By Morton J. Marcus
February 3, 2026
Recently, Michael Hicks of Ball State University published in this outlet 1,114 words to crucify Christian nationalists. It was a worthy act. But he stopped short of decrying the explicit public support for all “religious” organizations. Every church, mosque, synagogue, temple, and former home of a dry cleaner is eligible for property tax exemption, if they claim to be a religious organization.
This exemption extends to their parking lot, green space, and out buildings. They have exemption from sales taxes in several instances. But do we charge extra for an “In God We Trust” license plate?
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution promises freedom of religion, but we have gone beyond freedom to subsidizing various private sector organizations. We do this because they claim to operate in the public interest.
We not only subsidize those organizations, but money given to them may qualify for tax exemption. There is no collection of a sales tax at church when the basket is passed. Likewise, the income of the church is not taxed, and the contribution is deductible from the donor’s income. Kroger offers a different experience that may be more beneficial to society.
What is different about Christian nationalism from the fundamentalism of Israel, India, Pakistan, Iran, and religious groups in other nations?
Israel claims land in Palestine based on a passage in the Book of Genesis. God is reported to have made a gift of the land to Abram, but no provision was made for the Canaanites. And how many have died in Gaza to avenge deaths in Israel? Is there no celestial accountant?
When the superior minds of Britain separated Muslim from Hindu on the Asian subcontinent, slaughter ensued. Buddhists in Myanmar are hostile-to-homicidal in their treatment of others of that nation. Communism in Russia and China has many of the trappings of a religion; there it stamps out other claims to obedience.
Christian nationalists may be called many ugly things, but only because they have appeared in our country in our time. Other Christian groups came to these shores to escape the Protestants and Catholics of their native lands. The Mormons had to flee Illinois because their religious practices were an abomination in the eyes of their fellow citizens. Each of these groups had a fling at totalitarian government, but were ultimately required by newcomers to loosen their chains on the populace.
No religious group is exempt from seeking power on the path to perfection. Our American practices grant too much power to such groups. Why are Rotary Clubs, Kiwanis Clubs and similar god-fearing organizations exempt from the federal income tax?
We make a distinction between for-profit and not-for-profit organizations because we believe we are promoting the public welfare. How strong is the evidence for that claim? Meanwhile, taxes are raised to cover the expenses of governments that provide vital services to both forms of the IRS designations. The fire truck serves the Anglican Church and the Ace Hardware store.
Of course, Mike Hicks and I have both benefited from the tax exempt status of our public employers. Perhaps we would feel cleaner, but less pious, if our universities paid property and other taxes just like other companies.
Morton J. Marcus, is an economist, formerly with the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Indiana Citizen or any other affiliated organization.
