I talked to the IRS a few days ago about the approval process of this church. It's at the bottom of a pile in Washington and it will probably be 3 to 4 months before it gets looked at.
The guy I talked to was very nice and very frustrated. He said they have never been this backed up before. Some of it has to do with these new 527 political organizations that they have to process. And they are taking IRS staff and using them to audit not for profits to see if they are linked to terrorism. So - if you're just a church looking to get your approval - you're screwed.
So - the bottom line is - we are going to have to wait and let the process play out. But - I don't think we are being treated any more unfairly than anyone else. After all - the rest of the government is becomming more dysfunctional every day - so it doesn't surprise me that the IRS is having problems as well.
As to tax status. If this church is approved then the tax exemption status goes bech to the day we applied - which is December of 2003. So - anyone who donates money will be OK if the approval goes through. But - if it doesn'y go through - they didn't say they would lose the exemption - but that's kind of murky - and I would guess that it's likely you would. I think the issue as to wouldn't being that the process of approving me was so long that time is a factor - but I'm no expert on this. Bottom line is - if you give to the Church of Reality now - do it not counting on the exemption.
Having said that - it's time for me to stop waiting and get on with the process of building this organization. I need to accept that I have to transition into doing this full time not and get prepared for this to be my new gig. So - I just have to figure out how to start and move past doing what I would rather do - be a computer geek.
I have a plan in the works and I will soon post it here.
Boy, am I glad I found this site. The logos is great and God does exist. To a fool the evidence of that existence cannot be proved. To a wise man who realizes that men are metaphysical reality's God is proved in that man's existence.
That is only a sign that you can't please everybody.
To those people who think you are degrading religion by acknowleging it with reality I'd answer that religion is reality. People who ask that question confuse God with religion.They are stuck in their own reality when the object of religion is to move you through reality while God always is... God.
( Hopefully without getting your feet dirty )
Good Luck,
Ozzy
PS Keep in touch
Posted by: Ozzy at September 13, 2004 06:35 PM