₦airaland Forum

rerhji:
one kind yeye pastor nd ppl will hate dis....coz de see religious organizations as family business....imagine wife b pastor husband sef go de claim pastor....na on top bed God call both if una??

Seun:
I support the forced divestment of private schools and other commercial businesses from churches. That's better than forcing tenure limits on church leaders. It is better to tackle the problem directly instead of using indirect methods that will lead to unintended consequences. The government has the right to insist that churches should sell off their commercial businesses, but not to dictate spiritual matters like leadership. A government that fights religion will be fought by religion. The result will be a more divided country. We can't afford that.

Mc4larin:

“When you set up a church, your motive is to ensure that people are well focused to go to heaven. Then the money in the church should be targeted at ensuring that people are helped to do that. If you want to set up a school, then it should be free for all your members’ children. If you charge any money, then you are in the same league with other schools outside that are paying taxes to the government.

“If you set up schools, hospitals and the likes under a church, there is a high likelihood that you will be engaging in non-charitable activities within charity. If you are doing that, then what stops Dangote from setting up a mosque and having all his cements, rice and sugar under it? That is actually what some churches and mosques are doing.

Sibrah:
A confused govt that can't deliver quality education is trying to re-regulate private(church-owned) higher institutions. I don't support that. Is the govt saying NUC hasn't been doing a good job all these years?

Seun:
Yea. I actually support the establishment of universities by churches. Those universities provide good education to rich students, thus freeing up more space for poor students in public universities. Also, it reduces the need for rich parents to send their kids abroad, thus saving forex.

However, I also agree with Mr Obazee's concerns. It's not right for a commercial entity to be allowed to escape accountability by simply hiding under the umbrella of a non-profit organization. The solution is for the schools to incorporate the schools as independent companies.

([s]Pastor Adeboye and others should be allowed to be GOs for life if he believes that this is God's will; but he should not be running for-profit businesses.[/s]) not sure if this is relevant due to lack of information

Mc4larin:
Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of the FRC, Jim Obazee, at the weekend said that though only 89 out of the 23, 216 registered churches in the country have complied till date with regulations, the council would be unrelenting till the right thing is done.

“In keeping other peoples’ money, you have to prepare account. That is why churches fought me so badly, took me to court as a person and then my office too. Mosques and orthodox churches freely complied, but those Pentecostal churches called me to ask questions. They said: ‘This church is church of God and we are accountable to God.’ And I told them: ‘Very good, so you must take this church to heaven, you can’t operate it here’. When public funds are involved, government needs to ensure proper accountability.”

The CEO explained: “Religious organisations are ordinarily set up as ‘not-for-profit’ and they remain institutions of public character. The challenge, however, is a trend where churches and mosques start dabbling into non-charity ventures like schools, hospitals and so on.
“When you set up a church, your motive is to ensure that people are well focused to go to heaven. Then the money in the church should be targeted at ensuring that people are helped to do that. If you want to set up a school, then it should be free for all your members’ children. If you charge any money, then you are in the same league with other schools outside that are paying taxes to the government.

“If you set up schools, hospitals and the likes under a church, there is a high likelihood that you will be engaging in non-charitable activities within charity. If you are doing that, then what stops Dangote from setting up a mosque and having all his cements, rice and sugar under it? That is actually what some churches and mosques are doing.

hahn:
Too many great points here

They said: ‘This church is church of God and we are accountable to God.’ And I told them: ‘Very good, so you must take this church to heaven, you can’t operate it here’. When public funds are involved, government needs to ensure proper accountability.”

Hahaha! What is the location of heaven biko? In the imagination of the gullible members and in the bank accounts of the rich pastors

Shior

Seun:
The solution is for the churches to incorporate the schools as independent companies.

donnie:
Listen, there are no schools or businesses of the church that aren't taxed. Do your research.

donnie:
Listen, there are no schools or businesses of the church that aren't taxed. Do your research.

Sibrah:
In islam when child marriage leads to VVF the victims are taken care off by govt owned and subsidized hospitals. I say this from experience. If god commanded child marriage and it is now leading to VVF, they might as well take the VVF victims to their god and prophet for further treatment. These people are clearly envious of the progresses the church is recording.

Sibrah:
From my inside knowlegde of Covenant Uni for example, it isn't a profit run school neither is the Church itself a profit run church or organisation. People speculate trash according to their weak conscience and empty stomach alot.
[b]I can say for a fact that Covenant Uni isn't funded by tithes and offering[/b]When building new structures, they have people termed as 'partners' who do that voluntarily. Tell me how's that different from a LAUTECH or OAU that's govt owned but leaves room for people willing to donate building or labs?
My fear is for those copycat churches who try to replicate what's happening in some other churches they hardly understand.

Seun:
Any evidence for this? It would surprise me if the FRC chairman was truly lying against the churches in a public interview, as you're implying.

kcnwaigbo:
you expect me to believe this? really?

Sibrah:
These silly people who can't question religious backed killings, child marriage, or terrorism are trying to interpret God's will for Christians to Christians. The main question here should be is the Church owned school making profits or not?

As for the arguement of children of members attending the school for free since they pay tithes, offering and other seeds, it is a flawed arguement too. It may be a popular arguement among ignorant Christians.

hahn:
Well, the bible doesn't say anything against child marriage. In fact Mary, the mother of Jesus, was underage herself and it was common practice by the ancient Jews to marry women at the age of 13-14

Seun:
Any evidence for this? It would surprise me if the FRC chairman was truly lying against the churches in a public interview, as you're implying.

Seun:
I support the forced divestment of private schools and other commercial businesses from churches.

([s]That's better than forcing tenure limits on church leaders. It is better to tackle the problem directly instead of using indirect methods that will lead to unintended consequences. The government has the right to insist that churches should sell off their commercial businesses, but not to dictate spiritual matters like leadership. A government that fights religion will be fought by religion. The result will be a more divided country. We can't afford that.[/s]) not sure if this is relevant due to lack of information.

Sibrah:
Prove it or explain the absense of VVF within Jews then.

Sibrah:
From my inside knowlegde of Covenant Uni for example, it isn't a profit run school neither is the Church itself a profit run church or organisation. People speculate trash according to their weak conscience and empty stomach alot.
I can say for a fact that Covenant Uni isn't funded by tithes and offering. When building new structures, they have people termed as 'partners' who do that voluntarily. Tell me how's that different from a LAUTECH or OAU that's govt owned but leaves room for people willing to donate building or labs?
My fear is for those copycat churches who try to replicate what's happening in some other churches they hardly understand.

musicwriter:
Why should church members pay school fees to a school built with their tithe and offering money?

Let me know why the argument is flawed.

fatdick:
When projects are to be financed in Winner's Chapel, special offerings are raised which are project specific

Sibrah:
You don't know what you are saying. Give example of schools built with church members' tithe & offering too . . .

Sibrah:
I never heard that. What I know is the 'partner' arrangement. It was used for the enginering department buildings like EIE, civil and Mech.
Even if what you wrote was true, there is still the recurrent angle to it, do they also take special offerings for deisel, gen set, staff salary, equipments and other recurrent expenses? People use their mental limitation and circumstance to guess what they don't most times.

fatdick:
Next time, please be honest enough to add "I was told" before your statements. You appear to be just a CU student/graduate than a regular LFC member. Let me take you down memory lane, long before you got admitted to CU, church members gave special offering to finance the project, some even volunteered in areas of manual labour (carrying blocks, concretes and assisting on the site). Who are these partners you're talking about gan? What do they get in return for their partnership? Please dont you dare say 'nothing'.....else you sound naive.

Talking about recurrent expenditure, is that enough reason not to pay tax? Abi other profit making companies that pay tax no get recurrent expenditure ni? Are you confused?

And all the weekly tithes and offerings (which runs into huge millions) are used for what exactly if not recurrent expenses.....or does God come to pick them up personally, maybe He has an account. People who are mentally limited are not hard to notice.