Jason Bourne wrote:
However I have already noted, if you had bothered to read it, that the LDS church does things that meets the the pure altuistic things that many here think are the only things that qualify as charity.
Yeah, but that doesn't not mean donating to them should be considered some ill-advised act of charity where most money is swallowed up in overhead.[/quote]
So if I read you right if someone gives to a charity such as United Way, Red Cross or something like that, because they may have high overhead it is not charity?
By the way, LDS FO funds have no overhead. 100% of the dollars goes out to assist those in need. I do not know what the overhead cost for LDS Humanitarian aid is.
That tells us nothing of the motives of the person donating to them, and there are many non-charitable motives that are involved in that sort of giving.
So only the most selfless motive qualifies for charitable giving classification in your book? Even if the motive is not pure but it goes to help the poor it the giver does it because they thing God commands it or God will bless them then it disqualifies the giving as charitable?
Ah well. I am glad there are people in the world that give because their religion teaches it. Statistics show they give a lot more to charitable causes than non believers.
Ignoring the accuracy of the charge, the argument at hand is that Romney engaged in predatory business practices, but that somehow is forgiven because he's donated a lot to charity. When that "charity" isn't necessarily a sacrifice to help the station of others to offset Romney allegedly hurting people in business, the point is moot.
I don't believe Romney's business practices were predatory. If they were no amount of charitable giving will erase such acts.
As to your point as to why LDS person tithe, I know no one who is motivated by the reason you list.
I'm willing to bet you know lots of people motivated by the reasons I list, though people aren't likely to attribute their actions that way.
Unless you can read minds you certainly won't know one way or the other. But lots of things motivate people to give to lots of differing things. I am just happy they want to give.
I donate to NPR. This isn't charitable because I'm donating to help keep NPR on the air and I like what NPR gives me. I also like the idea that NPR-type programming exists and think the country is better off for it, but I'm not so arrogant as to think I'm "helping others" through funding my personal journalistic and artistic preferences
I think NPR provides a valuable service. I think it is a charitable gift of sorts. I think you are helping others enjoy NPR, especially someone like me who has listened to it for years but never donated to it. Why is it arrogant to think that?
There's some, sometimes much, of that in tithing. People like what their Church gives them and want to support its continued existence.
Ok
I am less a believer than I used to be but I still tithe and likely more for the benefits I percieve I still receive from it. So I am less altruistic in my reasons for tithing than I used to be as a TBM I guess.
I think you are naïve if you don't think that funding one's preferred religious services or making sure one can participate in certain rites doesn't play a role in LDS tithing behavior.
Of course. Yep I am naïve.
Pure and utter bunk. How much of a donation to the American Cancer Society goes to feeding the poor.
I didn't say feeding the poor was the only possible charitable act. I defined it as giving to improve the station of others - to help those in need. One would presume that attempting to improve cancer treatment qualifies.
Well great. There is on thing we can agree on in this thread.
