Does being religious make you more generous?

Giving money to charity is not necessarily a good measure of generosity. It is a measure of sorts, but not necessarily a good one, so I think the article is based on a dubious premise.

Sorry, janerowena, it's just that I'm a bit sceptical about some Big Issue sellers. I've heard that some only do it so they can class themselves as self-employed and claim certain benefits.

We have one or two in the town where I work and they're more likely to be found in the local pubs at the end of the day rather than saving to buy their own business! I agree that the principle is a good one, though.

We give to religious and non religious organisations, and I must admit that when giving to something to do with health I see it as a bit like an insurance policy.
As Mamie says, in France there don't seem to be as many charities as the UK. We had a surplus of eggs for several months and I offered them to a charity to feed the poor, but they couldn't accept them .
Another point - I think donating your time to help people that need it is an alternative if you're short of cash.

The charities I give to are not "pre-approved" by the church I attend. They are charities which I have chosen to give to.

The church I go to does actively support certain charities, but that support is with "no strings attached", one charity supported is a counselling service and another is a homeless charity both of which are strictly non religious.

Whoever receives the charity does not care whether the donor is religious or not. Usually they just want to eat or have clean water.

I believe that followers of the Jewish religion are expected to "tithe" something like ten per cent of their income to charity and I think this applies to some other religions. This does seem to "skew" the issue slightly as if something is done because it is expected and because not to do so reflects a lack of commitment to one's religion, it's not quite the same as being generous, though worthy nonetheless.

Religion itself is a charity, isn't it. Churches are supported by their followers until they have enough money to invest in property and businesses. There are quite a few religions that live off that 10%.

www.secularism.org.uk/blog/2014/06/bbc-poll-shows-that-religious-people-give-more-to-charity-than-non-religious-maybe

Another interpretation.....

Churches register with the Charities Commission - so if you give to your local church, it is charitable giving!!!

Eleothan - that's right, that's what we do. And we use cheques from a company which records our annual donations and sends them to HMRC and claims back any tax paid.
It all sounds very materialistic, but we were taught, and I believe it's true, that generosity is a trait which can be learned by giving small amounts on a regular basis. Even if you're mean by nature .

Well yes GrannyTwice, that is what I was trying to say. We used to have to pay tithes to the church here too until the late 1700s or so. I think quite a few Mormons who are suffering from the current economy are starting to refuse to pay their tithes. It isn't going down too well.

I think people are generous or not generous, be they religious or not. Also being generous is not just about money. It is often harder to give your time.

That saying: 'You don't need God to be good.' is true. I give whatever I can to causes I believe in. I used to go to church, but it eventually all seemed pointless, as I realised I'd been regarding all the sacred beliefs as simply myths for such a long time.

But I never changed my attitude to other people, and to giving to charity. I'm still the same person who once went to church. So I reckon religion or no religion makes little difference in these matters.

Mind you, I've never met an atheist I didn't like.

I remember many years ago my parents being asked to 'tithe' one tenth of their income to the church (C of E), instead of putting something in the collection plate each week. Because it was obvious who had 'tithed' and who had not and disapproving looks were given by certain members of the congregation to those who had not, my father refused to go any more. My parents could not afford to donate one tenth of their income and no-one should be expected to do so.

A small charity I do some work for asked for help with transportation costs from several larger charities, including Christian Aid. All refused any help whatsoever.

I have a DD who is non religious and is bringing her sons up the same. So far I have bought presents for them at Christmas and Easter but am now questioning doing so in future. I may instead donate to a charity and forward this information to them as a family at Christian festivals. Or do I just ignore the Christian festivals, as I do with other religions, and buy extra for birthdays instead? As a Christian I find it hard to buy for non believers when they so ardently put down my beliefs.

What does anyone think?

Accept that christmas isn't a christian festival. Christians can and do celebrate it in a religious way, but non-christians celebrate it in a non-christian way. Wanting non-religious people to accept* religious beliefs/traditions/ways of looking at the world into their lives, is an attempt to impose those beliefs on them. Of course they resist, just as you resist their non-religious outlook.

*accepting that you hold beliefs that they don't hold is not the same as accepting your interpretations of ancient traditions such as christmas which, of course, existed under other names before christianity.

I give to charity, largely aid to things like disaster relief, community development abroad.

We are a rich country with a benign climate (usually) Good agriculture and still some natural resources. No long droughts, or life threatening floods .
I feel I am lucky others are not.

I don't see it as a religious duty I just feel I want to share my good fortune in that I do have enough to live on, adequate housing, an education, health care etc.
I am fortunate enough to have enough money left over at the end of the month to be able to help the lives of those without our advantages.

Is that just plain compassion to others in difficulties? I don't know. I don't see it as gaining "Brownie points" in heaven.

I don't think people whose religion (most of them, I think!) urges or requires them to give to charity do so to gain 'Brownie points in heaven' either, Nellie. Rubylady a lot of charities make it a rule not to support other charities. There are charities that do, and there are some who mainly support other, smaller charities. The fact that Christian Aid didn't agree to support your charity doesn't mean they are uncharitable. You have to pick the charity you ask for help both for purpose and readiness to support the work of others. thatbags as usual you overlook the effect of centuries of faith on the general attitudes of the population. Why do some of us think charitable giving is a good thing? And why are some people very hostile to the idea?

'From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs.'

Is more my way of looking at it! As a society, with or without God, I think as human beings we ought to do what we are able to promote the good/ well being of the whole.

I give regularly to particular charities and ad hoc to others (e.g the Lest We Forget' collection at the supermarket yesteday!). I choose to support human and environmental charities over domestic animal charities. I do some voluntary community work. Not boasting just saying that as a Humanist I am as motivated to 'give' as any person who does so because of their religious faith.

On the point of faith organisations being registered charities then I am personally not counting 'tithing' /donating that simply supports that institution to exist as real charitable giving!

Sorry my last sentence previous post needs more punctuation!

lily, where have I shown hostility to others' charitable giving? What do you know about my charitableness? I'll answer that for you: Nothing! If I were not so polite, I'd tell you something better left unsaid.

I do not overlook centuries of moral training and development of human thinking at all. I just attribute it to common humanity, innate morality that our ape cousins possess too, instead of to religion.

rubylady - I am sorry that you have found that non-believers "ardently put down your beliefs." There are many, myself included, who have no religious faith, but respect others' beliefs (with the proviso against fundamentalist extremism).

The other day my 5 year old GS asked his Mum "What's all this about god?" and she explained the concept and he said "Is he real or is it like Father Christmas?" - my DD explained that people hold different beliefs about this and that there was no one answer she could give. He thought for a minute and then said "No - I don't think he exists." He may very well change his mind as he gets older and studies the question in more depth, and he will have the support of us all in that quest. But he is a sweet kind boy and that is the most important thing - he will grow up with sound moral values and lots of love to share.

When I was doing my (late in life) BA degree in French and German at the University of Queensland, I knew a few students who were studying theology. The further they got into the subject, the more likely they were to become atheists! In the end, one student reckoned there wasn't a single believer in the department!

I mention this because these are the very same people who were once religious, and I cannot believe they became less charitable after exchanging religious belief for logic, or a scientific world view.

Also, some of the charities religious people give to, are religious charities, so there's a modicum of self-interest there. For example, I know from working in the local Zionist office, that most Jews quite rightly donate to Israeli causes, such as tree planting. But this again has some self-interest, because as Jew it is logical to support Israel, which might one day be the last safe place of refuge.

Sorry, thatbags I wasn't intending to suggest that you were hostile to charitable giving. The last two questions were intended rhetorically! I'm really interested in those questions, though. I've spent years collecting for various charities, door to door and occasionally on the street and I've sometimes encountered really venomous attacks on me, charity in general or the one I'm collecting for. And quite often rude dismissal. Why? They can just say, ''no'. As many people do.