Voice Posted August 11, 2012 Share Posted August 11, 2012 A hell of a lot less than I give to the Feds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
secondtry Posted September 7, 2012 Share Posted September 7, 2012 About $8. Which was a test tithe that God failed. When I was a kid I was taught that if you made sacrifices for God he would take care of you. So on a church youth group outing to a church in another city, I tithed all my dinner money having "faith" that God wouldn't let me go hungry. Well he did let me go hungry. Not only that, but when we stopped at a restaurant for dinner I ended up telling my youth group leader that I was on a diet and that's why I wasn't eating (I was too embarrassed to tell him I tithed my dinner money). So what you do think he did? He laughed at me and made fun of me for being on a diet (I didn't need to be on a diet). So I almost starved to death, and I got made fun of by my youth leader in front of everyone, because I put my faith in God. My message to god after that: "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me!" As a young adult, I had too much faith such that at the onset of major depression, I expected God to heal me of my depression. seeking psychiartric help never even occured to me...I mean I had access to God...not like I was asking him to do something unreasonable like grow me a new leg.lol. Fasting used to be my special weapon for extra-ordinary favors...it worked until it didn't. When I felt like dying, I stopped going to church for years, traumatized by the fact I could ever find myself doubting. somehow managed to stay alive long enough to find atheism and then secular humanism, and now, I don't feel I could ever be suicidal again. I have a family member who thinks I survived it all because of her/her church's prayers (so annoying)when I contend that faith in God almost killed me. I've told her that the only time in life she should ever be worried about me again is if I should ever find 'God' again.lol. God of all things?,,, when antidepressant, self-help books, years of solitude/soul searching, personal determination, stimulating hobbies etc...and even luck had more to do with it. when it comes to money given to God, let's not forget time. time is money....service on sunday, choir practice on tuesday, women's meeting on thursday etc. My own way of respecting my loved one's affiliation with church is to see it as a social function...but damn, it IS one damn expensive social club. I somehow just don't want much to do with someone else's deconversion process unless they find their way there on their own and I'm to help them deal with life after 'God'. I'm glad there are less sensitive atheists out there though.lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rek99 Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 Probably around $50k, and as others mentioned, tons more wasted on music, books, seminars, and retreats. I don't really regret the money given to REAL charities though, and we still sponsor 2 Food For The Hungry children. My wife actually went to Uganda and visited a family we sponsor and did see that the money is being put to actual use. Part of the reason I told my wife about my deconversion when I did is because in 11 months I get a structured settlement in the area of $110k. There's no way in hell she was going to give 10% of that so that our pastor could take a nice vacation. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Positivist Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 Part of the reason I told my wife about my deconversion when I did is because in 11 months I get a structured settlement in the area of $110k. There's no way in hell she was going to give 10% of that so that our pastor could take a nice vacation. Oh man. No kidding! Good on ya. I'll never forget a sermon I once heard, the upshot of which is that we should tithe so that our pastor has a great life, the best cars and the biggest house. After, he is doing God's work fulltime, and what could we possibly esteem more than God's work? Anyhow, at the time I was working in a challenging area with society's throw-aways. I couldn't figure out why my work was less valuable than the pastor's. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thought2Much Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 Enough to buy a house, two cars, boat, swimming pool and a gaggle and a half of concubines Would be nice if we could get a refund. "Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back." God's quote is "satisfaction guaranteed or you go to hell because its your fault you're not satisfied you ungrateful peon." That was awesome, silentknight. Awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GardenerGal Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 Enough to buy a house, two cars, boat, swimming pool and a gaggle and a half of concubines Would be nice if we could get a refund. "Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back." Last night I really thought of ways to get our money back. I wonder if anyone has ever done it? We could go on a nice trip with that money, or give to a better cause... It's nice to think about, anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rek99 Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 The church I attend had a "30-day money back guarantee" for one sermon series. "If God doesn't provide and you want your tithes back, we'll give it back." I'm not sure if anyone took them up on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermione Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 I started tithing when I was about ten years old and only stopped at the beginning of this year (I'm close to 30 now). During my teenage years, I was so sure god would provide for me that I didn't save any money but gave it almost all away. And I spent an awful lot on Christian material, summer camps and a year of bible school. If I had thought less about god and more about my future, I might have been able to go to university with that money... What I never understood - even as a Christian - is how people can give a lot of money to churches that only finance the pastor's exclusive lifestyle. Like AuthenticMe I mostly went to churches that were open about their finances and also used at least part of the money for social projects. But I also spent quite some money on Christian organizations that do nothing (or not much) else than trying to convert people (I wanted to become a missionary myself) - and that is something I really regret because that money could have been used for a much better purpose elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Requiem Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 I never payed a tithe. My father always put a few some copper pieces worth € 0,05 0,10 0,20 0,50 or if he felt really generous a whole € 1,- coin haha. Thankful he and mom never forced me or my younger brother to church. My mother was an unbeliever an my dad a not regular church goer. From a catholic family. Until i saw that epic youtube Comedy of George Carlin named Religion is bullshit. I lol'd so hard that I showed it to my brother. Then to my parents and they stopped going to the Catholic Church. He was like: The Catholic church is as rich (maybe richer with) then the top 10 Wall Street firms combined and they still need money. The biggest scam of the world. most members! lol http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RT6rL2UroE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kateastrophy Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 $5,000 last year. $7,000 the year before that, and about $9,000 the year before that. I tithed for 11 years, the past 7 of which I was married and my husband held fairly lucrative jobs (though obviously, as tithe is by percentage, you can see it went down quite a bit). I stopped our tithe in April of this year. We were barely making ends meet and I felt I could no longer support the mission of our church. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandora Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 I was a selfish little bitch. I went on mission trips, but never gave a damn dime except when I was younger and my mother would give me a couple dollars to throw into the offering plate of whatever church I was attending. She raised me Catholic, but let my Protestant friends drag me to all sorts of denominations. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ro-bear Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 I'm glad to say they never got a penny from me. I quit believing at twelve or so, never joined a church as an adult. My parents wouldn't even let me touch the pretty brass bowl as it went by. Maybe they thought I'd snag a buck or two. I've given a fiver to a few old drunks in my time, though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tothemorning Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 Holy Crap Marie...never thought about this. Probably around 25,000. I think I'm gonna be sick! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JadedAtheist Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 Money spent on Christian items and given to the church or Christian purposes and not to mention Bible college would probably total around 5k. I would've rathered to have spent 20k and have spent a quarter of the time that I was in there instead. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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