Religion | Politics

If Marjorie Taylor Greene Gets Her Way, Your Taxes Will Support Her Church

And other fun facts on how theocracy works

Interior, Bruton Parish Church in Colonial Williamsburg. Check out the Governor’s name embroidered with gold thread on the canopy. license.

Funded by taxes on slaves and liquor

How do you like the vintage postcard above? Welcome to Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg, Virginia — today’s window into early American history. If you ask me to drop names, I’ll tell you in a loud whisper that Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Richard Henry Lee, George Wythe, Patrick Henry, and George Mason all attended.

Built in 1715, this church replaced the rustic wooden original with a larger, more elegant and time-resistant brick structure — all thanks to . The state house allocated a £200 grant, sourced from taxes on liquor and slaves, to complete the construction.

Once finished, the church featured a special seat for Governor Spotswood — “a canopied chair on a platform inside the rail opposite the raised pulpit with its overhanging sounding board.” Essentially, the governor had his own elevated throne for the weekly taxpayer-funded services. In fact, if you check out the illustration, you can see his name embroidered in gold lettering on the canopy.