Who gives most to charities?

[Sexton Blake]

A quick look online and it is christians, building up "Brownie points with God".

 

But you have to look further into the details as christians are not known for their honesty. So:

 

https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2013/11/28/are-religious-people-really-more-generous-than-atheists-a-new-study-puts-that-myth-to-rest/

  Are Religious People Really More Generous Than Atheists? A New Study
  Puts That Myth to Rest

 

    *Donors in Southern states, for instance, give roughly 5.2 percent
    of their discretionary income to charity — both to religious and to
    secular groups — compared with donors in the Northeast, who give 4.0
    percent.*

 

Before you jump to conclusions that religion and generosity were somehow
connected, keep in mind that those numbers included giving “both to
religious and to secular groups”… In other words, /church counted as
charity/.

 

But when you /excluded/ donations given to churches and religious
groups, the map changed dramatically, giving an edge to the /least
religious states/ in the country:

 

Of course, that didn’t stop the media from using headlines like this

 

    *Religious States Donate More To Charity Than Secular States*

 

Earlier this week, a new report released by the National Study of American Religious Giving put a rest to that myth that religious people are more charitable than the non-religious. It turns out nearly 75% of charitable giving by all Americans… benefits places of worship and faith-based charities. A lot of the money isn’t helping the poor and less fortunate. It’s going to the church.

 

*Jay Michaelson* of Religious Dispatches explains
 

    … The study found that 65% of religiously-affiliated people donate
    to congregations or charitable organizations. (More on that
    statistic later.) 80% of Americans are religiously affiliated. And
    65% of 80% is just about… 55% of the total. *In other words, the
    religious people who are giving say they’re giving because of
    religion. And they’re overwhelmingly giving to religion as well.*

 

    Probably the most notable statistics, though, are those which
    compare religious and non-religious philanthropy. Religion is
    supposed to make us better people, which includes, I assume, being
    more generous. So, *is it the case that religious people give more
    generously than the non-religious?*

 

    Well, yes and no. Remember that statistic, that 65% of religious
    people donate to charity? The non-religious figure is 56%. But
    *according to the study, the entire 9% difference is attributed to
    religious giving to congregations and religious organizations. So,
    yes, religion causes people to give more — to religion itself.*

 

A lot of religious giving, then, is self-serving, in the guise of
helping others. Often, the donations benefit their faith
 

    *Donations to religious congregations — primarily for religious
    activity or spiritual development — represent about two fifths of
    household giving nationally*…

   

    *“Much of what has previously been thought of one-dimensionally as
    giving to ‘secular’ purposes actually goes to religiously identified
    organizations,”* said report co-author Dr. Mark Ottoni-Wilhelm,
    professor of economics and philanthropic studies at the Lilly Family
    School of Philanthropy. He added that innovative research methods
    allowed for a clearer picture of the way religious ties shape the
    giving landscape.

 

It’s not like there aren’t secular alternatives to religious charities.
There’s no shortage of secular groups that feed the hungry and house the
poor and fight for the under-privileged. But religious people aren’t
giving to those groups as much as they’re giving to groups that do good
while also proselytizing. (Which means some of that money being donated
is going toward spreading the faith, not actually helping other people.)

 

In any case, we now have even more proof that religion doesn’t make you
any more likely to be generous or willing to help other people. What
religious people have that people like us don’t are excellent /vessels/
for giving. But if we can offer secular ways to give there’s
no reason our numbers can’t match theirs — and be more cost-effective at
the same time.

 

Talking of giving to good causes, I have made two donations to Ukraine in the past 2 weeks and another one soon.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2022/feb/25/kyiv-faces-attack-from-russia-in-pictures

 

Such charities do not need thousands or even hundreds. When enough people give what they can afford, the money quickly becomes millions. These people desperately needs your money.