Donations to religious institutions decline for second straight year

[SecularMotion]

WASHINGTON — Post-recession America is beginning to open its wallet to charities again, but is not giving as generously to religious institutions.

While charitable donations from individuals rose nearly 4 percent overall in 2011, according to the annual “Giving USA” report, donations to houses of worship and other religious bodies dropped by 1.7 percent — a decrease for the second year in a row.

The report, compiled by the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy and released Tuesday (June 19), shows that individual Americans gave nearly $218 billion last year, $96 billion of which went to religious organizations.

The proportion of the charitable donations going to religious groups has been falling steadily for decades, said Robert Evans, of Giving USA’s editorial review board.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/donations-to-religious-institutions-decline-for-second-straight-year/2012/06/20/gJQA9sK7qV_story.html

[Shadowflash]

1. Who wants to fund hate speech?

Not me.

[laconicsax]

5. Maybe someone who does will show up and explain why. n/t

[cbayer]

6. Me, neither, but there are many other things religious institutions do.

Particularly for the most disenfranchised among us.

[Shadowflash]

7. True.

But there are plenty of non-religious places that do the same thing. And people don't have to sit through fairy tales to get a plate of food or a bed for the night at them.

[cbayer]

8. Lots of organizations (religious) provide those things without any baggage.

For the homeless, psychiatrically ill, abused women and children, drug/alcohol addicted, recently released from prison and others, the only services available are through religiously funded programs.

Where the states and federal government fall down, some of these groups are the only ones who step in.

[TlalocW]

2. Huh, so this scenario isn't happening?

Church: We hate homos! We hate women! We hate science! Some of us like to fuck children!
Joe Doaks: Great, here's a hundred bucks. Set me up on a scheduled pay plan.

TlalocW

[dimbear]

3. I suspect this is partly efficiency. You get more bang for your charity buck by far with

an NGO or suchlike.

[daaron]

4. I think more people are souring on Big Religion. nt