The offerings sometimes include but are not limited to
The love offering
The building Fund
The visitor fund
Your regular offering
The pastor offering
You Tithes
The book fund
The choir is going to Mexico fund
The incase something happens relief Fund
The scholarship fund
The Leroy needs a pair of shoes fund etc?
2007-07-12 03:58:37 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Excellent observation and question!
Let's see...
Love is a separate deal from the normal "hate" offerings.
We need more tax-free income property.
Even though we bilk the visitors we're not afraid to ask for more.
As opposed to the Irregular offering which requires ex-lax to pull it out of your...
Hey, the pastor has to buy cookies for his boyfriend!
Oh yeah, we START with 10% of your gross before taxes...
"The" book fund, ( get it …singular!- ) We don't like non-fiction...too "sciencey" and not enough misogyny, hate, boils, pestilence, revenge, spite, malice, war, gore, sex and violence.
Poor people can't afford cable and love music, so, let's get some more marks there!
I told you already, religion IS insurance. The only difference is that insurance companies occasionally pay out, so it's not quite as good a scam.
Scholarship is a low priority, what they actually mean is “higher brainwashing fund.”
"Why it got to be Leroy?"
Other possible reasons...
God is poor.
Jesus needs a haircut and some new clothes cause he’s looking’ for work..
The priest and his buddy need a time-share at the Vatican
Universal inflation theory?
I once read a brief selection from an “insider’s” report on how to bilk your parishioners. It was in a monthly news letter that goes around to so many churches.
If you ever wonder why you see the same pithy sermon tittles on different church signs, this is why; They have a newsletter that they subscribe to. It provides those “clever” sermon tittles like, “Know Jesus Know Peace, no Jesus no peace.” Oh… How droll!
Or how about, “Eternity, …smoking or non-smoking!” Ha! I love that one!
Anyway, this particular pastor was in the tavern near where I work. (it’s a gay bar) He left his copy on the bar while he went to drain his boy toy. I had a chance to examine it. (the newsletter that is!)
The article had specific suggestions for fleecing the flock. It mentioned that “numerous requests always get more than a single pass” and (get this) …it sited statistical evidence to support this trick!
"Our research shows that of one hundred pastors polled, they find there is an average 40% increase in offerings when multiple requests are made."
Apparently, mathematical laws of probability and statistics are OK if they serve to fill your coffers, but not if they deplete public trust. It busts their gig if you site facts like, “There a at least a hundred billion billion stars in our universe alone and at least a billion universes like ours, so it is statistically improbable that life would not occur in one of these systems. Of course is it 100% percent certain that anywhere there was intelligent life, would be the only place a being could ask questions like ‘why are we here?”.
No those statistics are too unreasonable, …and unprofitable.
The article also mentioned that if your sermon is boring, it is not necessarily bad, because “sleepy people are more receptive to hypnotic suggestions.” Wow!
Then the article went on to discuss themes such as the ones you listed in your question. The premise was clear; “You have to remind The Faithful that there are many reasons to give. They may forget about the soup kitchen, the pre-school day care or the repairs needed on the steeple. So remind them! Be specific and pass that plate again! You’ll be glad you did!”
Holy IPU! …What a con job!
The tone of the article was very much like one of those awful sales seminars… very enthusiastic, “inspirational” and peppy.
If it could possibly have worked, I would have prayed for the author to have boils like Job’s.
The reason they pass the plate so many times is to get more money. Duh.
2007-07-12 05:31:05 · answer #1 · answered by Aleph Null 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I can't answer for all churches, but I can answer based upon Biblical teaching.
All Christians should tithe. It is not because the Lord needs the money. If He created the entire universe, don't you think He could manage to create a few millions dollars if He needed it? Tithing is good for us. It reminds us of where all good gifts come from. And it disciplines us to depend on Him for all things, not on ourselves. It also makes us like Him, because God is giver. John 3:16 says that God so loved the world (that's you and me) that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever (that's you and me, again) believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Then, after the tithe, there may be things that a Christian wants to support - like the choir trip to Mexico or the scholarship fund.
Our job as Christians is to be obedient in all areas of our lives - including giving. God will honor our obedience. He is faithful.
2007-07-12 04:14:51 · answer #2 · answered by Aristarchus 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Greedy Christians
2007-07-12 04:01:48 · answer #3 · answered by Zappster (Deep Thunker) 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have never personally experienced this. Just give in one plate. In fact, I had it deducted monthly automatically. It was only $20/month, but it was what I could afford. And I didn't have to worry about having the money in my wallet at church time.
We even had envelopes to conceal the amount being donated, so that, you didn't feel like you had to compete with your neighbours. I usually put an empty envelope in the collections, just so my neighbours didn't think I was stingy. Afterall I already gave....
It was a great system. And still only one collection at church mass.
2007-07-12 04:06:20 · answer #4 · answered by Sapere Aude 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Shameless sense of greed
Hoping that peer pressure will force you into placing something within the plate each and everytime that it is passed around.
2007-07-12 04:01:43 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Because organized religion is nothing but a sham designed to keep you under control and separate you from your money!
2007-07-12 04:02:10 · answer #6 · answered by bongernet 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I want to know why they can't power and build their churches on faith alone? If faith can move mountains, you'd think it would be able to power a light bulb or two.
2007-07-12 04:02:07 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
God needs money! How do you expect him to build streets of gold and walls of precious stones without cash to finance it all.
2007-07-12 04:01:45 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
They gotta pay the rent bill. + Jesus sent down a sign for them to get an HD tv
2007-07-12 04:01:11 · answer #9 · answered by reelperspectiv 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I used to be bothered by this. I found a church (LDS) does not pass the plate once.
2007-07-12 04:04:31 · answer #10 · answered by Isolde 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋