# What are the Protestants and Catholics fighting about? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 6, 2001, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-protestants-and-catholics-fighting-about/79961 "2001-09-06T01:15:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Kipper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Kipper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kipper)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2001, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-protestants-and-catholics-fighting-about/79961/41 "2001-09-09T06:02:38Z")
> [@](#): > > Sorry to be a stickler here but any other Christians would imply that Eastern Orthodox and Egyptian Copts are Protestants too. Obviously this is not true, as both Eastern Orthodox and the Copts pre date the Roman Catholics. They could hardly be protesting against a non-existent faith. The Orthodox Church is a part of the Catholic Church but not part of the Roman Catholic Church. A Roman Catholic can fill the obligation to attend mass on Sunday by attending a Orthadox service. ---
**Author:** ![B.O](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f08c70/32.png) [@B.O](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.O)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2001, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-protestants-and-catholics-fighting-about/79961/42 "2001-09-10T20:06:17Z")
> [@](#): > > Do I understand this correctly? Germans with religious affiliations are taxed for it? By 8+% ?? This sounds truly bizarre! You think **that’s** bizarre? Wait, it gets even weirder: **Germans who are Catholics or Protestants** pay the tax. The others pay nada. > [@](#): > > Any background on this? Try this [http://germanculture.about.com/library/facts/bl\_churches.htm](http://germanculture.about.com/library/facts/bl_churches.htm) It doesn’t go into the “others pay nada” part, but that’s the way it is. Not too long ago, a religion other than Protestant or Catholic was unthinkable in Germany, so they didn’t think of collecting the tax, say, from a Rastafarian. They wouldn’t even know where to send the money to. They would have to change the law for that, but nobody is thinking of that either: Since the third largest religion in Germany is Islam (due to influx of foreign workers), they would have to give the church of Islam the special legal status as public law corporation, along with a very large chunk of money, collected as taxes, and for some reason, this idea doesn’t want to get into their head. Feel free to draw your own conclsuions. The tax part actually works against the Catholic and Protestant churches, because people, especially the affluent, leave the churches in droves. But I guess the churches look at it as free momey as opposed to money they really have to work for, and they rather lose some sheep than live of the donations of the herd … ---
**Author:** ![B.O](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f08c70/32.png) [@B.O](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.O)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2001, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-protestants-and-catholics-fighting-about/79961/43 "2001-09-10T20:07:51Z")
> [@](#): > > Do I understand this correctly? Germans with religious affiliations are taxed for it? By 8+% ?? This sounds truly bizarre! You think **that’s** bizarre? Wait, it gets even weirder: **Germans who are Catholics or Protestants** pay the tax. The others pay nada. > [@](#): > > Any background on this? Try this [http://germanculture.about.com/library/facts/bl\_churches.htm](http://germanculture.about.com/library/facts/bl_churches.htm) It doesn’t go into the “others pay nada” part, but that’s the way it is. Not too long ago, a religion other than Protestant or Catholic was unthinkable in Germany, so they didn’t think of collecting the tax, say, from a Rastafarian. They wouldn’t even know where to send the money to. They would have to change the law for that, but nobody is thinking of that either: Since the third largest religion in Germany is Islam (due to influx of foreign workers), they would have to give the church of Islam the special legal status as public law corporation, along with a very large chunk of money, collected as taxes, and for some reason, this idea doesn’t want to get into their head. Feel free to draw your own conclsuions. The tax part actually works against the Catholic and Protestant churches, because people, especially the affluent, leave the churches in droves. But I guess the churches look at it as free momey as opposed to money they really have to work for, and they rather lose some sheep than live off the donations of the herd … ---
**Author:** ![B.O](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f08c70/32.png) [@B.O](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.O)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2001, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-protestants-and-catholics-fighting-about/79961/44 "2001-09-10T20:08:12Z")
> [@](#): > > Do I understand this correctly? Germans with religious affiliations are taxed for it? By 8+% ?? This sounds truly bizarre! You think **that’s** bizarre? Wait, it gets even weirder: **Germans who are Catholics or Protestants** pay the tax. The others pay nada. > [@](#): > > Any background on this? Try this [http://germanculture.about.com/library/facts/bl\_churches.htm](http://germanculture.about.com/library/facts/bl_churches.htm) It doesn’t go into the “others pay nada” part, but that’s the way it is. Not too long ago, a religion other than Protestant or Catholic was unthinkable in Germany, so they didn’t think of collecting the tax, say, from a Rastafarian. They wouldn’t even know where to send the money to. They would have to change the law for that, but nobody is thinking of that either: Since the third largest religion in Germany is Islam (due to influx of foreign workers), they would have to give the church of Islam the special legal status as public law corporation, along with a very large chunk of money, collected as taxes, and for some reason, this idea doesn’t want to get into their head. Feel free to draw your own conclusions. The tax part actually works against the Catholic and Protestant churches, because people, especially the affluent, leave the churches in droves. But I guess the churches look at it as free momey as opposed to money they really have to work for, and they rather lose some sheep than live off the donations of the herd … ---
**Author:** ![B.O](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f08c70/32.png) [@B.O](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.O)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2001, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-protestants-and-catholics-fighting-about/79961/45 "2001-09-10T23:49:56Z")
Sorry for the triple post. Not intended. Site got stuck and I hit the button too often … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-protestants-and-catholics-fighting-about/79961.md?page=2)