on present and past donations.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, 109 of 1,138 Protestant associations, 15 of 147 Jewish associations, and approximately 30 of 1,050 Muslim associations have tax-free status. Approximately 100 Catholic associations are tax-exempt; a representative of the Ministry of Interior reports that the number of nontax-exempt Catholic associations is too numerous to estimate accurately. More than 50 associations of the Jehovah's Witnesses have tax-free status.
(Most of this information from International Religious Freedom Report 2004 (http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2004/35454.htm), US Department of State; information cross-checked in French legal texts.) The United States Department of State, often referred to as the State Department, is the Cabinet-level foreign affairs agency of the United States government, equivalent to foreign ministries in other countries. ...
|
Feeds |
Contact