Tax Exemptions For Churches : Why They Aren 't Justified

Have you ever stole money from your parents, only to find out that they were saving it for something important? “Mama’s Missionary Money.” Was an article written by Chester Himes in a book called Black American Short Stories, published by Hill & Wang in 1993 in New York. Chester Himes is a Harvard Law School graduate, editor and publisher for a magazine called Our World, also he was an editor for a book called The American Negro Reference Book. (Clarke). Lemuel, the main character of the story, was left home alone one day. He gets bored and decides to roam the house in hopes of finding something. He goes into his parent’s room and goes through their drawers, and finds a black pocketbook full of change and some paper money. He takes a quarter, and goes see a movie. Every day, Lemuel takes a little bit more money. Eventually, the pocketbook has so little money

Coming from a lonely and abusive home Mary had to find happiness outside of her house. Her mom made a friend from their church and she happened to have a three month year old baby. Mary always occupied the Richardson’s by helping with baby Alyssa, while also distracting herself from reality. Meeting the Richardson’s ended up being Mary’s worst nightmare. One night the Richardson’s went out and asked Mary and her mother to watch Alyssa.

In New England, Baptists who did not pay taxes to support the the Congregational Church had their goods seized and sold at a "public outcry" for a fraction of their worth, or cast

As she walks through the door after a long and exhausting day, Monee King is greeted with “Hey Mom!”, from her 4 beautiful teenage girls. She cooks an amazing dinner after cooking for others all day. They sit at the kitchen table and bow their heads in prayer. After a quiet “Amen” the table erupts in stories about each of the young girl's day. She listens and laughs while thinking “This wasn't easy but it was worth it”

“The mother removes her purse from her shoulder and rummages through its contents: lipstick, a lace handkerchief, an address book. She finds what she’s looking for and passes a folded dollar over her child’s head to the man who stands and stares even though the light has changed and traffic navigates around his hips… He does not know his part. He does not know that acceptance of the gift and gratitude are what makes this transaction complete… The mother grows impatient and pushes the stroller before her, bearing the dollar like a cross. Finally, a black hand rises and closes around green” (paragraphs 3-5).

Chances are if you grew up in the south, then you most likely have been to a church service before. I remember as a kid getting the wakeup call every Sunday morning from my mom, “Get up and get dressed for church!” Even if I did not feel like going, she would drag me out of bed and make me go. Anne Lamott writes about the same thing in her essay “Why I Make Sam Go to Church.” Lamott wrote “Why I Make Sam Go to Church” in 1999 as part of a collection of autobiographical essays in a book called Traveling Mercies. My main reaction to this work was a positive one. I thought the essay was eye opening in a sense and it shows that everyone needs guidance and help from others sometimes.

No, no, the husbands were quick to answer and even quicker to do their duty” (Walker, 1970). This example illustrates the time frame from which this story was written. The author also describes the weather as being not much above zero outside, so this story takes place during the cold winter months. After being thrown out of the church the setting shifts to the highway. “When they passed her house, forlourn and sagging, weather-beaten and patched, by the side of the road, she did not even notice it, she was so happy to be out walking along the highway with Jesus, she broke the silence once more to tell Jesus how glad she was that he had come, how she had often looked at his picture hanging on her wall (she hoped he didn’t know she had stolen it) over her bed, and how she had never expected to see him down here in person” (Walker, 1970).

History shows a pattern of change in relation to religious involvement of governmental affairs. As religion becomes less a part of American life, the court develops new laws to accommodate our new society. Look to the communities we live in presently and ask yourself if the American people are facing oppression of religious freedom, a freedom listed in our Constitution under the First Amendment. This spirals into an abyss of politics. Is same-sex marriage a personal matter or a public one? Is the Republican Party fair in opting to end abortion? Should a woman have contraceptive included in her health insurance plan despite the religious views of her employer? This is one of the areas in which

In “The Rocking Horse Winner” by D. H. Lawrence, an immense amount of attention is poured towards the focus of money. Today, who someone is depends drastically upon the amount of money they have. Sadly, money determines who you are before you even realize it. The same idea is developed into this story. An essay says, “While his father is a hard worker, he does not bring in enough money to satisfy the expensive tastes of the latter’s wife. Because of this, Paul’s mother resents her husband and makes it clear that she wants more monetary benefits out of life” (Pierce). Although she may not realize it, Paul’s mother is beginning to demand so much of her husband that it not only wears out her husband, but continually rubs off onto Paul. Paul becomes so bothered by the thought that his family has little to none money, and his only desire is to change that feeling for his family. He begins to realize that he wants nothing but money for his family so they can experience life in such a way that they are able to enjoy what they have and obtain more. As Paul is growing up amid such an issue, he begins to realize that no matter what he is doing, he is constantly being reminded that his family is destitute. “He was looking so extraordinarily foolish for no other reason but that he heard the secret whisper all over the house: “There must be more money” (Page 1248). Given the circumstances, everything that Paul did reminded him subtly about the family issue. Because of

Once inside the store, Sylvia can no longer ignore the blinding imparity between the rich and the poor. Her discovery of an overly priced toy clown prompts her to consider what could be bought for its price: "Thirty-five dollars could buy new bunk beds for Junior and Gretchen’s boy. Thirty-five dollars and the whole household could go visit Granddaddy Nelson in the country. Thirty-five dollars would pay for the rent and the piano bill too" (605). Sylvia is forced to finally address the socioeconomic inequality that works against her while simultaneously conferring certain luxuries on the rich: "Who are these people that spend that much for performing clowns and $1000 for toy sailboats? What kinda work they do and how they live and how come we ain’t in on it?" (605).

Though individuals have different opinions on certain matters, all individuals have some sense of right and wrong. It is wrong to cheat on a test, it is wrong to drive without a license, and it is wrong to steal, but for some obscure reason the majority of individuals have done so. Chester Himes was the director of Special Publications for the Phelps-Stokes Fund in New York City and wrote Mama's Missionary Money. In Himes’s passage he tells of a boy named Lemual who purloins money from his mother. Lemual finds money in his mother’s dresser, and he takes coins every day until his mother realizes her money is missing. Lemual has become idolized by the neighborhood kids as he takes them out to eat and watch shows. Through the author’s use of simile, hyperbole, and anaphora the reader gets a thorough understanding that all actions have certain consequences and individuals must be prepared to face them.

In ?the Cathedral?, Carver chooses to explore a completely different aspect of poverty. Contrary to ?Everyday Use? and ?Sonny?s Blues?, Carver

Toni Cade Bambara’s “The Lesson,” introduces us to Miss Moore, a college educated African American women who takes it upon herself to offer educational sessions to children living in a New York City slum. While there are no familial relationships with the children, she “said it was only right that she should take responsibility for the young ones’ education” (paragraph 2). The traditional subject of math allows her to creatively introduce the complex topic of income inequality, which becomes apparent during a field trip to F.A.O. Schwartz in Manhattan. Seeing a handcrafted sailboat with a $1,195 price tag jars her young students - even our reluctant narrator, Sylvia, exclaims, “unbelievable” (paragraph 27). Painfully aware they are poor,

Before going into the store, Miss. Moore tells the kids that they should first just look in the window before going in. Sugar, one of the kids, asks if they can steal as if it were really an option. Peering thru the window the kids began to see the cultural difference in where they were from and the kids who must shop here. There was no way they could ever afford any of this stuff, and they knew they did not belong. Miss. Moore was explaining what things were, how they worked, and how much they are in comparison to things like allowances. Some of the things the kids see, they see useless and it has to be explained why anyone would need such a thing, such as the paperweight. Then the kids saw it, the sail boat that the kids saw in the window that was way too expensive for any of them to ever own, one kid even recollected getting spanked for sinking a boat that cost one dollar and this sail boat cost one thousand one hundred ninety-five dollars. The kids were truly amazed by this. Sylvia was so confused that she thought that a real yacht would cost about one thousand dollars.

The short story “Diary of a Parish Clerk” begins with an introduction of a pastor, the pastor’s son, and a peasant boy. The peasant boy’s father dies shortly and the