Do you tithe?

[Phred]

So I'm flipping through the channels this morning and who do I land upon but Pat Robertson (well, I think it's his son this morning... or someone who keeps talking about him) and the 700 club. They're having a $100,000 challenge and they're showing a videotape of these poor people, beset by bills, who have almost nothing left. But! They decide to make out a check for $20 and send it off to the 700 club. Guess what happens? Suddenly their lives turn around. They say that because they sent in $20 now God gives them exactly what they need to pay off their bills. They needed $6,000 dollars and they got $6,600 in a tax return. So not only did God grant them the money they needed but the extra ten percent for tithing as well.

 

Now... I happen to believe that they would have gotten the same amount back whether they had sent the $20 bucks a month to Pat or not. And I wonder about those people out there that send and send and send their dollars but never see anything from it but more debt.

 

Anyway, I'm wondering... your thoughts?

[Peek a Boo]

I'm not a 'prosperity gospel' kinda gal. But since i've wasted enough time here today and need to get off my butt and get some stuff done, google "prosperity gospel" for more thinking about -for and against-- the idea.

 

and no, we don't tithe, per se. We do give [what probably amounts to more] to various organizations, people, and ministries. Everything we have belongs to God. But we don't keep track of where every little penny goes, we just give cheefrully :D

[Philothea]

If you mean by giving 10% of our income to our church, no. We give what we can, our religion does not require tithing.

 

We do give money in the weekly collection, but it is so we can fly a priest from Idaho to say mass for us.

 

I think what you are getting at is the attitude amongst some fundamentalist protestants that if God loves you, you have money. Basically that money is a blessing or reward for being a good person.

[BamaTanya]

we believe it is what we should do. We do not believe it guarantees us blessings (it rains on the just and the unjust, you know). We do believe that being open-handed when we have enough is "sowing" for the possible times when we don't . . . that if we share, God may put people in our paths to share with us when we have needs.

We don't consider whether we have enough money to afford to tithe. We just do it.

[Elaine]

We tithe ten percent. We do this out of the abundance of our hearts and because we truly believe that this is what God has called us to do. We go to a church that teaches through the Bible, verse-by-verse, and because of that, you will probably never hear our pastor do a teaching solely on tithing. When he comes to the verses that mention tithing, he does not shy away from teaching on it.

 

 

I have never given to any televangelist and I doubt that I will. God doesn't need our money to turn people's lives around, he can do that without money. He owns the cattle on the thousand hills, remember?;)

[GailV]

We tithe, but I don't consider it a magic spell that will garner prosperity for us. That concept pretty much pukes me out. We consider tithing an act of obedience.

 

For the record, I'm not going to argue with anyone who doesn't believe it to be an act of obedience. First of all, I don't pretend to be the final authority. Also, I get enough of that argument with my (well-off, holier-than-y'all-will-ever-be) in-laws, thankyouverymuch. (Okay, I have issues with a certain branch of the family, and this is one of the hotspots. CAN YOU TELL? :banghead: I think I will be quiet now.)

[dangermom]

I'm not sure that giving money to a tele-evangelist counts as tithing.

 

I do believe that blessings come from tithing, but that doesn't mean you'll be rich--blessings don't have to be material. Heck, wealth can be a temptation and a burden too.

[Debbie in OR]

We tithe and give over and beyond that to send kids in Uganda to school, to organizations here that we believe in and to anyone in our sphere of influence who needs help. We don't do it because we are told to at our church; we do it because, for us, it helps us trust in His care of us and not our money. And because we choose to live with an open-hand with whatever we have...this inspires our kids to live generously and that is a big deal to me.

[Elaine]

I'm not sure that giving money to a tele-evangelist counts as tithing.

 

I do believe that blessings come from tithing, but that doesn't mean you'll be rich--blessings don't have to be material. Heck, wealth can be a temptation and a burden too.

 

I agree with you. And I would like to take the burden of wealth out for a spin.;)

 

:D

[Karenciavo]

I believe God provides for all my needs whether I tithe or not. We give as we are able, sometimes it's more than 10%, sometimes less. I'm not into prosperity or name it and claim it theology.

[beansprouts]

We do feel personally convicted to set aside a portion of our income to support our local church. This is so our pastors can do the job of pastoring full time without worrying about getting second jobs to support their families. The money also goes to support church ministries - like the Sunday School which directly benefits my children, and the outreach programs which benefit our community.

[Part-Time Homeschooler]

I'm not sure that giving money to a tele-evangelist counts as tithing.

 

I do believe that blessings come from tithing, but that doesn't mean you'll be rich--blessings don't have to be material. Heck, wealth can be a temptation and a burden too.

 

:iagree:

[KIN]

We tithe ten percent. We do this out of the abundance of our hearts and because we truly believe that this is what God has called us to do. We go to a church that teaches through the Bible, verse-by-verse, and because of that, you will probably never hear our pastor do a teaching solely on tithing. When he comes to the verses that mention tithing, he does not shy away from teaching on it.

 

This describes my dh and I as well as our church. Very well put!

[CookieMonster]

Yes. We give 10% of our gross income to our local church every month. This is what I consider to be tithing.

 

I'm still trying to figure out what in the world that has to do with the 700 club.

 

 

 

(Edited to add: If your reason for asking is to flesh out the idea tithing or money and God in general, this will be the longest thread evah. There are over 2,000 verses in the Bible dealing with the use of money.)

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

Same goes for us, except we give *cheerfully.*:D

[Momof2kids]

No. When we went to church we did. But not 10%. We've been though a few churches and honestly we felt like we were just throwing money away. And not that I'm into the "magic formula" of it but after alot of years of this giving to the church you gotta wonder when you will be blessed a little bit financially.

 

Then at our last church there was a church fallout. We ended up leaving. We didn't agree with some of thier doctrine. They were supporting an outside ministry with doctrine we didn't believe in. (The church had changed since we started there but we were kind of stuck waiting it out and still tithing.) So I got really resentful that were were tithing just for the sake of tithing. Because we were supposed to. I told dh that I will not tithe just to tithe. It's got to be something we believe in. Something we believe others will truly benefit from.

 

I don't see why ministries other than your local church wouldn't count as tithing. Some people say 10% to your local church and extra to other ministries. I am just tired of all the "rules" and I won't follow anyones rules anymore. We don't go to church anymore anyway.

 

I don't want to give my money to a bottomless pit. To some organization or church to be mismanaged or funding stuff I don't agree with. We give to individual people when we can. We are generous with monetary gifts. We give to certain charities. We have given some of our things away to people who could use them more than us. But to tithe as a general rule. No I've had enough of that.

 

As far as some people who watch these TV Preachers and try to manipulate money out of people, well I wonder why people would fall for that and keep on giving expecting a big financial payoff. And I hear these stories all the time even in nice mainstream Christian books. And not just about money. But about the what goes around comes around principal and what you put out into the world comes back to you in greater measure. I just really don't buy into it anymore. I guess I'm a bit cynical. Tired of being scr*wed, YKWIM?

[Just Me]

We tithe ten percent. We do this out of the abundance of our hearts and because we truly believe that this is what God has called us to do. We go to a church that teaches through the Bible, verse-by-verse, and because of that, you will probably never hear our pastor do a teaching solely on tithing. When he comes to the verses that mention tithing, he does not shy away from teaching on it.

 

:iagree: And I for one am glad that folks choose to tithe - since my dh is in ministry, and this is how we are paid!

 

I do believe that when I am obedient, in any area, that I do receive blessings for that obedience. Blessings may not translate into financial gain, though. I think that those on television who mislead folks are like "psychics" who often happen upon the right answer. People give, and then believe that they are rewarded. I think that televangelists have to be careful of this perception. Christ would not have been considered a rich man, although he certainly gave everything He had. But was He blessed? YES, a thousand times, yes.

 

So, I give my tithe and sometimes more, not so that I can get more money. I give out of obedience, and through my obedience I am blessed.

 

PS - I do not give to televangelists, although I do order products that support ministries from TV Preachers like Dr. David Jeremiah.

[SnowWhite]

Tithing is a pretty widespread practice. That is the way pastors and churches are financed. Ten families x one-tenth of each family's income = a pastor who makes an average of the amount earned by the ten parishioners. (Naturally most churches have way more than 10 families, but there are also church buildings to build and finance utilities.)

 

The scriptures teach that the first tenth of our income belongs to God. So we don't consider it "ours" at all. We also don't believe that if we send our tenth to Pat Robertson we'll get a windfall.

[Twinmom]

We tithe ten percent. We do this out of the abundance of our hearts and because we truly believe that this is what God has called us to do. We go to a church that teaches through the Bible, verse-by-verse, and because of that, you will probably never hear our pastor do a teaching solely on tithing. When he comes to the verses that mention tithing, he does not shy away from teaching on it.

 

 

I have never given to any televangelist and I doubt that I will. God doesn't need our money to turn people's lives around, he can do that without money. He owns the cattle on the thousand hills, remember?;)

 

:iagree: Very well put!

 

We tithe because we want to support and be a part of God's work, not to receive a blessing. I'm not a prosperity gospel kind of gal, and DH would agree with me. Televangelists sometimes really get my goat, for that reason. That said, I do think that Christians have a responsibility to support their local church and other ministries to the degree that they are able. God wants us to be a part of His work, and voluntary tithing is a way of doing that. If you are giving to receive back, you are giving for the wrong reason.

 

ETA: I'm not sure I'd count giving to a televangelist as tithing, anyway. I think that we tithe to the local church, we give beyond the tithe to other ministries just as a gift and out of any abundance we may have.

[beansprouts]

I just remembered we recently used a tithe to help out a friend in need. We consider all of our money to be God's and have fun sharing it whenever we feel convicted to do so.

[Audrey]

Obviously, I don't tithe and even if I did I don't think I'd count giving money to a televangelist as tithing.

 

Caveat: I have a deep disgust for televangelists. After my dad died, we found out he'd been sending money to one who I won't give the air time to name. He'd taken out an equity loan to do it even. A couple of his pals knew he sent money to the guy but not how much. I think they prey on the emotions of some people, especially old and ill people.

 

Flame away if you're so inclined.

[elegantlion]

We do not currently tithe. We are between churches (insert long story here) and we believe a tithe should go to your local church. Sometimes we can give 10% when we do, sometimes we can't.

 

One of my favorite lines lately I heard on LOST last week. Mrs. Reyes, Hurley's mom, said when Hurley picked up a statue of Jesus to use as a weapon, "Jesus Christ is not a weapon." In the same vein I don't Jesus Christ is an ATM either. We have been blessed many times because of tithing, but just because we aren't at this time, our world is not falling apart.

[Amy loves Bud]

I'm not a 'prosperity gospel' kinda gal. But since i've wasted enough time here today and need to get off my butt and get some stuff done, google "prosperity gospel" for more thinking about -for and against-- the idea.

 

and no, we don't tithe, per se. We do give [what probably amounts to more] to various organizations, people, and ministries. Everything we have belongs to God. But we don't keep track of where every little penny goes, we just give cheefrully :D

 

Same here. Including the wasting time here today.

 

There was a time where a bigger portion of our giving went directly to our church. But then most of our money started going to bigger, fancier buildings, and the pastors were taking paycuts because of it. Obviously the priorities of that church were not ours, but we had a hard time leaving for various reasons. We finally left, and we've homechurched for a while, and now we are looking for a new church. When we find a new church it will be one that we are thrilled to give to, but for a number of reasons we don't go the 10% to our own church route. It may be more at times it may be less at times, and it may be to a variety of different ministries, but we are ready to give cheerfully when we are called to do so.

 

Whatever we do give to our local church, we do try to be consistent, because they have to plan and budget and meet payroll every two weeks. So even though our income is very inconsistent (Bud is commission only) we try to be constant in the amount and frequency of our gifts to our own church.

 

So I guess my vote is no?

 

ETA: We don't give to televangelists, and it saddens me to see people manipulated by some of them who preach the prosperity gospel.

[CookieMonster]

We tithe ten percent. We do this out of the abundance of our hearts and because we truly believe that this is what God has called us to do. We go to a church that teaches through the Bible, verse-by-verse, and because of that, you will probably never hear our pastor do a teaching solely on tithing. When he comes to the verses that mention tithing, he does not shy away from teaching on it.

 

This is what I love about our church, too. When it comes up as we go verse-by-verse, it's taught - along with whatever else comes up verse-by-verse as we go through the Bible.

[SnowWhite]

We consider all of our money to be God's and have fun sharing it whenever we feel convicted to do so.

 

Well, this is also true, in another way of thinking. I remember the pastor at my grandma's church saying every Sunday, "Now we come to you for God's tithe and your offering."

 

So I personally always try to give an offering to missionaries in addition to our customary tithe to our local church.

 

I *do* also live generously, as we've been blessed.

[Mom2legomaniacs]

My belief is that I am supposed to give. I believe that that looks different for each person. Some really cannot give money, but can give of their gifts and time. I just think we are supposed to give what we can when we can. We try to give to a variety of sources. I don't sell my stuff for the most part, I give it away. We do give to our church. I feel it is important to support the costs of our ministries. And we give in the community when we feel led.

I have a hard time with the word tithe, I'll admit. I think we should all give what we feel led to, whether or not we are church goers. But just as decent humans. It is just right to give to others in need. I believe it will only benefit you by helping others. Again, not just money. You can be a great listener or cook for someone. Whatever. It just feels good to give in some way, IMO.

[beansprouts]

Well, this is also true, in another way of thinking. I remember the pastor at my grandma's church saying every Sunday, "Now we come to you for God's tithe and your offering."

 

So I personally always try to give an offering to missionaries in addition to our customary tithe to our local church.

 

I *do* also live generously, as we've been blessed.

 

I am not saying it is God's will that we give all of our money away. What I mean is the money belongs to God, and we are responsible for using it wisely to provide for our families, to educate our children, and - where there is surplus - to look for opportunities where we can help others.

 

I am not legalistic about tithing, and I am not sure that *everyone* is called to it. I can only state my personal convictions.

[Call Me Cordelia]

I agree with those who state that tithing and televangelists have nothing to do with one another.

[Lisa at Home]

We're to give tithes into our store house (local church), where we are taken care of. If you're sick, I've not heard yet of a televangelist who will drop his busy schedule and come pray for you. Even if they call you a "partner."

 

We're more than happy to tithe. To us it's a blessing and a joy, and something we get to do, not have to do.

 

As a matter of fact, we believe God instituted the tithe to keep us from giving away everything we own. But we still sneak in plenty of offerings. God blesses us to make us a blessing.

 

~Lisa

[Aunty Social]

sure, we tithe, but not because we think it will get us something. The whole prosperity gospel really bothers me. God never promises to give you scads of money. People seem to like to take the word blessing to mean cash, but it is often much more intangible, and much more rewarding.

[Michelle in MO]

We also don't believe that if we send our tenth to Pat Robertson we'll get a windfall.

 

the answer is yes, we try to, although I love the way Elegantlion phrased it: there are times in probably all of our lives where the means to do so is slim. I don't think God is going to "drop us" or refuse to help us if we're not able. I believe tithing should be done out of obedience and love for God, not from feelings of compulsion or coercion. God is not a slot machine! He's given so much to us; that's ample reason for give to Him out of love.

 

We don't give to televangelists. We do believe in giving to our local church, friends, other charities, missionaries, etc.

 

But, on the subject of giving, I don't generally agree with publicizing what we do or don't do. I think we should try to do what Jesus said, "Don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing." The best gifts are given quietly, without publicity. :)

[JudoMom]

Obviously, I don't tithe and even if I did I don't think I'd count giving money to a televangelist as tithing.

 

Caveat: I have a deep disgust for televangelists. After my dad died, we found out he'd been sending money to one who I won't give the air time to name. He'd taken out an equity loan to do it even. A couple of his pals knew he sent money to the guy but not how much. I think they prey on the emotions of some people, especially old and ill people.

 

Flame away if you're so inclined.

 

Ugh, that stinks, Audrey. I'm angry for you, and I do think many prey on the emotions of older people and ill people, and that is wrong, wrong, wrong. I'm sorry they preyed on your Dad.

[Old Dominion Heather]

We tithe ten percent. We do this out of the abundance of our hearts and because we truly believe that this is what God has called us to do. We go to a church that teaches through the Bible, verse-by-verse, and because of that, you will probably never hear our pastor do a teaching solely on tithing. When he comes to the verses that mention tithing, he does not shy away from teaching on it.

 

 

I have never given to any televangelist and I doubt that I will. God doesn't need our money to turn people's lives around, he can do that without money. He owns the cattle on the thousand hills, remember?;)

 

i can't say this any better than Elaine. We were separated at birth. :001_smile:

[LizzyBee]

If you're sick, I've not heard yet of a televangelist who will drop his busy schedule and come pray for you. Even if they call you a "partner." ~Lisa

 

But some of them will send you a handkerchief that they've touched and blessed. That doesn't count? :rolleyes:

[mommaduck]

Yes, we tithe...to our local congregation that we fellowship with and are members of. But I tithe without expecting anything, knowing that Gd will provide for our needs, but not "because I gave money". I give tithe because it's a scriptural principle.

[LizzyBee]

Caveat: I have a deep disgust for televangelists. After my dad died, we found out he'd been sending money to one who I won't give the air time to name. He'd taken out an equity loan to do it even. A couple of his pals knew he sent money to the guy but not how much. I think they prey on the emotions of some people, especially old and ill people.

 

Flame away if you're so inclined.

 

No flames from me. You might be surprised by how many Christians share your opinion of televangelists. I'm sorry your dad was taken in by one of them.

[cat in black]

Yes we tithe. But when we were poor we didn't. We paid the bills instead and gave what we could, but it was never 10%.

[Phred]

While I agree that tithing and televangelists have nothing in common... I didn't make this up. That's what Pat and his buddies were saying. They are the ones using the verses to support their demands for more money. So you can rain all over my parade if you wish, but I'm just the messenger here.

 

And, many of you have once again put this in a way that's better than I ever could. Pat is putting this out there as a magic trick. Put $20 or more in his hand and you will be rewarded with more in your pocket. He's sucking money out of the hands of the poor and ... well, stupid... and I don't know how much good is actually being done with it. We see the videos of some folks in the Philippines getting a wheelchair... but don't folks HERE need help too?

[mamasgot5]

I am NOT looking for praise, but we feel it is our family's duty to the Lord to give 10% minimum back. After all, He is the bestower of all of our blessings. In my own experience with paying a full tithe these past 10 years of marriage, I have found that we have be blessed. We are not rich, never will be, but we have always had what we needed.

 

There have been a number of times that we have had to make a choice between paying our tithing or buying food. This may seem a bit extreme to many, but we chose the latter. Every time we were placed in that position, we have had our immediate needs met in one way or another. Maybe we got more back from our tax return, a kind neighbor had vegetables to share, or even an anonymous $100 has shown up on our doorstep.

 

I am a firm beleiver in the promise made to the Saints in Malachi's day. "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." Malachi 3:10 is one of my favorite scriptures.

 

Please do not assume that I judge others that do not believe or practice as I do. We are all free to choose what works for our families. The fact that you are all educating your children at home is proof enough of the quality of parent you are and where your priorities lie. You all deserve applause!

 

Amie

[mommaduck]

Phred,

Yes, people here need help also and there are churches that use the money brought in to help here. I've seen this in action.

 

But don't get me started on Pat...unfortunately alot of elderly are scammed by people like him (one of my grandmothers always bought everything he and Oral Roberts said...man, God said he was going to kill one of them if they didn't get the money to build that prayer tower...gag)

[Susan in TN]

I'm not sure that giving money to a tele-evangelist counts as tithing.

 

Exactly right - tithing is giving money to your church - the one you attend. It is NOT giving money to anyone else, no matter how worthy or unworthy a cause.

 

We tithe because God asks us to - because it enables our pastor and congregation to do what God has called us to do. That's blessing enough.

[Holly IN]

We do not tithe per se. We believe this is not taught in the NT. With the examples given we are to give from the heart not according to 10%. We give every Sunday because we are not to come to Him empty handed. We believe we are giving to God not the church. So no tithe for us. We do believe in giving before God on Sunday.

 

Holly

[Lynn in WI]

Exactly right - tithing is giving money to your church - the one you attend. It is NOT giving money to anyone else, no matter how worthy or unworthy a cause.

 

 

I've always understood tithing to be simply giving an amount (whether it's 10% or 35%) to God's work. I've never associated a tithe with the local church. When we did attend our local church some of our money went there but most of it went other places. In other words, our tithe was not exclusive to our local church. Now that we're home-churching we still tithe and the money supports missionaries and agencies we feel compelled to support.

 

I see tithing as something between you and the Lord, not between you and your local church and for that reason feel very free to send it other places, if so led, and still consider it a tithe.

 

Perhaps this is a denominational thing? I'm just curious because I've never been taught that you tithe exclusively to your local church.

 

I'm prepared to be enlightened, Bible scholars. :)

[Kelli in TN]

To answer the original question, I don't know. My husband and I have separate finances and he does not know how I spend my share and I don't know much about how he manages the bills. So I honestly don't know. I know he gives, but I don't know the particulars.

 

I know that out of my budget I give as I am able to our building fund because I know what it is like to be in a small classroom with 25 rambuctious 1st and 2nd graders and we frankly need more space. I also give as I am able to our children's ministry because it is near and dear to my heart. These are not tithes, they are free will offerings. I do them with no expectation that God owes me anything. God has already given to me far and above what I deserve.

 

A loving marriage, healthy children, not just a house but a nice house, always being able to afford groceries and medical care and clothing.....He was blessing me before I even acknowledged His existance.

 

 

 

And of course I make my montly contribution to Benny Hinn.

 

No I don't!!! I was just kidding about that. I am even going to refrain from making snarky comments about his toupee. Though I want to really, really bad.

[Lynn in WI]

 

And of course I make my montly contribution to Benny Hinn.

 

 

 

:lol:

[TXMomof4]

While I agree that tithing and televangelists have nothing in common... I didn't make this up. That's what Pat and his buddies were saying. They are the ones using the verses to support their demands for more money. So you can rain all over my parade if you wish, but I'm just the messenger here.

 

And, many of you have once again put this in a way that's better than I ever could. Pat is putting this out there as a magic trick. Put $20 or more in his hand and you will be rewarded with more in your pocket. He's sucking money out of the hands of the poor and ... well, stupid... and I don't know how much good is actually being done with it. We see the videos of some folks in the Philippines getting a wheelchair... but don't folks HERE need help too?

 

There are MANY MANY verses in the bible warning about false teachers. Those who use scripture for their own benefit disregarding its intent.

 

One of my biggest pet peeves is books or teachings that take a verse, or a section of a verse and use it to justify the 'prosperity gospel'. The whole Prayer of Jabez thing comes to mind immediately. The appeal of those types of teachings is strictly to our materialistic side. It doesn't help me in anyway to become more spiritual if the only reason I"m giving is to "increase my land". ARGH! That truly is one of my giant gripes.

[Call Me Cordelia]

I guess I have to say to Phred, "So what?" There are all kinds of people with all kinds of agendas. As a Christian, I find it particularly offensive when people do (fill in the blank: stupid, wicked, evil, ignorant, hypocritical, etc...) things and claim to do so in the name of Christ. However, in my eyes, God is really big God and will deal with the situation as He sees fit.

 

Thus far no one HERE has claimed to give any credance to Robertson's statements.

 

My friend's father was duped into sending a LARGE amount of money (most of his retirement) to some folks in Africa. In no way do I blame all African people.

 

I have to question your agenda in bringing up this issue in this manner and place. If you are sincerely inquiring into varying beliefs on the tithe (Christian and other), I for one, did not "hear" that in your post. Other than that, everyone here seems to be in agreement that the person receiving the most financial benefit is Pat. The Bible is used to support all kinds of views and ideas from bizarre to inane to obscure. People have used other bodies of information in the same manipulative and wrong ways. Look at all the differing "interpretations" of the constitution!

[PrairieAir]

We do try to give 10% or greater. We do not give to one organization or individual, but wherever we feel the need is. I have noticed that when we are faithful to give, our needs are always met and more. I believe it's a principle that works for everyone, but the Bible does specifically speak about it. I also believe in giving what I can of my time, labor, and material abundance other than money. God has always met our needs and we have been blessed with material abundance beyond what makes sense if you just do the math adding in my husband's paycheck and subtracting for all the expenses for our family. I don't believe you could explain it with simple logic and math. We don't give in order to receive God's blessings in return. We would give anyway. It's just an extra benefit.

 

That was a quick and rather rough explanation. It will have to do for now. I've got an appointment in town. All I can say is try it and see if you notice a difference.

[Jenny in Atl]

When I was going to church, I did give money each week. But it was never near 10% (we could not afford that much). I still give money to groups I support, some faith based, some not.

 

There is an interesting bk (don't know if it has been mentioned yet) Who Really Cares: America's Charity Divide -Who Gives, Who Doesn't, and Why It Matters by Arthur C. Brooks. I have not read it yet, but I have heard it's very interesting and touches on this subject well.

[OnTheBrink]

Same goes for us, except we give *cheerfully.*:D

 

:iagree:

 

And, I don't watch televangelists nor do I support them.