AtheistNexus.org articles on poor people tithing and disdain for religious proselytization

Poor people tithing
Posted by Buck316 on March 26, 2015 at 4:53pm in Family and Community
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I just learned my 88-year-old mother tithed $2,000 to her church last year. She's poor and barely lives off of a $1200 monthly check from Social Security. She recently underwent surgery for an aortic valve replacement, and not one representative from her church paid a visit or called. In fact, the church hasn't done a damned thing for her. It's a non-denominational evangelical mega-church in Wichita, Kansas. I did a happy dance when she left a Southern Baptist church years ago because they were worse (and I'm gay). Thanks for letting me vent.
Tags: Evangelical, church, elderly, mega-church, poor, security, social, tithing



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 Permalink Reply by Patricia 6 hours ago

Its bloody robbery to get their fancy damned churches, mansions, cars, & then they want more!!!
If the poorest of the poor don't hand over, along with the other sheeple, they are made to feel terribly guilty.....ITS BEYOND DISGUSTING!!!
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 Permalink Reply by Buck316 5 hours ago

I agree. When challenged on the subject and she got defensive. I could see the guilt and shame on her face for even trying to discuss it from a point of reason, so I dropped it. It's her money, albeit frustrating for me.
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 Permalink Reply by Patricia 5 hours ago

Yeah, sometimes the topics have to be off limits.
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 Permalink Reply by Joan Denoo 5 hours ago

I like your points, Buck316. May I call you Buck? It is exactly those people such as your mother, who will give until there is nothing to give that these damnable cults exist, and for what?
Your mother, and countless others fall into that Black Hole called religion and don't seem ever able or willing to come out.
▶ Reply

 Permalink Reply by Buck316 5 hours ago

You call me Buck. They are indeed the same as cults in my eyes. She's been brainwashed over the years.
▶ Reply

 Permalink Reply by Bertold Brautigan 4 hours ago

Preying on old people is an art and a science for religionists, and unlike praying, preying does work, very well. It's kind of like vampire legends - they can only get in if you let them.
▶ Reply

 Permalink Reply by Patricia 4 hours ago

As a senior myself, I have absolutely no respect for anyone who takes advantage of us in any way....& we often need every penny, but its not just money.....taking advantage of anything & everything is cruel.
▶ Reply

 Permalink Reply by Michael Penn 4 hours ago

Many people are just like her and tithe more even when they have not got it to give. I mean, what do they live on? The church and preachers now keep telling them to give more and god will really bless them. Then you see that they have the better houses and cars.
What does it take for poor people to wake up?
▶ Reply

 Permalink Reply by Ted Foureagles 3 hours ago

My mother in law, who was not a wealthy woman, gave thousands to Jim & Tammy Faye.  I saw the pathetic TV show that pair put on, and it's incredible to me how anyone could be suckered into it.
}}}}}
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http://www.atheistnexus.org/forum/topics/poor-people-tithing?commentId=2182797%3AComment%3A2585760&xg_source=activity
















I Asked For & Received Permission to Post
Posted by Patricia on March 26, 2015 at 1:45pm in Water Cooler
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Hello,
I just read & agreed with your article,
 Cost Analysis: Religion should be kept personal
 Would you be willing to give me permission to copy it to my atheistnexus.org member site?
It would get lots of exposure there, & I'm sure it would be an interesting read for us.
Patricia
 --------------------
 Patricia,
No problem. Please feel free to use the article as you wish.
 Hope the article helps!
Take Care,
Scott
 ------------------------
Cost Analysis: Religion should be kept personal

 By Scott Cost
Columnist
03/22/2015 10:34 PM
Comments
So as I was taking a bite out of a sinfully delicious cheeseburger, a thought came to mind: Humans don’t always make the best choices.
Washing the greasy concoction down with a cold beer reiterated that thought. We pretty much know what we can do.
We could eat fresh veggies and a bit of protein every day, drink only water and never smoke. By doing so, we’d likely drastically reduce a lot of killers like heart disease and diabetes. We seem to treat diseases backward. We raise money for research and finding cures instead of just eliminating the bad behaviors that lead to the majority of the issues.
As I took another bite and wiped my chin to sop up a sloppy mixture of cheese and liquid, a man walked in wearing a “Jesus Saves” T-shirt.
I don’t know if it was the effects of beer or my arteries closing in, but I started wondering exactly how well-received an “Allah Saves” T-shirt would be. I imagine if I wore one, complete with an image, I’d get looks of scorn from Christians. And Muslims would put me on a list with the likes of Salman Rushdie for desecrating their high prophet.
I philosophize that if everyone avoided displays of faith around others, we’d probably have avoided a lot of conflicts in the past – and could stop future ones from starting.
Call it “public agnosticism” if you’d like, but I have never been able to comprehend how expressing my faith to others or having somebody else proclaim their faith to me impacts my relationship with God. But then again, I’m sure a vegan is wondering how the heck I can munch down part of a dead cow on a bun.
I think I’m hypersensitive about the religious issue because of the way it extends past personal boundaries. I can’t think of any other issues, except politics, where people find it completely appropriate to approach strangers and profess their faith – and frankly, they then become pretty snotty when you don’t accept this gesture with complete and utter glee.
Religion is also one of the only places where being on an opposite side leads to justifiable punishment. Tell millions of non-Muslims in places where the Taliban rules how safe they should feel. Being an “infidel” is often grounds for execution. Seems like losing one’s head might apply to both parties there.
In my experience, advising people to not proselytize rarely works out well for anyone. I just wish those proselytizing realized that the opposite rarely works out well, either.
But what do I know? I just finished a burger and a beer.
You can reach Scott Cost at costanalysiscolumn@gmail.com.






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 Permalink Reply by Freethinker31 5 hours ago

Patricia, I see why you liked this article...It truly hit home  with me.......In my neighborhood alone, we get  religious  proselytizers knocking on our door trying to convert us....As Scott mentioned, religion is personal and should not be  a subject of conversation by strangers.....I also get very annoyed  with bumper stickers  on cars  with "Jesus loves You"  or  "Jesus is Lord".....or people with crucifixes hanging from their rearview mirror......That is a very subtle way  to promote religion......Scott was also dead on when he said some people  are offended by displays of religion and conflicts  can pursue, sometimes  violently......Keep religious  beliefs  to yourselves and the world  will be a better and safer place....
▶ Reply

 Permalink Reply by Patricia 5 hours ago

Exactly. I remember the days when religion & politics were both kept private because they both caused ill feeling, quarrels, or wars.....*sigh*!
▶ Reply

 Permalink Reply by sk8eycat 5 hours ago

I  agree, BUT with Islam, it's (supposed to be) the believer's entire life...they take pride in being slaves to Allah, and waste hours in prayer, and obeying strict rules that didn't even make sense 1500 years ago.  There are no alternatives for them; they are taught that everything that happens is predestined, even their non-choice of how to treat others.  ("I'm being nice to you because Allah says I have to be, not because I think you're a worthwhile person."  That kind of thing.)
It's hard to wrap my mind around that, but it's true.
(I must say that our formerly Pakistani neighbors do NOT follow things to the letter, but they have been in the US for almost 40 years.  Some of our culture has rubbed off, but they still observe Ramadan.  I think they escaped around the time India and Pakistan were partitioned from each other.  That was a frightful time!)
▶ Reply

 Permalink Reply by Michael Penn 4 hours ago

One thing people need to keep in mind is that age is a factor in the things you believe. Young people don't die because death happens to everybody else. It might take the average person reaching 35 to see the reality of death and how it happens to everybody. Prior to that it just cannot happen to you.
Mt neighbor, a smoker, was concerned last year about a spot on her lung. Was it cancer? Finding out that it is not, she is still happily smoking away. Some get upset to hear me talk, so "holier than thou." Was I ever a smoker? Yes, for over 30 years, then I quit the same way that I started. You might say I saw the handwriting on the wall. (I know that's a bible related phrase but it's been used forever and some people have no idea where it came from.)
Am I perfect? No, I still have bad habits.
▶ Reply

 Permalink Reply by Ted Foureagles 3 hours ago

On the back of my Jeep I have three of those chrome fish hanging on a string.  That's probably blasphemous.  During my last drive through Kansas I saw painted on a bridge abutment "TRUST IN JESUS"  just below it, in a different color was "Reyas Plumbing 620-####".  The proper response to fundamentalism is ridicule.
}}}}
▶ Reply

 Permalink Reply by sk8eycat 1 hour ago

The proper response to fundamentalism is ridicule.
Spot ON!
▶ Reply



                


http://www.atheistnexus.org/forum/topics/i-asked-for-received-permission-to-post?commentId=2182797%3AComment%3A2585938&xg_source=activity













Poor people tithing
Posted by Buck316 on March 26, 2015 at 4:53pm in Family and Community
View Discussions
.



I just learned my 88-year-old mother tithed $2,000 to her church last year. She's poor and barely lives off of a $1200 monthly check from Social Security. She recently underwent surgery for an aortic valve replacement, and not one representative from her church paid a visit or called. In fact, the church hasn't done a damned thing for her. It's a non-denominational evangelical mega-church in Wichita, Kansas. I did a happy dance when she left a Southern Baptist church years ago because they were worse (and I'm gay). Thanks for letting me vent.
Tags: Evangelical, church, elderly, mega-church, poor, security, social, tithing



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1 member likes this
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Views: 30
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Replies to This Discussion
 Permalink Reply by Patricia 5 hours ago

Its bloody robbery to get their fancy damned churches, mansions, cars, & then they want more!!!
If the poorest of the poor don't hand over, along with the other sheeple, they are made to feel terribly guilty.....ITS BEYOND DISGUSTING!!!
▶ Reply

 Permalink Reply by Buck316 5 hours ago

I agree. When challenged on the subject and she got defensive. I could see the guilt and shame on her face for even trying to discuss it from a point of reason, so I dropped it. It's her money, albeit frustrating for me.
▶ Reply

 Permalink Reply by Patricia 4 hours ago

Yeah, sometimes the topics have to be off limits.
▶ Reply

 Permalink Reply by Joan Denoo 5 hours ago

I like your points, Buck316. May I call you Buck? It is exactly those people such as your mother, who will give until there is nothing to give that these damnable cults exist, and for what?
Your mother, and countless others fall into that Black Hole called religion and don't seem ever able or willing to come out.
▶ Reply

 Permalink Reply by Buck316 5 hours ago

You call me Buck. They are indeed the same as cults in my eyes. She's been brainwashed over the years.
▶ Reply

 Permalink Reply by Bertold Brautigan 4 hours ago

Preying on old people is an art and a science for religionists, and unlike praying, preying does work, very well. It's kind of like vampire legends - they can only get in if you let them.
▶ Reply

 Permalink Reply by Patricia 4 hours ago

As a senior myself, I have absolutely no respect for anyone who takes advantage of us in any way....& we often need every penny, but its not just money.....taking advantage of anything & everything is cruel.
▶ Reply

 Permalink Reply by Michael Penn 3 hours ago

Many people are just like her and tithe more even when they have not got it to give. I mean, what do they live on? The church and preachers now keep telling them to give more and god will really bless them. Then you see that they have the better houses and cars.
What does it take for poor people to wake up?
▶ Reply

 Permalink Reply by Ted Foureagles 2 hours ago

My mother in law, who was not a wealthy woman, gave thousands to Jim & Tammy Faye.  I saw the pathetic TV show that pair put on, and it's incredible to me how anyone could be suckered into it.
}}}}}
▶ Reply




http://www.atheistnexus.org/forum/topics/poor-people-tithing?commentId=2182797%3AComment%3A2585687&xg_source=activity

















 





I Asked For & Received Permission to Post
Posted by Patricia on March 26, 2015 at 1:45pm in Water Cooler
View Discussions
.



Hello,
I just read & agreed with your article,
 Cost Analysis: Religion should be kept personal
 Would you be willing to give me permission to copy it to my atheistnexus.org member site?
It would get lots of exposure there, & I'm sure it would be an interesting read for us.
Patricia
 --------------------
 Patricia,
No problem. Please feel free to use the article as you wish.
 Hope the article helps!
Take Care,
Scott
 ------------------------
Cost Analysis: Religion should be kept personal

 By Scott Cost
Columnist
03/22/2015 10:34 PM
Comments
So as I was taking a bite out of a sinfully delicious cheeseburger, a thought came to mind: Humans don’t always make the best choices.
Washing the greasy concoction down with a cold beer reiterated that thought. We pretty much know what we can do.
We could eat fresh veggies and a bit of protein every day, drink only water and never smoke. By doing so, we’d likely drastically reduce a lot of killers like heart disease and diabetes. We seem to treat diseases backward. We raise money for research and finding cures instead of just eliminating the bad behaviors that lead to the majority of the issues.
As I took another bite and wiped my chin to sop up a sloppy mixture of cheese and liquid, a man walked in wearing a “Jesus Saves” T-shirt.
I don’t know if it was the effects of beer or my arteries closing in, but I started wondering exactly how well-received an “Allah Saves” T-shirt would be. I imagine if I wore one, complete with an image, I’d get looks of scorn from Christians. And Muslims would put me on a list with the likes of Salman Rushdie for desecrating their high prophet.
I philosophize that if everyone avoided displays of faith around others, we’d probably have avoided a lot of conflicts in the past – and could stop future ones from starting.
Call it “public agnosticism” if you’d like, but I have never been able to comprehend how expressing my faith to others or having somebody else proclaim their faith to me impacts my relationship with God. But then again, I’m sure a vegan is wondering how the heck I can munch down part of a dead cow on a bun.
I think I’m hypersensitive about the religious issue because of the way it extends past personal boundaries. I can’t think of any other issues, except politics, where people find it completely appropriate to approach strangers and profess their faith – and frankly, they then become pretty snotty when you don’t accept this gesture with complete and utter glee.
Religion is also one of the only places where being on an opposite side leads to justifiable punishment. Tell millions of non-Muslims in places where the Taliban rules how safe they should feel. Being an “infidel” is often grounds for execution. Seems like losing one’s head might apply to both parties there.
In my experience, advising people to not proselytize rarely works out well for anyone. I just wish those proselytizing realized that the opposite rarely works out well, either.
But what do I know? I just finished a burger and a beer.
You can reach Scott Cost at costanalysiscolumn@gmail.com.






 Like 
3 members like this
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Share   
  

 

Views: 39
▶ Reply to This
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Replies to This Discussion
 Permalink Reply by Freethinker31 5 hours ago

Patricia, I see why you liked this article...It truly hit home  with me.......In my neighborhood alone, we get  religious  proselytizers knocking on our door trying to convert us....As Scott mentioned, religion is personal and should not be  a subject of conversation by strangers.....I also get very annoyed  with bumper stickers  on cars  with "Jesus loves You"  or  "Jesus is Lord".....or people with crucifixes hanging from their rearview mirror......That is a very subtle way  to promote religion......Scott was also dead on when he said some people  are offended by displays of religion and conflicts  can pursue, sometimes  violently......Keep religious  beliefs  to yourselves and the world  will be a better and safer place....
▶ Reply

 Permalink Reply by Patricia 5 hours ago

Exactly. I remember the days when religion & politics were both kept private because they both caused ill feeling, quarrels, or wars.....*sigh*!
▶ Reply

 Permalink Reply by sk8eycat 5 hours ago

I  agree, BUT with Islam, it's (supposed to be) the believer's entire life...they take pride in being slaves to Allah, and waste hours in prayer, and obeying strict rules that didn't even make sense 1500 years ago.  There are no alternatives for them; they are taught that everything that happens is predestined, even their non-choice of how to treat others.  ("I'm being nice to you because Allah says I have to be, not because I think you're a worthwhile person."  That kind of thing.)
It's hard to wrap my mind around that, but it's true.
(I must say that our formerly Pakistani neighbors do NOT follow things to the letter, but they have been in the US for almost 40 years.  Some of our culture has rubbed off, but they still observe Ramadan.  I think they escaped around the time India and Pakistan were partitioned from each other.  That was a frightful time!)
▶ Reply

 Permalink Reply by Michael Penn 4 hours ago

One thing people need to keep in mind is that age is a factor in the things you believe. Young people don't die because death happens to everybody else. It might take the average person reaching 35 to see the reality of death and how it happens to everybody. Prior to that it just cannot happen to you.
Mt neighbor, a smoker, was concerned last year about a spot on her lung. Was it cancer? Finding out that it is not, she is still happily smoking away. Some get upset to hear me talk, so "holier than thou." Was I ever a smoker? Yes, for over 30 years, then I quit the same way that I started. You might say I saw the handwriting on the wall. (I know that's a bible related phrase but it's been used forever and some people have no idea where it came from.)
Am I perfect? No, I still have bad habits.
▶ Reply

 Permalink Reply by Ted Foureagles 3 hours ago

On the back of my Jeep I have three of those chrome fish hanging on a string.  That's probably blasphemous.  During my last drive through Kansas I saw painted on a bridge abutment "TRUST IN JESUS"  just below it, in a different color was "Reyas Plumbing 620-####".  The proper response to fundamentalism is ridicule.
}}}}
▶ Reply

 Permalink Reply by sk8eycat 1 hour ago

The proper response to fundamentalism is ridicule.
Spot ON!
▶ Reply





http://www.atheistnexus.org/forum/topics/i-asked-for-received-permission-to-post?commentId=2182797%3AComment%3A2585943&xg_source=activity










I think its a shame that so many of these megachurches scam poverty-stricken people out of their hard earned money.  Buck's mother technically has the right to do whatever she wants with her money.  Personally, I think she should save it for herself.  As for religious proselytizing, people have the right to do it, but you don't have to agree with any of their messages or even talk them if you don't want to.  The Jehovah's Witnesses pretty much seem to dehumanize ex-JW's who no longer agree with JW's proselytizing methods, sort of an immature response if you ask me.  It's one thing for people to disagree with the JW's proselytizing methods, which ex-JW's and non-JW's actually have every right to do, but it is another thing to try and legally prevent the JW's from proselytizing which very few ex-JW's and non-JW's are willing to do, despite their disagreement with door-to-door religious proselytization.  I am an ex-JW.  I am also an ex-Mormon, but I never served a mission for the LDS Church.  When JW proselytizers or LDS Church missionaries come to my door, I politely explain that I am an ex-member of those denominations and that I have no interest in rejoining them and I do not care to discuss the issue of religion with them.  They have always accepted my polite requests when I ask them to leave.




I understand that not everyone has had an easy time getting religious proselytizers to leave their own homes.  If you have politely told them that you are not interested in their "message" and don't want to talk about religion with them and they refuse to leave, then you have every right to call the police.  If the JW's and the Mormons or other religious proselytizers want to be treated with respect, then they have to respect the householder's wishes, when the householder tells them that they aren't interested in their message and asks them to leave.  What do you think?