Why faith inspires people to give

[yallerdawg]

Tis the season!

Source: The Conversation, by David King

According to Giving USA, the leading annual report of philanthropy in America, religious contributions, narrowly defined as giving to houses of worship, denominations, missionary societies and religious media, made up 32 percent of all giving in America in 2016.

In Judaism, the Hebrew Scriptures refer to “tzedakah,” literally meaning justice. Tzedakah is considered a commandment and a moral obligation that all Jews should follow. The commitment to justice places a priority on their giving to help the poor. Beyond giving just time and money, rabbis even spoke of “gemilut chasadim,” literally meaning loving-kindness, or focusing on right relationship with one another as the prerogative of religious giving.

In the New Testament, Jesus not only spoke of giving a tithe but challenged followers to give far beyond it. For instance, in the Gospel of Matthew Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell all his possessions. Pursuing those values, a long monastic tradition has seen men and women taking vows of poverty to give themselves to the work of their faith. Today, while the tithe might not be practiced by a majority of Christians, most understand the practice of giving as a central part of their faith.

For Muslims, giving is one of the five pillars of Islam. “Zakat” (meaning to grow in purity) is an annual payment of 2.5 percent of one’s assets, considered by many as the minimum obligation of their religious giving. A majority of Muslims worldwide make their annual zakat payments as a central faith practice...

Of course, charitable giving is not just for the rich. For those with no money to give, the Prophet Muhammad considered even the simple act of smiling to be charity, a gift to another.

In working through the mandate of various religious traditions toward the healing of the world and individual motivations to give, people might understand that they have more in common than perhaps they realize.

"Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under Creative Commons license."

Read it all at: https://theconversation.com/why-faith-inspires-people-to-give-88206

[guillaumeb]

1. Recommended.

Faith does inspire some people to give.

Others give for other reasons.

Some volunteer, another excellent way to give, especially if finances do not permit a cash gift.

[yallerdawg]

2. That's right!

Overall, religious Americans volunteer more, give more and give more often, not only to religious but secular causes as well. Among Americans who give to any cause, 55 percent claim religious values as an important motivator for giving.

[edhopper]

3. Seems they are giving to perpetuate their own beliefs

or so God will think better of them.

Not to actually benefit mankind.

[Angry Dragon]

5. +++

[yallerdawg]

7. So religious people give...

in order to avoid some kind of otherworldly punishment.

[Angry Dragon]

9. no 2 religious people believe the same way

some do
some donate because they are told to

millions of different reasons.........would take too long to list them all

[yallerdawg]

10. "Faith inspires people to give!"

THAT covers it!

[edhopper]

11. But give to what end?

To pay for a teleangilist's mansions?
So the Mormon elders can buy more real estate?
To help the defense of pedophile priests?
To arm those who wish to kill in the name of Allah?
Is giving to religion always a good thing?

[guillaumeb]

26. Is giving to religion never a good thing? eom

[edhopper]

27. depends what the religion doeswith it

The OP seems to say it is always good.

[Angry Dragon]

12. What do you mean by faith??

[tymorial]

8. It depends.

Catholic charities routinely ranks in the top 10 and they have no denominational requirements for receiving aid.

[Igel]

14. Secular donors also give to perpetuate their own views.

I've never known anybody who hated modern art giving to a modern art museum.

People who don't think that battered women's shelters should exist seldom donate to them.

It wasn't Turkey who was sponsoring an Armenian Studies endowed chair at the school I was attending.

Often people who donate to causes they're moderately in favor of do so to be seen. "So-and-so's announced a multi-million-dollar donation" isn't exactly an act of charity done in private. It's more like, "Look at me!" so that others will think better of them.

In other words, "seems they are giving to perpetuate their own (views) or so (those they seek admiration from) will think better of them."


Note, though, that religious people often donate to secular causes.

[guillaumeb]

24. "Seems" indicates that this is your personal interpretation.

But it assumes far too much in my view.

[HopeAgain]

30. Paint with a broad brush much?

You're in the minds of everyone who has a faith?

[edhopper]

31. just as the OP

who wants to show how alturistic people of faith are by giving.
But when most of their giving is to their church...

[HopeAgain]

34. Many churches do a lot of charity work with the money they get.

And on here people don't want to believe there is anything good about any religion. Its ludicrous how anxious people are to pounce when someone says anything good about religion. Does the OP say anything about wanting to show anything?? I just see a posted article.

And with that I'm out, because every single thread on here devolves into the same tired arguments between religious and anti-religious.

[edhopper]

35. okay

Bye for now.

[Lordquinton]

36. Yea, the anti-atheist side goes hard

And just walks away, or argues in (ironacly) bad faith when confronted.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

4. Some of us give without needing to couch in in a religious context

because we know it's the right thing to do. We don't need some outside entity to make us do it.

[yallerdawg]

6. How do you know it's the right thing to do?

How do you know some "outside entity" isn't making you do it?

[edhopper]

13. so you don't believe in

free will?

[yallerdawg]

15. Free will might include...

not always listening to those voices in your head.

[edhopper]

16. The voice people think

is some guy in heaven?

I don have voices, only my own voice, and of course my mother's.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

18. Because it is.

Period.

If doing good things and not doing bad things only happens if you fear you'll be punished or if you must be persuaded some how by something outside yourself, then you are utterly dependent on others (whether invisible friends or real people) to do anything. If you don't internalize what's good and right (as well as what's bad and wrong) then you might any moment break loose and do all manner of awful stuff. Especially if you decide punishment won't occur.

Meanwhile, for someone who actually understands that the world is a better place if people behave well, and don't depend on promises of some vague reward after death, that person will continue to do good in all circumstances.

I don't hear voices. I don't need some outside entity telling me what to do.

[Lordquinton]

38. How do you know that you're not being controlled by an invisible dragon?

Makes you worship the wrong god so you will go to hell?

[True Dough]

40. Absurd!

And hilarious! I got the point while laughing!

[Lordquinton]

41. As has been pointed out

Philosophy 101 sample questions don't hold much water outside the classroom.

[guillaumeb]

25. What if that outside entity already controls your mind?

And prevents you from realizing it?

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

28. That's the Philosophy 101 dilemma:

How do we know what's real?

Personally, I'm willing to accept the evidence of the reality I observe and experience every day.

If you want to believe some outside entity controls your mind then do so. But I'll go out on a limb here and say you're wrong. Possibly even delusional.

You keep on pulling dumb sophomoric plays with words, and you're not convincing at all. Maybe go back to school and complete the Philosophy 101 class you apparently started but didn't finish.

[guillaumeb]

29. I expected that you would say that.

And bias colors all that we experience. We are not measuring instruments, we are human, with human biases that influence everything that we think and every decision that we make.

[Lordquinton]

37. What if there is a mouse inside your head controlling your movements

And you don't realize it?

[edhopper]

17. 32%

the same percent of people who support Trump.

Coincidence?

[Voltaire2]

19. What was left out:

According to Giving USA, the leading annual report of philanthropy in America, religious contributions, narrowly defined as giving to houses of worship, denominations, missionary societies and religious media, made up 32 percent of all giving in America in 2016.

This "charitable giving" is not what it appears to be.

[yallerdawg]

20. Or...

how much giving in every other category was faith-inspired!

This only identifies "categories" of where money goes, not why.

[edhopper]

21. So in other words

outside of giving to their own church, your chart doesn't say whether faith inspires giving or not.

[yallerdawg]

22. After the chart:

Another study found that 73 percent of all American giving went to a house of worship or a religiously identified organization.

Many of these organizations make up the world’s largest NGOs. For example, three of the top 10 biggest charities by total revenue last year, the Catholic Charities, Salvation Army and National Christian Foundation, are explicitly religious. Religious agencies make up 13 of the top 50 charities in the U.S.

Overall, religious Americans volunteer more, give more and give more often, not only to religious but secular causes as well. Among Americans who give to any cause, 55 percent claim religious values as an important motivator for giving.

[edhopper]

23. The biggest portion of the giving goes to Congregations

there is a lot of slicing and dicing in that report.

A conclusion in search of stats to back it up.

[Voltaire2]

32. Many churches more or less require this giving.

So what this ends up being is compulsory fees paid to religious organizations used primarily to keep these organizations running.

Not all of it, but quite a lot.

Replace “inspire” with “compel” and the op is quite accurate.

[edhopper]

33. tithing

being represented as generosity.

[Lordquinton]

39. I wonder how that cross section aligns with another list from the OP

The one talking about preacher millionaires?