Even though the whole Occupy Wall Street movement has come to a dead-end, we're still very aware that there are people and organizations worth millions and billions that don't pay taxes or contribute to society.
Religious organizations are usually absent from this conversation, especially because of their tax-exempt status. They're not necessarily raking in Amazon levels of money, but there is still some weird and corrupt stuff going on behind the scenes.
Thankfully, we have some amazing local journalists chronicling where your tithe money is going. Check out this article from The Frontier:
Just west of Bixby in south Tulsa County, an opulent 7,030-square-foot, two-story brick and stone mansion rises above the surrounding hay meadows and pastures.
Valued at $1.7 million, the Mounds luxury home sits on 10 acres of land, includes seven bedrooms, five bathrooms, a salt water pool, a pool house, a four-car garage, five fireplaces, a gated driveway and three large metal shops on the property.
Down the street, less than a mile east on 171st Street South, sits a 912-square foot house built in 1972 situated on a one-acre lot valued at just $43,400.
Yet, when it comes time to pay property taxes, the owner of the small house will owe the county more for that residence than the other owner will for the mansion and the 50 acres of land surrounding it, which are fully exempted from property taxes.
That’s because the mansion’s owner is a church.
That's just the lede, and I highly recommend y'all read the whole story because Frontier is doing incredible journalistic work, and it just gets more bonkers from there. Churches are able to obtain massive amounts of money and then not pay taxes on absurd properties in Oklahoma, which is something that Jesus obviously wanted.