Why do people continually give their money to the church?

The simplest answer. Money makes people happy. this makes you happy and the church happy. God likes people to be happy. And if you give money to the church or to someone in need, you are doing a good deed that will give you energy back. And good emotions=do whatever you can to make someone happy. As some live a miserable life.

A man dies and is met at pearly gates by Peter..Peter says let me take you to your new home..Walking by glistening palaces of semi precious stones the man is very excited. Finally they turn the corner and see a small shack. Peter says here you go.. Pausing the man says I just walked by all these beautifull palaces and I get this little shack what's up with that. Peter pulls out a ledger double checks ..looks at the man and says yes this is correct. You only sent $100 over the past 70 years...it was the best I could do.

Originally posted by BlackProjects
Pausing the man says I just walked by all these beautifull palaces and I get this little shack what's up with that. Peter pulls out a ledger double checks ..looks at the man and says yes this is correct. You only sent $100 over the past 70 years...it was the best I could do.

Oh that is absolutely classic! Great post to say the least and to the point.

Wish more people would think like you and jedimiller.

Yeah it always comes down to me me me me instead of what can I do to help others.

reply to post by shearder


Actually I was trying to be hunorous..To your point. Christ says when you help the poor/needy you are in fact doing it for Him. I support needy children through a group called Compassion International. I donate to the united way and local rescue mission. You know what though I do it because I can. I do not expect any consideration in heaven or on earth because of it. There are many bible verses and examples of the importance of giving. Further, that just as Christ performed the miracle of feeding of the 5000 with a couple loaves/fish...God can do the same with our gifts today.

Originally posted by BlackProjects
Actually I was trying to be hunorous..To your point.

Yes i know

Christ says when you help the poor/needy you are in fact doing it for Him.

For sure!!

I support needy children through a group called Compassion International. I donate to the united way and local rescue mission. You know what though I do it because I can. I do not expect any consideration in heaven or on earth because of it.

Now that is honorable. It doesn't matter to whom or how much a donation is made. It is that one knows it is going to the right cause. Consideration shouldn't be, as you have rightfully said, for personal gain or requiring acknowledgement. It should be a humane thing and a caring thing to do.

I believe if more people visit homes where needy stay they will put aside personal considerations, or should, for knowing how much they can help another because it is the right thing to do.

reply to post by shearder


Ugggh, more brilliant remarks said in such a modest way. *shakes head*

Wait! Wait!

You are most welcome. Glad i could help

Oh I see what you did there you clever person you. You made it sound as though my sarcastic remark was a compliment. You, you're sly aren't you. Here, for your next post, use this paragraph. I'll bet you can do it again.

Can you give me a link which shows her personal net wealth as being $40mil?
Ok i will do the leg work for you

Well then doggonit, I'm going to return the favor! No no, I am glad to help someone who can't do a Google search or read a book. It's cool, really.

Here's one: www.hindujagruti.org...

Can you give me an example of these indulgences that i am obviously missing out on? Ok i will do the leg work for you - Myths About Indulgences

Oh, and then you give me a link to www.catholic.com. Hmmm, well here's a link from the European Institute of Protestant Studies:
www.ianpaisley.org...

And here's one that goes into more detail about the Pope John Paul II recently issued document:
www.ianpaisley.org...

Does that actually say "an act of penance...can be met by one of the following...giving a significant contribution"? What! It does! Whoa, that CAN'T be right.

OK so we should save 200 people and let millions die? Yeah i guess that could make sense in some quarters.
So what do you think would happen if we sold all the churches and helped the causes. Would the "causes" cease at that point?? Unfortunately it will never end so a once off "fix" isn't logical - is it?

What? WTF are you talking about here? Save 200 and let millions die? Please show some logic to your thinking. I thought I was the one talking about saving lives, NOT churches.

Oh i am smarter than i think i am or give myself credit for

Yeah, I don't think I even need to touch on that one. Yep, too easy...

[edit on 11/20/2007 by bigbert81]

reply to post by paraclete1


I agree. There are crooks everywhere. It's sad that you can ALWAYS seem to find an exception. You definitely need to do some research before giving your money away.

Who do I give my money to? I have to figure out how to answer this without sounding too....something. Well, to be honest with you, I would prefer to stay away from that for now due to some current issues. I can tell you that, believe it or not, I am looking to start my own NPO in a few years. I've already begun doing research for it.

I'm not sure if you know it or not but they are certainly not greedy with their money.
Once my aunt was in a bad spot and needed extra cash to pay a few bills and she called the churches to help out. Not only did they pay all her bills but they gave her big boxes of food.
This is what they do with your money, they help the needy and also use it to help keep the church going.

reply to post by Digital_Reality


Look, I'm not saying that the church doesn't do any good deeds. I might have been a little hasty when I said 'waste'. I do think that the church does do some good, but I just can't think why, if given the choice, someone would give their money to a church instead of the needy. And I know the church does give some of it to the needy, but instead of spending millions upon millions to build such a big, nice church, I wonder how many lives even a part of that money could have saved.

Here is some interesting info:
www.cloakanddagger.de...

Here's one from Time:
www.time.com...

This article explains the Vatican's wealth is about $10-15 billion. Look, the article talks about helping 1.5 million children, and 7,000,000 italians. Here's the point though, with 1 billion children in poverty, the church is helping .0015% of them. Not very many in the grand scheme of things. With just a small fraction of that $10-15 billion dollars, they could easily afford to get clean water to the entire world and save the lives of 1.8 million children just doing that alone!

Apparently holding people's money in stocks and investments is more important.

[edit on 11/20/2007 by bigbert81]

[edit on 11/20/2007 by bigbert81]

they give the money bacause " there is a sucker born every minute"



If you like to give then give to the less fortunate and NEVER give to a charity.

Go find a family that NEEDS the help and help them directly which will prevent funds from being "siphoned" off.

If you give to a church then be prepared for your money to go nowhere.

how can you say that the church is a non profit org. they have been claiming that for a mellenia and yet their actions speak lowder then their accounting records. the church has been pillaging, plundering, starting wars and killed more people in the name good. they were hippocrites.

as for the last century, yes they did get their act together, and are trying to be more "holy" and transparent with their dealings.

i don't mean to bash the church, because there are thousands of people that get the help they need everyday.

there is a saying that goes "help yourself first, then help others" the church is no different. they will accept donations, which will help keep the church running, and when there is extra money on top of that then, they will use it to help others.

and i have done my research so please don't accuse me of anything.

reply to post by Alpha Grey

If you give to a church then be prepared for your money to go nowhere.

But that is not true. The average church on your local street corner is NOT rolling in money and they moeny they take in DOES go somewhere, as I mentioned above.

Look, im the last person who will ever tell someone to go to church - because I dont - and im a Christian. But I refuse to let people paint a picture that all churchs are greedy and sitting on butt loads of cash. It simply is not true. Most churchs are very active in the community and if it werent for them, many homeless shelters wouldnt be operating or feeding their people. And the list of other services is endless.

People give money to the church because they believe the church will "help" people- and sometimes the church does use this money to help- I for believe that the churches only provide window dressing assistance to ensure the tithing continues- we all know and/or can speculate where most of the money goes. But that is not the issue or concern being raised here.

Most people give to an institution because they are either too lazy or busy to offer direct assistance- so they rely on their church to do this for them- and that's the hook for the church. Sadly most people do not realize that very little of their hard earned and well meant charity dollars are being used- shall we say- not with the intent of what the giver expected.

Also many are attempting to relieve their guilt and buy their way back into the good graces all the while hoping to reduce the severity of their sins by "giving back".

It is very sad- but very true.

The other day I brought a homeless woman to my house to shower, eat and get off the street for a bit. After securing her two dogs (they were very sweet) on my patio and giving them copious treats and water- she and I went inside. After her shower, relaxing bath and a nice lunch- I proceeded to pour her some wine and get to know her better. She told me her story- devastating and honest- we then began to seek some options. I allowed her to make some phone calls and after a few hours she located her son and they worked out a situation where she could stay with him and his family. He arrived in the evening and was quite grateful and awestruck that a stranger would be so kind as I was to his mother. He called me the following day and expressed even greater thanks and appreciation. I told him that payment for my services and kindness would be accepted by me if he continued to be understanding and compassion to his mother and her K-9 companions.

This is true charity- and when done with compassion and love for a fellow who has lost their hope- monetarily missing a turn in life thinking they have hit the end of the road is far greater than giving money to some charity.

I would venture to guess that the money for food, phone calls, wine, and animal treats (along with a 10 dollar bill I slipped her on her way out my door- likely totaled about $100.00 (very good wines!). Truthfully the money is inconsequential to the joy of the outcome to this situation.

Since $100.00 wont even get two people into Disneyland- I consider it not only entertainment that day- but also charity in the most personal sense of the word. Maggie was and is a very nice woman and it was a joy to be able to help out.

Now that is a charity that will never be learned in a church.

[edit on 20-11-2007 by dk3000]

Im curious on what some here think.

If a church decided to tell their congregation that they are no longer "preaching" tithing. No longer passing around the collection plate, etc.

How on earth would you expect this church to keep its lights on in order for people to come in and use the church? Who is going to pay for the utilities? Who is going to pay for food that churchs use to cook meals for the shelters? How is the full time pastor going to support his family while trying to be there 24/7 for the congregation?

Where is this money suppose to come from?

Should churches now have membership fees in order to cover costs?


Again, I ask out of curiousty....as someone who doesnt go to church or tithe - anymore.

Originally posted by greeneyedleo
Im curious on what some here think.

If a church decided to tell their congregation that they are no longer "preaching" tithing. No longer passing around the collection plate, etc.

How on earth would you expect this church to keep its lights on in order for people to come in and use the church? Who is going to pay for the utilities? Who is going to pay for food that churchs use to cook meals for the shelters? How is the full time pastor going to support his family while trying to be there 24/7 for the congregation?

Where is this money suppose to come from?

Should churches now have membership fees in order to cover costs?


Again, I ask out of curiousty....as someone who doesnt go to church or tithe - anymore.

well for starters the only thing the church needs to pay is for their utilities, i would say everything else is a luxury, because the preists get a salary from vatican, and the church doesn't need to pay property taxes.

so perhaps the vatican can eighter directly pay for it, which they can afford. or increase the salaries for the priest so they can pay it. besides the churches are rented out so often, that they can make enough money on the side to sustain themselves.

its not that hard for a church to be fiscally responsible. perhaps through renting out their services, and property to weddings, events, daycares, during the weekdays they can save enough money to last for 1 year. To be used in cases of emergencies, such as disasters, or anything for that matter.

I personally worked for the movie industry, the most common place where the holding area for the crew and performes are the churches, and i can tell you that they make enough money in one day to sustain the church for a month. and we usually didnt' stay there only one day. the shoots could take up to a week sometimes.

So there is no reason to use the collection money to sustain the church under false pretenses. that money and all of it should be used to help the needy .

reply to post by ferrabi

well for starters the only thing the church needs to pay is for their utilities, i would say everything else is a luxury, because the preists get a salary from vatican, and the church doesn't need to pay property taxes.

Ok. IM not talking about Catholic. Im talking about the average little church on the street corner - non catholic. My father was not a catholic priest.

What about the youth services. Many times they take the youth out to events or to shelters (to help serve food), so a van is needed.

Many times a church has a van to go pick up members who can not drive or get ot the church.

Who pays for the van and gas? It certainly isnt given free.


I really dont think people understand the costs involved in provided services to people who want to attend that church. If a church stops getting collections, then unless people voluntarily donate, the church can not operate.

[edit on 20-11-2007 by greeneyedleo]

Originally posted by dk3000
People give money to the church because they believe the church will "help" people- and sometimes the church does use this money to help- I for believe that the churches only provide window dressing assistance to ensure the tithing continues- we all know and/or can speculate where most of the money goes. But that is not the issue or concern being raised here.

Most people give to an institution because they are either too lazy or busy to offer direct assistance- so they rely on their church to do this for them- and that's the hook for the church. Sadly most people do not realize that very little of their hard earned and well meant charity dollars are being used- shall we say- not with the intent of what the giver expected.

Also many are attempting to relieve their guilt and buy their way back into the good graces all the while hoping to reduce the severity of their sins by "giving back".

It is very sad.

Finally the voice of sanity. Thanks dk.

I am someone who was raised Catholic went to Catholic Schools and even studied in Rome. I have witnessed much what goes on the inside of the Church and is monetary objectives.

The Catholic Church is still an extremely wealthy and powerful organization, just look around you at the glorious churches it has built throughout the centuries. Take a stroll through the Vatican museum you would be floored by its riches. It for the most part has very little to do with ministry outreach or administering to the poor. More-so with maintaining its fan base.

I will give you one of many examples. The Vatican is much more interested in restoring the Sistine Chapel and other parts of the Vatican like they did in 2001 to the tune of 15 million dollars, than building a 1 million dollar outreach in India or Bangladesh where it is so desperately needed.

The Catholics are really the first organization who made a "business" out of God, and to the Vatican thats what it is...a business like it always has been, and if it meant killing and conquering in the name of Christianity they did it with style, check your history books.

Shearder...Where do you get your information? Have you ever walked the Vatican halls? and spoke to individuals who live and work within its walls?...I doubt it, because the bulk of your info is way,way off. Go back to your Bibble study class...oops did I say bibble..I meant babble.
Cheers

reply to post by greeneyedleo

Ok. IM not talking about Catholic. Im talking about the average little church on the street corner

Yes, I see what you mean, and like I said, there are always exceptions. I'm pointing out one side (Vatican's $10-15 billion) and the children they neglect to help, and you are pointing out the other. Believe me friend, small churches like the ones you are describing are not the issue here. Small churches that run the way you describe do probably more good than not.

Check out my above post again though in regards to the other side of the spectrum. The Vatican has more than enough money to save 1.8 million children per year, and they instead choose to invest in real estate and stocks.

That is my problem.

[edit on 11/20/2007 by bigbert81]

Is this about giving money to the church or to “The Church?” People seem to keep coming back to the Catholic faith. And what kind of “giving” to the church are we talking about? I was taught that tithes are used to finance the church facilities, pay the preachers salary and household expenses such as rent and utilities. And my experience is that that is true with most small churches where the preacher is a preacher 24/7. Now some of the churches I attended did have other funds. Building funds, missionary, etc. And monthly reports were prepared and the congregation had access to it. And I attended a few churches where the preacher had to have a second job and was still expected to respond to the needs of the congregation. And someone else pointed out that churches often sponsored youth activities and events. I was the recipient of such funds when I couldn’t afford to attend a church sponsored camping program as a teen.

While I attended and gave tithes, there was a spell where I didn’t and no one ever came and told me I had to quit coming because I wasn’t paying for the services. Nor have I ever seen or heard of anyone getting tossed out for non payment. But having said that, I can’t speak for all churches or religions. There may be some out there like that and if there are, I’d recommend a change.

Helping others is a good thing but DK’s story, while touching, begs the question: What if you hadn’t been able to locate the woman’s family, would you have told her to have a nice day and sent her back out on the street with no where to go? Or would you have tried to find a charity to assist her? And if there were none in the area like where I live, would you have turned to the churches? The problem with bringing the less fortunate into you home is that in most cases, you eventually have to send them back out in the hell they’re currently living in. I’m glad you story had a happy ending, but most don’t. So please be careful.