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History and Religion

2025-03-21T11:44:26-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

What I Learned by Preparing 1,000 Tax Returns

Last updated on: March 21, 2025 at 11:44 am By Larry Jordan

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These are tough times to be poor. In The Way, I describe my experience preparing federal income tax returns for low- and moderate-income families. Since 2012, I prepared over 1,000 tax returns. Of course, taxes are personal, and you can learn a lot about a person in 30 seconds: “This is my W-2. I made a lot of money until I got fired. This is my 1099-MISC. After I got laid off, I worked construction. This is my 1099-G. After... Read more

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Education and Religion

2025-03-13T08:57:56-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Should We Abolish the IRS?

Last updated on: March 13, 2025 at 8:57 am By Larry Jordan

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Should we really fire the people who collect the money? Tax Day is coming, and there has been a lot of talk about abolishing the IRS. Over the last 15 years, I helped over 1,000 low-and moderate-income families file their taxes. I care about this stuff. Abolishing the IRS (or cutting the IRS budget or firing IRS employees) threatens whether you get your return processed, whether you receive your refund or your stimulus payment promptly, whether you get... Read more

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Education and Religion

2025-03-06T12:20:32-06:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

What Should We Do with the “Savings” from Spending Cuts?

Last updated on: March 6, 2025 at 12:20 pm By Larry Jordan

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Do you think that Jesus would take money from the poor? I don’t. Should Cuts in Social Services Really Fund Tax Cuts for the Rich? Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a budget bill that cut spending. The House would cut $1.1 trillion in Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP.) The “savings” would fund $1.1 trillion in tax cuts for the richest 1% of us. In effect, this is a $1.1 trillion transfer from... Read more

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Education and Religion

2025-02-27T19:21:27-06:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Do We Need Government to Help the Needy?

Last updated on: February 27, 2025 at 7:21 pm By Larry Jordan

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The government has to be an essential partner in helping the needy, including the poor, veterans and other deserving people. That’s OK. Tax Day is coming, and there has been a lot of talk about abolishing the IRS. In my career, I worked in and around the tax code every day. Since retiring, I have assisted AARP in providing free income tax assistance to low- and moderate-income families. In all, I have prepared over 1,000 federal tax returns.... Read more

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Education and Religion

2025-02-21T10:17:32-06:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Compassion and Wisdom in the Buddhist Precepts

Last updated on: February 21, 2025 at 10:17 am By Larry Jordan

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The Buddhist precepts help us to determine right and wrong. Some of my Christian friends wonder how non-Christians can live moral lives without accepting the Christian commandments. They presuppose that Christian morality is the only acceptable morality and that other traditions do not have guidelines for moral behavior. Currently, I am studying the Buddhist precepts in my Zen practice. In some ways, the Buddhist precepts are similar to the Judeo-Christian Ten Commandments. In other ways, they are not. For example,... Read more

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Education and Religion

2025-02-13T09:42:51-06:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Listening, Receiving and Reflecting on Truth

Last updated on: February 13, 2025 at 9:42 am By Larry Jordan

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Quakers do NOT mandate particular beliefs. They do not require that members embrace any particular beliefs about the nature of God or the “right” way to approach God. Recently, a friend invited me to attend a meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers. I have always been intrigued by Quaker spirituality, which is more mystical than doctrinal. The Quakers emphasize contemplation, equality, pacificism, and social justice. Quakers do NOT require that members embrace... Read more

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Education and Religion

2025-02-08T09:35:22-06:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Three Lives, One Journey: My Evolving Search for Truth

Last updated on: February 8, 2025 at 9:35 am By Larry Jordan

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Thank you for reading “You Might Be Right.” The more that I write, the more that I listen and reflect and talk, and the more that I develop my voice. My Three Lives For 50 years, I spent my time establishing a career and raising a family. Then, I quit my job and sold my house. And I was inspired by the Gospel story of the rich, young man to follow Jesus. Now, I do NOT believe that... Read more

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Education and Religion

2025-01-29T11:28:36-06:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Unconditional Love in a Divided World

Last updated on: January 29, 2025 at 11:28 am By Larry Jordan

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Can we practice unconditional love in a divided world? Sometimes, we judge others by their actions, but we judge ourselves by our intentions. For me, the more that I know about someone else’s intentions, the more that I understand their actions. Our society is sharply divided by politics and religion, among other things. I wrote about anger and othering here. Can we practice unconditional love in a divided world? Can We Love a Nazi? Once, a good friend... Read more

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Education and Religion

2025-01-22T18:58:04-06:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Anger and Othering in Politics and Religion

Last updated on: January 22, 2025 at 6:58 pm By Larry Jordan

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We develop insight when we deconstruct, since we know how we used to think and how we now think. We can either use that insight to fan the flames or to fight the fire. I want to be a firefighter. Sometimes, people ask me, “What are you, anyway? Are you an atheist, a Buddhist, a Christian?” Usually, I say something like, “I don’t know. Do I have to BE something?” It’s complicated. Of course, this happens in politics,... Read more

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Education and Religion

2025-01-16T12:15:53-06:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

We Learn When We Challenge Our Beliefs

Last updated on: January 16, 2025 at 12:15 pm By Larry Jordan

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We can learn a lot by subjecting our beliefs to thought experiments. A thought experiment is a mental exercise that involves imagining a scenario to explore concepts. I guested on a podcast recently, which focused on one of the thought experiments in The Way that asked whether the virgin birth, Jesus’ divinity or the physical resurrection are essential beliefs. To me, these thought experiments are some of the most challenging and interesting parts of the book. The book encourages readers to... Read more

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Education and Religion

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