No modern presidential candidate has made a show of his church donations in the way Mitt Romney has made a show of his Mormon tithing. And before Mike Huckabee crossed the line when he criticized Joe Biden, a candidate's charitable giving has never been considered fair game in the political arena. Now that both men are inviting us to focus on the topic, let's consider what religious donations mean.
In Romney's case, his donations to the Mormon church are routinely raised to deflect concern about his devotion to tax evasion schemes that allow him to pay at a rate below 15 percent, which is far lower than the rate paid by typical middle class Americans. The idea here is that since he gives to his church, he's generously engaged with others, and sacrificing in a meaningful way for the common good.
He is not.
Unlike dollars paid into the general tax fund, which are divvied-up to pay for national defense, education, etc., dollars paid to a church cannot be traced. No accounting is required, and no mechanism exists for donors to demand one. However, what little we know about how churches spend money shows that donations are deployed primarily to benefit the churches themselves. They are used to erect and maintain buildings, buy assets (like the new $2 billion Mormon shopping mall in Utah), pay for staff and recruit more members. Indeed, if what you seek with your charity is to help others in need, giving to a church could be the worst choice you might make.
The best estimates available put church spending on basic, non-religious charitable activities -- where non-members are eligible for service -- in the single digits. This is true for Mormons, Catholics and others. Paltry as these effort may be, faith-based organizations often get much more credit for these activities than they deserve. This is because a substantial portion of the financing for church affiliated service organizations is provided by state, local and federal governments. Our tax dollars, for example, pay for much of the work done by Catholic Charities, although churchmen like to take the credit. Churches also benefit from about $70 billion worth of tax break per year. (Like the special tax treatment given to investors, religious tax exemptions give religiously based enterprises a government-sponsored competitive advantage over others in the marketplace.)
The pitiful truth of church spending on pure charity would not surprise anyone who has ever visited the offices of a typical bishop (or other administrative leader) and then the site of an ordinary church social service operation. Whether you are at the Archdiocese of New York or Mormon headquarters in Salt Lake City, church leaders will welcome you into plush offices that are well appointed and technologically up-to-date. (Lunch, if it's served, will be good.) Church service organizations are, without fail, provided in far grittier settings by workers who are underpaid, over-burdened and often seem poorly nourished. Sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference between the caregivers and the folks seeking help.
Given their low priority placed on helping others with no religious strings attached, it's hard to understand how donating money to a church qualifies anyone as a humanitarian act. In fact, donations made to churches mainly serve to reinforce the private segment of society that you have either joined voluntarily or entered as a birthright. (In almost all cases the members of these subgroups consider themselves better than others and entitled to special treatment in the afterlife.) Considered this way, tithing not so much an investment in humanity as it is an affirmation of people like yourself, and a down payment on your eternal fate. And anyone who mentions religious giving in the context of taxes, is making an argument for private engagement over the truly public good.
Finally, in Mitt Romney's case, church giving is not a simple matter of generosity. Unlike other churches (including Joe Biden's Catholic church) the Mormon faith denies full status to anyone who fails to donate enough of his or her annual salary. Mormonism is, in this way, a pay-to-play religion. Without paying the tithe, a believer may not enter a Mormon temple or participate fully in the activities of the faith. This is why Mormon giving is so much higher, per capita.
Like so much of what politicians say, a close examination of giving to churches reveals nuances and meanings that contradict the easy claims of superiority. Mitt Romney's donations to a self-interested group that requires such giving if you are to be a full-fledged member say nothing about a his worthiness to hold public office, let alone his goodness. Similarly, Joe Biden's lesser claim to charitable giving tells us little about his character or qualifications. Perhaps the politicians who went before were smart to keep their mouths shut on this topic.
And, IIRC, they showed that he donated considerable amounts to causes other than his church.
Ignore his tithes, and he still out-donates Joe Biden, and not by a small margin.
And just as a matter of interest: why should anyone "donate" taxes above and beyond their lawful obligations? Taxes are an involuntary impost, and no government is a charity.
Finally, just to address another popular canard: the City Creek Mall in SLC was not financed from donations. It's an investment, funded from investment income.
We tithe 10% of our income to our community and outreach programs.
Please don't say that giving to your church is useless. When we know of a need in our community, we put it out to our congregation. After Katrina, we helped send a packed RV to Slidell that was used to feed and transport lost animals to new homes.
Churches are the places where people come to nurture their spirit and to support and nurture each other. When we know of a cause that needs us, we step up -- way beyond the call of duty.
Perhaps not all churches are like us, but I would bet a paycheck that we are closer to the norm than the picture you have painted.
Rev. Donna Maurer
Sonoran Desert Center for Spiritual Living
Amado, AZ
Regardless, I thank you and your church for your absolutely terrific deeds. I wish I could sit here and know for certain that all churches were like you. Unfortunately, I do not think that is the case. Therefore, you need to be diligent and ensure that you lead by example, and that others take notice of your example and follow suit.
As to investing in a shopping center, it is a comoplete residential office, and retail complex. the land has been owned sinice the Church settled the land in 1847. The Church opened the fi8rst department store in America, Zions Cooperative Mercantile Institution, as a coop to help support locally made products (a green practice, right?). The Church already owned the land, the question was only, what is the best use of it. The new construction employed over a thousand construction workers during the recession, and the stores will emply hundreds. If the Mormons had built this in Detroti, they would be praised to heaven. Jobs are far better than handouts.
The Mormon Church supports the three Brigham Young University campuses in Utah, Idaho and hawaii so that tuition is affordable, less than half wehat the state university I teach at part time charges! Isn;t that a charitable purpose?
Donations in the Mormon Church are totally voluntary and private. No one knows what you have donated except you and the bishop and the financial clerk. There is no plate passing, no public comitments of donations. The people who donate a full tihing believe that the Church ordinances are valuable, and are happy to make donatuons to help support the temples where the ordinances are conducted. If you don;t believe in those ordinances, no one is going to force you to pay tithes.
The authors of the book American Grace found that Mormons LIKE people of other faiths at a higher rate than any other religion LIKES people of another faith. The Mormon religion teaches that people who do NOT belong to the Mormon church will NOT--repeat NOT--go to hell, but go to heaven and live forever with Jesus. Mormons do not think opf themselves as superior to others, especially because half of Mormons are converts from other faiths, and they have often devoted two years of their lives to inviting people to join them in Mormonism. You cannot do that effectuively without loving people, and the Mormons are effective.
7 There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious aointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.
8 But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?
9 For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.
10 When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me.
11 For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.
12 For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial."
From FAIRLDS: "Just as this event served to prepare for the eternal sacrifice of Christ, even so Temples serve to the eternal blessing of the rest of us and make Christ's sacrifice effective to the exaltation of others. The reality is that eternal salvation is the point of this earth life. Poverty, while deserving of our individual sacrifices, will only pertain to this existence. We all must seek to find the appropriate balance."
What you mean by miniscule amount of wealth? The Church has given at least $1 billion to humanitarian aid. And most charity work is done off the books by volunteers of local congregations - go to Sunday school and be swarmed by clipboards volunteering projects to see what I mean.
The Mormon Church owns farms and food processing facilities. The farms sustain themselves with sales of their products, but much of production goes into a food distribution system for those in need. This was featured on NBC News "Rock Center". The people who work in this food distribution system are all vounteers, although some of them volunteer because they are the recipients of the food. Other volunteers are retired lawyers and college professors and military officers, etc. They are not "deprived".
The Mormons have a Perpetual Education Fund that gives low interest loans to members ini developiing countries. It helps them care for their families.
Your primary claim, that donations ot the Mormon Church don;t count as "charitable", is invalid as a matter of tax law. You just hate churches. And you can;t get the facvts straight about Mormon Church finances. Donations "benefit the church"--That is what they are supposed to do. "The Church" is 14 million people who need buildings to meet in, that are heated and clean. Where the Mormons are numerous enough, a single building is used by 4 different congregations each Sunday! Mormon pastors are all part time volunteers who support themselves with regular jobs.
The Mormon church provides humanitarian aid at places like Haiti and Japan and the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, at the rate of about $50 million a year, comparable to other churches. In addition, Mormons donate their time to cleanup damaged homes and provide medical care and other aid.
First, there are some mega churches who never want for anything, but most churches struggle to make ends meet from week to week. We balance what we spend to just keep things up, to be a presence in the community, and try attend to the welfare of those in our community. Most in our community are not rich like Mr. Romney. It is the widow's mite that keep so many going.
Second, money does not buy salvation. It is not always the people with the most who make sacrifices for the good of the whole. Sad to say, the church is not that much different from my own family.
Finally, churches have to be incorporated and give annual reports like other corporations. There are a some, like in the secular world, who need to hide the truth. Most of us are living on manna. We have just enough for today, and we have little to hide. If you can't get a financial report, it might be time to reconsider your participation in the organization.
Please don't lump all "religious organizations" into one big heap. Some churches actually heed the call Christ made to feed, clothe, and look out for the poor.
Just some common references that I've experienced.
It's like they are renting soul coverage or an insurance policy to get to (planet Kolos?)
Give me a break~! Jesus says come as ye are