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Showing content with the highest reputation on 09/25/2018 in all areas

  1. I also give monthly to Medicine San Frontiers aka Doctors Without Borders. Why? They're definitely not a Christian organization. Why? Because I'm so thankful for the extraordinary access and free healthcare available to me under our National Health Service. Some people have to walk days for medical treatment and even then it's not good. MSF provides services in remote areas, free of charge. I can't help those citizens directly, but indirectly via MSF works for me. And, of course, because God makes his rain, his blessings, fall on the just and the unjust. He has compassion on the needy. He doesn't expect payment, just thanks, and sometimes he gets it.
    2 points
  2. Unfortunately there aren't very many religious organizations that don't ask for money and all seem ready to accept it. Some teach the tithe as (insert any number of doctrines here), others sell products. Most accept donations. Jesus Christ accepted donations but He didn't fund brand a "worldwide ministry of hope and deliverance" or whatever and run it with donations. By all appearances He and His followers lived pretty basic lives, didn't accumulate possessions, buy land or property or invest or for that matter, loan. To me it IS a fundamental issue if a religious business asks for and accepts donations from people. The IRS doesn't require a group of people who form a "church" let's call it, to apply for any exempt status or to classify themselves as anything. In fact, it's only after a certain amount which I think is $25K that they recommend an organization file. If they make over a $1K on unrelated activities they have to file. There's nuances to it all and a lawyer or good accountant could advise on best steps to take but the truth is, if a group of people wanted to meet formally and informally to share their faith and paid their own way doing it, the government doesn't want or need to know about it. Once a group of people "form and file" with an external licensing agent (IRS) they can accumulate and use tax free income and those giving the group money can deduct it from their taxes. But there''s no need to do any of that to read the Bible, study it, teach it and conduct activities around a shared common interest. Compare a small group of Christian believers to say, the Boy Scouts. The Boy Scouts can be tax exempt, and are asked to file now using a 990-N form. But a group of families don't need to be tax exempt to get together to camp, or learn carpentry skills or build go-karts and have picnics and sleep overs with the kids. The issue of "mammon" and serving God is huge - today many churches of all types would consider it persecution if their tax exemptions were threatened, I'm sure. The real question isn't why do they have it and who's being served by it - it's why do it at all? When a Church like The Way restricts it's members from giving anywhere else and penalizes them, socially or otherwise, if they do, is that really in the spirit of our laws, or the Bible's teaching for that matter? This is all so embedded in our country's religious culture it's difficult for people to see a way out. Which is exactly why as of 2020 I will be fully set up to receive any and all offerings from anyone, for anything they believe in, don't believe in or would like to consider either way, including money, precious metals, cars, recreational vehicles, homes, property or anything else you'd be blessed to share with someone who, like me - socks - could accept and use in a fashion that will reflect the appropriate "no strings attached or accepted" philosophy of giving. (For all who have recently left the Way and are still working out what it's like to decide what's funny or not for themselves, that last paragraph is meant to be a joke, comparing accepting money from those who....well, just give it a day or two and if it's not funny to you, it's not. Enjoy the rush of fresh air freedom brings!)
    1 point
  3. Whole heartedly agree Twinky. Personally I give where I’m inspired to give. There’s a family in my area who’s 12 year old son developed a virus in his spine that paralyzed his legs. He’s going through a very challenging rehab and the family are incurring mountainous medical bills. I’m helping them as much as I can. Yes. Giving without compulsion. Amen.
    1 point
  4. I belong to two churches here. One I rarely support except for special things. Nobody ever enquires. There are occasionally invitations to donate. The other, that I regard as my main church, is a group of churches very active in supporting the community. Again, regular attendees are invited to donate, but nobody knows who does or doesn't, and there's absolutely no compulsion. I give, because I WANT to, because I know it costs money to help those with nothing. To provide the weekly free meal and hangout time for very lonely, or rather strange, or really impoverished, people hereabouts. To run after-school clubs, homework club, toddler group for young mums. To pay for the outgoings on our building and to heat it. Why would I NOT want to support that? And every year, the church treasurers present a report to explain how money is spent and answer any questions. Oh, and both churches support external groups - partner ministries overseas and such like. Sometimes an individual or couple undertaking work in Christian or non-Christian communities overseas. The question isn't whether one should donate or not, but is there compulsion? And who benefits from the money received?
    1 point
  5. I am soooo glad to be snuggled into a vibrant Christian community, where words are profound yet simple, and actions abound in service to others. I know this : if I'd known then of church communities like those I'm involved with now, I'd have called some of the things I saw when I was first beginning to get involved with TWI for what they were - unkind, unloving, egotistical. Scratch the surface of R&R. Hmm. Wonder what's underneath?
    1 point
  6. Every single spinoff and splinter from twi started off saying they had the best intentions. Many of them started without asking for money, even hostile to the idea-at least openly. All of them EVENTUALLY asked for money. However, I'm sure that decades of experience with organizations with the same origin, the same history, and the same trajectory doesn't really count, and THIS TIME we see a group that does not want and never will want your money. Furthermore, they will be the one group to be open-door, and have people WELCOME to leave whenever they want, and say in EVERY way that all Christians are equal, etc....
    1 point
  7. I've got to tell you about this guy I was "witnessing to" or whatever it is you want to call it one time. I was having lunch with this Moslem - very kind soul. The conversation came around to God and religion. I was describing to him my faith. He related to me some of his faith, and where it led him. One very interesting path is that he received a telephone call from someone from his home country (Iran) for charitable donations. Instead of blowing them off or blindly giving money he decided he wanted to be involved. The charity was one that placed homeless children from back home in Iran with families living in the United States that were seeking adoption. So he became involved, ended up donating quite a bit of money and was personally responsible for placing 6 children in adopting families. We had a great time discussing God, truth, man, religion over smoked meat in Montreal Quebec. He told me he was always skeptical of those whose livelihood was enhanced by the growth of their flock, as they were a biased witness. He equated it to a company he was working for giving an opinion about it. Was I being an ambassador for Christ towards him, or was he being an ambassador for Mohammed towards me? Or both? What I do know is I seldom remember a man's words, but I always remember a man's actions. This man's actions helped me remember his words.
    1 point
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