Religious people more likely to give?
Offline With all the stat topics recently, I decided to do some digging and found a poll about charity in Canada, US, and the UK.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/102961/charitable-giving-differs-canada-uk-us.aspx
In Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, those who say religion is an important part of their daily lives are more likely than those who don't to say they have donated money and volunteered time. In both cases, the differences are most pronounced in the United States. Seventy-one percent of U.S. respondents who say religion is important in their lives also say they donated money to charity in the last month, while 50% of those who say religion is not important say they donated. The gap is somewhat smaller in regard to volunteering time. Fifty percent of U.S. respondents who say religion is important say they volunteered time, compared with 34% among respondents who say religion is not important.
The importance of religion does not appear to be a factor in Canadians' or Americans' likelihood to report being a good Samaritan. Respondents in Canada and the United States who say religion is an important part of their daily lives are no more likely than those who say it is not to say they had helped a stranger in need in the last month. However, in the United Kingdom, those who say religion is an important part of their daily lives are more likely by -- 17 percentage points -- to say they had helped a stranger.
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They say it. That doesn't mean they do it.
There are huge disconnects here. Most christians say that they go to church regularly, when they don't. I'm sure you have seen that poll too there.
Just because more of them make a claim, doesn't mean it is true. Also, what is "charity" exactly? If it is going to church infrastructure via collection plate, I'm willing to bet they still call it charity giving. If they help with a church activity, is that volunteered time too?
Asking someone what they do is never going to get any kind of accurate answer, especially if it is a choice that involves how they think people perceive them.
Theism is why we can't have nice things.
I honestly don't see why you would post this. There are..so many problems with trying to base anything off this poll.
Theism is why we can't have nice things.
My parents call donating money to the ABC for mission work charity donation. Only problem is, the ABC was skimming money off the top and now they're just taking it all for themselves. I'm not entirely convinced by these stats for the same reasons as ClockCat.
"Do not, as some ungracious pastors do, show me the steep and thorny way to heaven. Whiles, like a puff'd and reckless libertine, himself the primrose path of dalliance treads. And recks not his own rede."
My parents call giving money to open a new church charity, or paying the minister's payroll charity too.
Oh, and buying 500000 little bibles is charity, and standing in public places forcing them on people is volunteering time.
Theism is why we can't have nice things.
I'm sure the people shoving pamphlets in my door next to the NO SOLICITING sign are volunteering time too, and the pamphlets had to be paid for with charity.
Theism is why we can't have nice things.
Jehovah's Witnesses are full of volunteering their time every saturday morning. Their driving around and the material they hand out is no doubt charitable too!
Oh look, this came from charity and volunteer work too!
The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to protect marriage and the faith communities that sustain it. (By removing the right to marry for anyone other than themselves)
Theism is why we can't have nice things.
So I called and asked my mom about this, and she feels like when she buys these videos (left behind and crap) she is making charitable donations too. Because the guy selling it on the christian TV station tells her it is.
Theism is why we can't have nice things.
That's the real question, how do they interpret those questions.
Donated to charity, well according to 3 of my christian friends, they gave to the church, hence they gave to charity (although almost none of that money goes to the poor, but to sustaining the church itself.) Charity on the atheists side they all donated, so 100 percent for each (3 on each side)
Volunteered, for what exactly? Helping the poor, again same three volunteered at the church, my atheists friends volunteered as well helping out at work, and volunteered for their kids clubs/school/sports activity, however in the context of the survey as asked here (from what you posted) none of them volunteered in charitable ways per se.
Helping a stranger: Theists again, donated to the church therefore helped a stranger, yet the atheists well they didn't help a stranger directly but all donated to good will, and gave money for homeless sheltering in toronto. The problem is the questions are vague or at least how they are showed in the polls you posted, therefore I really can't say yeah that's a detailed thing. Next would be HOW much did each side donate really to charity. To helping the poor etc, etc, etc.
I'd agree with you here. In the US, giving money to a Church is considered giving to a charity so I see this poll as meaningless. The question should have been presented as other than giving money to a church or a religious group do you give money to charity. I think this would completely alter the results.
As to volunteering time, the 7th Day Adventists, Mormons, and the Jehovah Witnesses' do much volunteering ringing my doorbell and leaving trash to be disposed of. Again, the question should have been, other than religious and church activities do you volunteer your time.
____________________________________________________________
"I guess it's time to ask if you live under high voltage power transmission lines which have been shown to cause stimulation of the fantasy centers of the brain due to electromagnetic waves?" - Me
"God is omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent, - it says so right here on the label. If you have a mind capable of believing all three of these divine attributes simultaneously, I have a wonderful bargain for you. No checks please. Cash and in small bills." - Robert A Heinlein.
Dude, you've made like 6 posts in half an hour, take a breath and unbunch your panties.
Let's give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that all American donated to charities like NOM. So what about Canada and the UK? The ones you listed were American Charities.
Oh and I'll try to find it, but I think 56% of gave to religious organizations such as churches or whatever and 75% of people gave to other such as MS foundation for example.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/113497/despite-economy-charitable-donors-volunteers-keep-giving.aspx
It was 59%, not 56%
For Volunteer
I donate to heifer international through my religious organization. It's a good charity, check it out:
http://www.heifer.org/
ciarin.com
So lets stay with the same year as the other figures.
Then subtract atheists from the "other charitable cause", which likely only donate and volunteer to non-religious things.
And....what are you left with? At the very best, you can hope 50% of the religious people's money/volunteer went to religion.
Yeah. And this is still just a poll, asking them what they "think" they do.
Also, how many people did one one or the other, rather than neither or both?
There are so many gaps here.
Theism is why we can't have nice things.
Is it just me or do those results seem far to high. I cannot imagen 71% of any group of people giving money to charity. I would imagen its about 5% here as i don't know a single person who gives to charity or donates it to any cause really (if you exclude churches). Maybe its just the gap between america and south Africa. But either way the results don't suprise me( besides the high percentages on both sides). Giving to a church is giving to charity atleast here I assume its the same in ohter places as churches here do donate food to desperatre families and do charity events.
Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
No animal shall wear clothes.
No animal shall sleep in a bed.
No animal shall drink alcohol.
No animal shall kill any other animal.
All animals are equal.
In the end it's charity, I get to fall under both the non-religious and religious charities (work with helping kids get out of gangs, with a local church and a city program) So I am rare non-theists that gets to add religious charity to that table.
I think this is a good demonstration of the psychological tendency of people to view themselves as more altruistic than they are. I can't remember where I saw it (I'll post it if I can recall) but I remember reading that slightly less than one in five people regularly give to charities. That's in the U.S. only, IIRC.
Taking myself as an example, if you asked me if I had given to charity this year, I'd probably have said yes initially, but I took the time to actually check my records, and it's been over two years since I made a personal donation to charity. My business does, but only when it receives credit for doing so publicly, so that's really advertising.
Also, many people pledge money to charities but then don't follow through.
If I had to make a guess, I'd guess that religious and non-religious people are approximately equal in charitable giving. That is... real giving, not to churches or other non-charities as discussed above. If anyone can find real numbers, I'd like to know if I'm right.
Atheism isn't a lot like religion at all. Unless by "religion" you mean "not religion". --Ciarin
http://hambydammit.wordpress.com/
Books about atheism
Here's a start:
Atheism isn't a lot like religion at all. Unless by "religion" you mean "not religion". --Ciarin
http://hambydammit.wordpress.com/
Books about atheism
and:
Atheism isn't a lot like religion at all. Unless by "religion" you mean "not religion". --Ciarin
http://hambydammit.wordpress.com/
Books about atheism
If I'm reading that last one right, then taking religious donations out of the equation, 21% of nonreligious people donated and 23% of religious. Of course, there's a problem with doing that because the Salvation Army is a genuine charity and does charitable work and is religious. So... we can't really figure out from this how many people are just throwing their money at religious "charities" that just promote religion, etc.
Atheism isn't a lot like religion at all. Unless by "religion" you mean "not religion". --Ciarin
http://hambydammit.wordpress.com/
Books about atheism
Hamby, do you have a link to where you're getting these numbers?
Oh and BTW, it would be 34% religious and 21% non-religious.
I think you got the 23% religious by subtracting the 11% religious only, from the 34% both.
However, the 34% was to BOTH religious and non-religious, so even if you take away the religious charities, you still get 34%, and as you mentioned organizations such as the Salvation Army and the YMCA etc.....are religious.
So contrary to Clockcat's little rant, there are worthwhile religious charities.
http://www.nps.gov/partnerships/fundraising_individuals_statistics.htm
Yeah, you're right... I screwed up the math. I think if anything, this thread has proven that neither of us can do simple math
Atheism isn't a lot like religion at all. Unless by "religion" you mean "not religion". --Ciarin
http://hambydammit.wordpress.com/
Books about atheism
I in no way said there were not religious charities that actually did help people. If you lump them all together though under "charities", I am very skeptical. I don't consider buying "left behind" tapes as charity, nor do I consider pledges to the 700 club, or money donated to churches that goes to infrastructure. (Paying the salary of a minister is not my idea of a worthwhile charity)
So when you ask people if they "give to charity" vaguely, that kind of makes the poll useless for much. Not only because you are just asking them, but also because people define charity differently...and many religious people consider the donation plate on sunday as charity. Even if none of it goes to helping anyone.
The church I went to last has millions they are sitting on, and don't put it anywhere but "missions", or building new churches to collect more money to build new churches to collect more money....
You get the idea.
Theism is why we can't have nice things.
In addition, the amounts given are largely going to differ as well, and from what groups. There is no breakdown of this information. We have whether or not people think they gave, and we have total amounts given.
Not to mention that many people are giving to charity simply as a tax-writeoff, because they would rather choose where to send it.
My "rant" as you call it, is simply pointing out that using these polls to base any kind of conclusion isn't a good idea.
Theism is why we can't have nice things.