Triune of Life Church, Inc. v. Commissioner

85 T.C. No. 5, 85 T.C. 45, 1985 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 58
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedJuly 24, 1985
DocketDocket No. 11175-83X
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 85 T.C. No. 5 (Triune of Life Church, Inc. v. Commissioner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Tax Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Triune of Life Church, Inc. v. Commissioner, 85 T.C. No. 5, 85 T.C. 45, 1985 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 58 (tax 1985).

Opinion

OPINION

Sterrett, Chief Judge:

This is an action for declaratory judgment under section 7428, I.R.C. 1954. At issue is petitioner’s status as a tax-exempt religious organization under section 501(c)(3). Resolution of that issue turns on: (1) Whether petitioner is operated exclusively for exempt purposes; and (2) whether any part of petitioner’s net earnings inures to the benefit of any private individual.

Petitioner filed an application with the Internal Revenue Service for recognition of exemption from Federal income tax under section 501(c)(3), claiming therein to be a church.

On February 9, 1983, the Service issued a final adverse determination. The following reasons were given as the basis for said determination:

(1) You are not operated exclusively for a religious purpose.

(2) You are operated for the private interest of the incorpora-tors and creators.

(3) Your net earnings inure to the benefit of private individuals.

Having exhausted all of its administrative remedies as required by section 7428(b)(2), petitioner has invoked the jurisdiction of this Court for a declaratory judgment pursuant to section 7428.

The parties have filed with the Court the entire administrative record and have stipulated to its genuinenéss.1 The stipulated administrative record is incorporated herein by this reference. Our decision will be based upon the assumption that the facts as represented in the administrative record are true for purposes of this proceeding. Rule 217(b)(1), Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure.2

The Triune of Life Church (petitioner) was incorporated as a nonprofit corporation under the laws of the State of Pennsylvania on December 24, 1979. It is located at 7151 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Petitioner’s articles of incorporation originally stated its purposes as follows:

1. To form and maintain a congregation committed to the religious doctrine of the Triune of Life.
2. To conduct religious services and to perform spineology [sic] and other religious sacraments.
3. To study, teach, publish, promote, and practice the doctrine of the Triune of Life.
4. To cooperate with other groups and individuals in service to Universal Intelligence and to the Triune of Life.
5. To train spineologists [sic] to conduct and perform the sacraments in accordance with the doctrine.
6. To maintain and operate instructional institutions, each to be known as a spinal tutoriun [sic] and to ordain as spinologists such persons as are deemed by the Board of Trustees to be qualified.

Petitioner’s articles of incorporation were amended on July 7,1981, to provide, in effect, that (1) no part of its net earnings shall inure to the benefit of any private person; (2) no substantial part of its activities shall consist of carrying on propaganda or otherwise attempting to influence legislation; (3) it shall not engage in any other activity not permitted to be carried on by a corporation exempt from Federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) or by a corporation, contributions to which are deductible under section 170(c)(2); and (4) upon dissolution, assets will be distributed for an exempt purpose recognized under section 501(c)(3).

The founder and president of petitioner is Dr. Reginald Gold, who had written and published a book entitled "Triune of Life,” which served as inspiration for the establishment of the doctrine of the church. Dr. Gold had been a practicing doctor of chiropractic and an educator in a chiropractic college.

Petitioner is dedicated to the doctrine of the Triune of Life. That doctrine has three components: intelligence, matter, and force. The sole sacrament currently administered by petitioner is that of spinology. The object of spinology is to restore human beings to harmonious unity of mind, spirit, and body for the fulfillment of life. Petitioner’s doctrine teaches that, sometimes, when an individual is spiritually inhibited from expressing his or her full life potential, there is a physical manifestation. Spinology seeks to correct this spiritual problem by the physical sacrament of spinology, which involves a gentle laying of the hands on the person by a certified spinologist. Pamphlets entitled "Open Up Your Life by studing to be a Certified Spinologist then open up the lives of others” and "Dare With Us Care With Us Share With Us explore an exciting new career opportunity as a Certified Spinologist” describe spinology as follows:

Spinologists envision a world in which people dwell in harmony, and seek to bring this about by helping people express their full life potential.
Spinology is based upon a profound respect for the totality of life and the fact that the nerve system maintains the totality by directing all functions.
The human body consists of some 25 to 30 quadrillion cells, all working together for the purpose of expressing full life potential. It is obvious that coordination of the thousands and thousands of biological processes necessary to maintain life is dependent upon a control system. The brain, spinal cord and millions of miles of nerve fibers form the control system in human beings.
This magnificent communications network is protected by a framework of solid bone. The brain, enclosed in a housing known as the skull, has extensions reaching out to virtually every organ and tissue in the body. The most vulnerable part of the system is an extension of the brain known as the spinal cord. This vital and vulnerable life-line is housed within 24 movable bones that comprise the spinal column, or "backbone.” These spinal bones protect the delicate nerve trunks.
Should a bone of the spine become jarred from its proper position, however, the bones could compress the very nerve trunks they are meant to protect. Such compression interferes with the flow of nerve impulses, and the 25 to 30 quadrillion cells of the body can no longer work together as one functional unit. The individual then is no longer able to express full life potential.
The purpose of spinology is the correction of such interference. The spinologist gently applies the hands to the spine, enabling the body to correct any deviations that interfere with the flow of life energy. This restores the ability of the body to express its full and harmonious life potential.
Only when the human body is thus in harmony with itself can it achieve harmony with others for a better world.

There are four categories of people who play roles in petitioner’s organizational scheme:

A. Members (sometimes referred to as "Recipients”): each member receives the sacrament of Spinology and participates in the religious philosophy and doctrinal services of the Church.
B. Spinologist (sometimes referred to as "Affiliate”): a Spinologist is a leader of a congregation.

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Triune of Life Church, Inc. v. Commissioner
85 T.C. No. 5 (U.S. Tax Court, 1985)

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Bluebook (online)
85 T.C. No. 5, 85 T.C. 45, 1985 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 58, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/triune-of-life-church-inc-v-commissioner-tax-1985.