What a waste of money! (page 2)

What a waste of money!

heathen

I agree with undecided . What a friggen waste of money. These churches exploit people big time . They are tax exempt and many of the leaders are stinking rich and pay no taxes .

Heathen:
Maybe things are like that Stateside, but over here things are a little different (depending on denomination). Whilst there are often fringe benefits like free accommodation, the actual salary is pretty poor (below national average).
They aren't tax-exempt, either.

In addition it's a 24/7 job, as Ministers can be called on at any hour for assistance in "pastoral emergencies". I know several who have quite literally worked themselves into the ground. It's truly a vocation rather than a career.
Almost all the Minister's wives that I know have to go out to work, to help make ends meet.

I can't speak for all denominations, but I've come in contact with quite a few, and this is a story that appears to repeat itself.

Basically I'm saying, don't tar everything with the same brush - there's a WIDE variety, rather than the simple picture postulated by the JW's that every church is the same and corrupt.

Valis

My favortie church sign was..

"Dusty Bibles lead To Dirty Lives..."

Sincerely,

District Overbeer

frenchbabyface

well, I agree that religion can help some people to get out of trouble, some people even learned to read and write ... in some ways it can be helpfull with or without money (and that's the whole thing !) my or your house could be a church actually (it wouldn't change a thing) ... A church to bring more people in the same place ? ... why ? ... More they are, less they really know each other

religion brings people to the point that they don't care about that poor people (means those who are in big trouble in this world almost 80 % of more than 6 000 000 000 people actually) are living in this world thinking it is satan fault (or whatever) or that helping those people is God's job ! Some religion even give credit to persecute they're own beleivers (castes). This is the real INSENSITIVITY (understandable but so dammagable)

Ya to me this is a real waist of money ... A real God would have espected us to give all this money to those 80 % people who are and will still suffer because nobody really cares about them (but what shall we do ? ... building churchs and pray ... see now how helpless and insensitive it is ???) Cause if we don't react ... We are the next once : 80 % today maybe 90 % tomorrow ... Who will care about us ? RELIGIONISTE only because they've got an interest to do it ...

Oh well ... I've already cried so much on this ... and still

population on earth… (figures in 1999)if we compare the population to a hundred people in a little town ... this is how it would look like.

57 Asian
21 Europeans
14 Américans (North and et South)
8 Africans

52 women

48 men

70 Non-white people

30 white people

70 non-christians

30 christians

89 heterosexuals

11 homosexuals 6 would have 59% of the world richness,
all of them would be from the

80 would live in a housing of bad quality

70 would be illiterate

50 would suffer from malnutrition

1 would be close to death

1 would be close to born

1 would have a college level

1 would have a computer (maybe 1,5 in 2003)

And now :

If you wake up this morning with more health than disease, you are luckier than the million people which will not see the next week.

If you never were in danger of a battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the anguish of torture, rage of the hunger, you are better than 500 million people.

If you can go to your church without fear to be threatened, tortured or killed, you have a better chance than 3 billion people.

If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on you, a roof on your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of inhabitants on earth.

If you have money in your bank, in your wallet or in small box, you belonged to the 8% the most privileged world.

If your parents are still alive and always marry, you are really rare person.

TERRIBLE WORLD !

I agree with undecided . What a friggen waste of money. These churches exploit people big time .

Perhaps some churches do. But what people have a tendency to forget is that HUNDREDS of helpful organizations around the world would be non-existent if it weren't for churches. The truth is, churches are very helpful. They feed homeless, they clothe and house orphans, they visit the sickly, pay for the elderly's medical bills, give free counseling to drug addicts and alchoholics...I could go on and on. Take away churches and you take away many of the basic human needs of hundreds of thousands of people in this world. Who do you see picking up those tabs? Waste of who's money? YOURS? If it's not yours then do you have a voice in how I spend mine?

They are tax exempt and many of the leaders are stinking rich and pay no taxes.

If the leader in your church is stinking rich then I would probably wonder about where my money is going too. But I want to know - where are you getting your facts? Or are you spouting off what you've heard from a JW or read in some rag mag? If you're going to make such a strong argument, ante up the data. Yes, SOME church leaders are stinking rich. They are fleecing their flocks. But don't let the bad apples color your glasses so darkly that you are blind to the good. Because there is plenty-a-good.

MOST church leaders are exactly as LT said. Worked to the bone and not getting paid more than I get paid as an admin. My pastor is available to me 24/7 like he is to all 2,000 other people that go to my church. He also drives a 95 Toyota. Yea - he's stinkin' rich. If he uses his money wisely and does well in investments are you going to hold THAT against him too when he wants to retire like every other Joe Blow? Most pastors I know are very frugal and are smart investors because they HAVE to be. Their's no pension plan in most churches I know of.

Just a few thoughts because it really pisses me off to see people make BLANKET JUDGEMENTS about something they haven't personally experienced. And if you haven't experienced it then it doesn't exist right? How far away from JW behavior is THAT?!

*stepping off the soapbox*

Andi

this is not a battle I hope

here are the answers you asked for (and again sorry for my english) : Those statistics come from ESSIE (high college from here, they did it in 1999 to figure out how lucky they are)

My trouble with your point of view is that actually I feel like (monney is not the only trouble) with religion in general ...

Now you know that people are financing churchs where children get abused (don't tell me it's not true), where weak and faithull people are also abused ...And how many people died because of their religions (before, now and will tomorow ?), how many people suicided (weaks or kamikazes) or gets crazy (even became killers because of religions) so this is not only about 3 billion people who are taking risk everyday because of their religion ... It's not only about your our my neighborwood ... So now how many people do they help ?... give your statititics ... I'd like to know, I may feel better ...

It's not only about money ... Those who can say BINGO ! are using those who only take advantage to get psychological power on faithfull people (some GOUROU gets master degree in this concern)... And yes some priest/pastor/or whoever are good people of course ... the question is HOW MUCH and what's the results in regard of the troubles it brings to this world ...

Everybody got the right to give their monney to whoever they want ... I've made my choice in this concern (cause to me, it's not about wasting monney but helping this world to become worse, and I don't want to be involved in this !) We don't need a church to help people ... (an association is enough, don't you think ?)

What a waste of money!

heathen

LittleToe

Valis

frenchbabyface

Billygoat

frenchbabyface

Billygoat

frenchbabyface

frenchbabyface

figliodidante

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