Guest Davka Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 How many here got so used to tithing as Christians that you continued to give after you left the church? My wife and I support a girl through a child sponsorship group, and recently we've begun giving through Kiva. (Kiva has just recently started to make loans available to people in the USA as well as overseas. I like that idea.) Anyone else here get addicted to giving? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
♦ Fuego ♦ Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 I don't know about addicted, as that would imply I can't control myself. My wife and I have been giving to Compassion for about 10 years, and I did 10 before that on my own. Even though they push Christianity, they do a lot of good for the kids, so I keep on with it. I also correspond with the kids, and that is what makes it a more human endeavor, not just throwing money at them. I was able to get a young Kenyan boy all the way up to adulthood, helping him with school, clothes, and farm animals. Now we have three kids, 2 in India and 1 in Kenya. A couple are getting near 18, so we will be cut off from them soon, which I think is sad. I don't know if we will sponsor others after that or not. We help our immigrant friends locally when they need it, though most have progressed beyond the need by now. They were thrust into our lives, and we saw it as an opportunity to do good, so we did. A few years back many of them came to our home with their kids and nearly filled the place. They surrounded us and blessed us for what we did for them. That was deeply touching for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator florduh Posted July 3, 2009 Super Moderator Share Posted July 3, 2009 I did Compassion too. Now I find local uses for my ever dwindling resources. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dhampir Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 I understand there's a charity that pays for breast implants... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRDWarrior Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Well, I'm far from addicted, but we give to Heifer International each Christmas rather than giving presents. When funds allow, I also support Paralyzed Vets. We've given to other causes as well, but I can pretty much garuntee that it has nothing to do with getting used to giving because of tithing. In fact, we had switched to these groups when still active in our church because we felt they could use the help a lot more, and would put it to better use. I really like Heifer's goals, so I'd support them no matter what as long as I have some to spare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator florduh Posted July 3, 2009 Super Moderator Share Posted July 3, 2009 I understand there's a charity that pays for breast implants... I think I've donated to that one. At least that's what some of them did with the tips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouroboros Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 I felt donating more than 10% of my income to the state was good enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vixentrox Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 A couple times of year I'll donate bags of clothes and household items to veteran orgs and I'll donate to seasonal things like Toys for Tots or the local food bank. Rarely will I donate actual cash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Davka Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 I like the idea of having control over where at least some of my money goes. The IRS gets enough that I have no control over, I figure a few bucks here and there that I can direct equals a moral victory. One of the coolest ways to give and still have is Kiva.org, a microloan group. You can invest the same money over and over into different people's lives. I like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
★ Citsonga ★ Posted July 18, 2009 Share Posted July 18, 2009 Raising a family on one income now, my expenses are higher than they were for most of my time as a Christian. As such, I don't give as much as I used to, but I do occasionally send money to the Red Cross. Too bad I can't have all that tithe money back to give to donate to good causes, like cancer research or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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