House of Eratosthenes

Why Christians S**k
Jesus might have harsh words for Christians today. Here’s why…and what you can do about it.
By Tom Davis

Each Sunday, millions of Christians in America gather to worship the God who commands us to “love our neighbor as ourselves.” We belt out praises to the God who tells us that “pure and undefiled religion is caring for widows and orphans in their distress.” We kneel in pious prayer before the Almighty God of the universe who describes Himself as loving, gracious, merciful, and generous.

Then, we walk out the back door of the church, step into a world in need, and proceed to withhold the love, grace, and mercy that’s extended to us.

We might as well give God the middle finger. Outside of a tiny minority of Christians, we have become a self-centered group of priggish snobs.

In short, we s**k.
:
Here are the facts:

Eighty-five percent of young people outside the church who have had connection to Christians believe present-day Christianity is hypocritical. Inside the church, forty-seven percent of young people believe the same thing.

And why wouldn’t they? We’re pretty stingy with our money:

– 80 percent of the world’s evangelical wealth is in North America.
– Giving by churchgoers was higher during the Great Depression than it is today.
– Christians give an average of $13.31/week to their local church.
– Only 9 percent of “born-again” adults reported tithing in 2004.

My conclusion is, they are projecting psychologically.

I do not mean by that to say they are hypocrites, failing to tithe and then accusing others of failing to tithe. What I mean is, I think they’ve missed the point. I think they are, at heart, nasty people. They do not care about the poor people being helped, quite so much as the people donating, losing their solvency. Pain is the point of the exercise, in other words.

You know what some jaundiced observers say about the police and the sheriff and the mall cop: Some people have a desire to beat up other people, and for them a natural career path is to become a policeman, sheriff’s deputy or mall cop. They say, you round up a hundred policemen, sheriff’s deputies or mall cops, and you’ll find ten or fifteen of these bullies…maybe twenty…maybe fifty. A greater concentration of bullies than you’ll find in the surrounding population. The bullies just naturally gravitate to that line of work, is the point.

I don’t know if that’s true. But I suspect Christianity is going through the same problem.

Donating to help those in need, to me, is a private affair. I think that’s what it is supposed to be, for everyone. Well, smacking the knuckles of people who have not donated as much as you think they should’ve, every time I’ve seen it happen, is a very public affair. I’ve never come to be aware of it happening without someone taking extraordinary steps to be sure I’d come to be aware of it. And as far as that goes, I’ve never seen anyone lecture someone about it while knowing a great deal of what they were talking about. It’s just assumed — you didn’t donate enough. Shame on you!

Bullies.

Tithe bullies.

Maybe they think, if they dish out this lecturing it’ll be for the better, because people will feel guilty and start hauling some real coin down to the local church. That may be so, but wouldn’t it be more effective to show up in church, with someone who needs those donations, or visual facsimile thereof? To say a few words about where the money is going and why it is so badly needed? And then, respectfully, leave each worshiper to make up his or her own mind about what to do with the wallets and purses?

Plus, in that scenario, you’d be knowing so much more about what you’re talking about. That’s always a good thing, isn’t it?

I think these people just want to scold. I never hear them offer a carrot alongside the stick; I never hear them say something like “I would think happy thoughts of my fellow Christian if he were to tithe X percent of his income.” It’s always about what falls short. What’s inadequate. What’s unsatisfactory.

They’re always there to talk smack.

After a time, I have to conclude that must be the point to the exercise. Besides, they put so much effort into being seen dishing out these lectures. I have not yet seen one written anonymously, and I don’t think I ever will. So let the record indicate Tom Davis thinks we suck.

Noted, Mr. Davis.

H/T: Mike Todd.

1. Not a Christian, or any variation thereof-
2. Despite my independent philanthropy for “causes” I personally deem worthy, “the state”, including the forces that manipulate it for their own greed, arbitrarily assesses and confiscates a considerably higher percentage than is recognized as a tithe by “the church elders” to use for what THEY deem prudent, ALSO often implied as “For the Children” or “For the Poor”. What percent actually turns into disingenuously validated “real estate”?

Of COURSE there’s conflict, often labeled hypocracy by others that deem themselves
more worthy of the fruits of other peoples labor.
Widows and orphans? Oh, you mean Divorced single mothers?
The poor? Oh you mean those addicted to the vagueries of “welfare”?

Sure, love your neighbor….unless of course they’re money lenders that happen to have “extra” cash as a result of “extra” work” or other folks unwillingness to actually merit ventures currently beyond their means, or station!

This is nothing new.
“Once upon a time there was a grasshopper and some ants……….”
“Once upon a time there was a girl who could spin gold from straw….”
I’m sure there’s similar variations of such parables in each progressive edition of “The Bible”, and in each progressive “sect” of “The Church”,
just as seems to be reflected in each progressive “interpretation” of the duty of The State, until they inevitably collapse upon themselves of course!

I’ll try to keep it short and concise nexttime.
- CaptDMO | 07/25/2008 @ 10:27
Philanthropy Expert: Conservatives Are More Generous

I suspect this has a lot to do with church-going Christian conservatives.

Currently my income tax alone is much more than tithing, and when you add in all the other taxes I pay 27% of what I make goes to the Modern Secular Church of Government.

More and more I think that the selective interpretation of the First Amendment’s “Church and State” clause is leading to a replacement of church with state. In effect, State is going to take the role of Church.

“You’re not giving enough to the poor!” “You’re not doing enough for ‘The Environment™.” “Smoking is Evil.” “Drinking is Evil.” “Fast Food Restaurants are Evil.”

The idea was that the church shouldn’t be able to use the power of the state to coerce people into certian behavior. But when the State replaces the Church as the arbritor of moral authority in people’s lives, we end up in the excact same place.
- philmon | 07/25/2008 @ 12:36
Read “Who really cares?” by Arthur C. Brooks.
For example,
***
Chapter 2, first paragraph:
Here is a curious fact: FAmilies in San Francisco give almost exactly the same amount to charity each hear as families in South Dakota: about $1,300. This may seem counterintuitive, because in every other respect, the two communities — 1,500 miles apart — could not be more different. South Dakota spreads the same population as San Francisco County’s over an area 1,615 times larger. A South Dakotan is half as likely to hold a college degree as a San Franciscan.
The $1,300 to charity represents a significant difference as well, because the average San Francisco family enjoys 78 percent more personal income than a family in South Dakota. For a family making $45,364 (the SD state average), $1,300 represents a much larger sacrifice than for one making $80,822 (the San Francisco County average).
***
Chapter 6, 3rd page (p.117 in the paperpack edition)
[following the 12/26/04 tsunami] By the middle of March 2005, the [U.N.] World Food Program had distributed more than a quarter of a billion dollars in aid… This much or more had been pledged as well by the governments of many developed countries… In the United States, the majority of aid came from private citizens — individual contributions outstripped the government aid by almost three to one. Six months after the disaster, Americans had donated more than $1.5 billion in cash and gifts. The American Red Cross alone collected private tsunami donations adding up to nearly $400 million by the middle of March 2005. Catholic Relief Services collected nearly $100 million, and Oxfam America $30 million… America was nevertheless criticized for the inadequacy of its aid efforts.
- Morenuancedthanyou | 07/26/2008 @ 02:01
My question (as both believer iand as numbers-geek) is:

Where did he get those numbers?

How do you define “Born-Again”, how do you define “Tithing”?

Were these self-reported, or carefully-gathered from representative samples?

I only know the examples I can see–in which those who believe and care to give money, often begin at 10% and give extra when the need seems great. However, there are also those who profess belief, and would rather hear a sermon about sexual purity than a sermon about money.
- karrde | 07/27/2008 @ 21:32

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Christians SuckThursday, July 24th, 2008

Christians Suck
Thursday, July 24th, 2008