Bailing On My Compassion Kid...is That Awful?

[trulyfree]

It's been almost a year since my realization that Christianity is a farce. I'm seriously considering ending my donation to Compassion (program to aid children living in poverty). My financial situation changed a few years ago but I've struggled on. Now that I'm not a Christian, I'm kind of pissed every month when I'm broke because I've sent my money to a group that I wouldn't have sent it to if I hadn't been a Christian. Then I think about how little the kid has verses what I consider broke and feel guilty. I have mixed feelings about the children being sucked into the Christian religion. On one hand, they live in extreme poverty and need some hope but on the other hand it's false hope. BUT, since there really is no God who is providing for them- it is really the money I send, it seems like the right thing would be to continue supporting them since there isn't an all knowing God to find someone else to send money in my place. I used to enjoy writing letters to the kids but now I feel like a fake so I haven't written. Another thing that bothers me with Compassion is they say somewhere in their literature that they only want Christians to support their program. I've considered putting them to the test and calling to tell them I'm no longer a Christian and do they still want my money? That feels like a cop out and it's setting myself up to feel the sting of rejection. As you can tell I'm really undecided and I'd value any input. Thank you!

[pratt]

well. you should continue your charity to poor kids, maybe through another venue, since Compassion is strict on the religious affliations of their donors.

 

Look at World Vision, or even donate to American Idol pays back or something. There will be thousand and one organisations helping the poor and whatever, look for something that you know and feel is a worthy cause, and carry on your charity.

 

With regards to Compassion, let them know you have moved on and not to expect the continuing contribution.

 

That is what I would have done.

 

Cheers

[trulyfree]

I guess I need to hear that it's okay to let these kids go. I definitely want to roll over the funds to another charity. Thanks!

[OpheliaGinger]

Research and see how much of every dollar you donate actually goes to the charity; chances are, it's just being pocketed and not being used to help anyone.

[Phanta]

Compassion International looks like a huge organization. Someone else will take your place sponsoring this child, and you and will be in line with the organization's rules and, most important, your own integrity.

 

Phanta

[Overcame Faith]

Personally, I wouldn't discontinue a charitable contribution to an organization solely because they are a Christian organization. This is particularly true if the charity is the only one capable of providing the kind of support that the recipient of the charity needs. But I would evaluate the organization to determine whether they are actively promoting Christianity to the recipients because I would not want to be promoting that religion to anyone.

 

Here's what Compassion International says about their priorities:

 

Your tax-deductible contribution of just $38 a month connects your child with a loving, church-based child sponsorship program that provides:

 

Food and clean water

Medical care

Educational opportunities

Important life-skills training

Most important of all, your sponsored child will hear about Jesus Christ and be encouraged to develop a lifelong relationship with God.

 

I bolded the part that the organization finds to be their highest priority. That would do it for me and I would discontinue my support because I wouldn't want to be a part of that.

 

As for the individual child you are sponsoring. If you discontinue your sponsorship, that child will not all of a sudden be cut off from whatever help he/she receives in the way of food, etc. Your support goes to the organization as a whole and it is the organization, not you personally, which provides for the child. Therefore, you will not be hurting the child you are sponsoring. According to Compassion International, here is what happens if you stop your sponsorship:

 

If you need to discontinue your child sponsorship, we will immediately look for a new sponsor for your child and continue the child's sponsorship support without interruption.

[Argent]

I had quite an internal struggle over whether to discontinue my sponsorship after de-converting (I've been a sponsor since 2005). I even went so far as to email the company and tell them I wished to discontinue, but then they offered to cover my expenses for a few months (I didn't say anything about my religious beliefs, just that I was having some financial trouble at the time). For some reason, I couldn't say no, and after a couple more weeks of debating I decided not to quit. Mostly because of the letter writing--I write a lot to my sponsored girls, even as an apostate. As a Christian I never felt the need to fill the letter up with bibble verses, I just update them on what's going on in my life, tell them that I care about them and hope they are happy and encourage them to do well in school, so that doesn't really change. I've seen several entries on Compassion's blog that reiterate just how much the children treasure letters, so much that if a sponsor decides he or she doesn't want to write to the child they can find someone to become a correspondent with them--in fact, one of my girls is a correspondent child, someone else is actually sending the money.

 

For a while I really hated that by donating money to them I was indirectly promoting a religion I no longer believe in, but recently I've decided to try and make peace with that whole situation (that decision goes beyond this, but I won't go off on a tangent). I'm not going to sponsor any more children through them, but since I had already built up such an exchange of letters over the past few years I've decided to keep sponsoring and writing to the kids I already have.

 

If you feel that you can't continue to write anything without feeling like a fake, though, especially since you're spending money you really need for something else, don't feel guilty about discontinuing. Just wanted to throw in my two cents.

[dichotomy]

We sponsor two compassion kids. Like you it feels uncomfortable given the christian link and how the religion is pushed, but we;ve been sponsoring these children since 2002 so it just feels wrong to end that *relationship* especially given we write to them and they us. Once our commitment to these children ends we will find a different charity to donate through. I don't think there's a right or wrong necessarily though.

[hereticzero]

Why give your money to a charity? About .25 cents out of every dollar goes to help someone and the rest goes to the charity. Why not give your money to someone who asks on the street corner? They get hungry too.

[trulyfree]

It's reassuring to know that the kids will be provided for if I don't. Thanks for looking that up, Overcoming Faith. I'm not a great letter writer but I have made a connection with the kids. I don't think it's as deep as with your kids, Argent and dichotomy. I do appreciate the 'two cents'. I read somewhere that Compassion has a good track record for what percentage of money goes to the cause vs expenses. That's a big deal to me. I like the idea of giving money to 'homeless' people. We have plenty of them here. I'm kinda jaded about giving directly but we have some good programs. Been scammed too many times.

"Someone else will take your place sponsoring this child, and you and will be in line with the organization's rules and, most important, your own integrity."

Phanta, thanks for that. Especially now that I'm an 'evil athiest', I strive to live my life with integrity for me.