Newest Right-Wing Hero Claims Filing Taxes Is ‘Against His Sincerely Held Religious Beliefs’ (VIDEO)
Kent Hovind, otherwise known as ‘Dr. Dino’ is currently serving the last year of a ten-year prison sentence for tax evasion. Right
wing nut jobs like Pastor David Manning and Rev. Wiley Drake are claiming
Hovind was arrested because he’s a Christian. According to them, it had
nothing to do with the 58 separate tax and banking related charges he
was convicted on.After nearly a decade of embarrassing antics and charades to avoid paying taxes on income earned
from his ‘Dinosaur Adventure Land’ amusement park and other profit-generating endeavors, the IRS raided Hovind’s home in 2006.Financial
documents showed that he and his son had continually shifted and
attempted to hide the family’s personal assets, totaling millions of
dollars. Hovind tried everything in his power to get out of paying
taxes, from filing for bankruptcy to renouncing US citizenship. He also
claims that God owns the profits from the sale of merchandise and entry
fees to his amusement park, and therefore it is not subject to taxes.Agents that raided Hovind’s Florida home in 2006 seized a half-dozen firearms and tens of thousands of dollars in cash, which was stashed around the home. At the same time the Hovind’s were sitting on all this cash, they requested financial
assistance from Baptist Healthcare, claiming they had no income. On the
same day the IRS raided his home, Hovind withdrew an additional $70,000
from the bank. The family had also purchased at least nine properties
with the income they didn’t have.Not surprisingly, Hovind has become a hero for the right-wing. That’s because he says that filing tax returns ‘violates his sincerely held religious beliefs.’ He’s not claiming that he didn’t break the law. Instead, he is claiming that following the law is against his religion. He also claims that because he was arrested, tried, convicted and imprisoned for breaking the law, he is being “persecuted for his religious beliefs.”
Is there any scriptural justification for his position on taxes? Nope. In the New Testament, when asked if it is legal
for men to pay taxes, Jesus said ‘Render unto Ceasar what is Ceasar’s
and render unto God what is God’s’. So Hovind is basically saying that
following the commandment of Jesus would violate his sincerely held and
supposedly Christian religious beliefs. No wonder the judge that
sentenced him to prison described his arguments as ‘bizarre.’Hovind was scheduled to be released from prison in August of this year. Had he not decided to break a new series of laws while he was still behind bars, he probably wouldn’t be back in the news. Be that as it may, he’s now being charged with Mail Fraud and conspiracy, after he and another anti-government fanatic conspired to keep the government from collecting some of the millions of dollars he owes the American public.
Various right wing leaders are selling Hovind as a victim of the evil United States government. A video released by a youtube subscriber identified as ‘Free Kent Hovind’ claims that the United States is now imprisoning people ‘for loving God.’
What could be more thrilling for right-wing Christians than to be told that not paying their taxes is a real religion?
Needless to say, the right-wing nuts are drooling all over themselves.
In reality, Hovind’s troubles have nothing to do with his belief in God. They have everything to do with greed and his refusal to follow the law. But when does reality ever penetrate conservative nutjobbery?
*Featured image credit: video screen capture, Free Kent Hovind, via youtube
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