Even though the church owns more real property than any other entity on earth except the government they still don't have enough. Put on your finest, warm up your SUV and get 'er done!! It's a shame that none of what you donate will ever reach any of the 12,000 youngsters who are suffering from mal nutrition and dying each day. The Vatican City has accumulated hundreds of billions of dollars worth of fine art, gold, silver, jewelry and unique edifices while nearly a billion, mostly children have starved to death. Donations to the church go to fund buildings, building expansions, stained glass, oak or mahogany pews, steeples, preacher's home, salary and expenses, expensive musical instruments and sound systems, religious retreats, youth programs, missionaries, 10% to the denomination headquarters of the faith etc. The Poor Be Damned!
Silly .... those kids starving to death is god's way of teaching us not to be gay. We need to learn this while sitting in our large climate controlled houses, eating cheeseburgers in front of the tv. It's far more important to god that we use our genitalia in a very particular way, than it is to keep thousands upon thousands of innocent children from suffering the most unimaginable horrors for the entirety of their very short lives. God is love.
According to the Ten Commandments when a person goes to worship he's supposed to bring cash. Coming empty handed is a deal breaker. Besides, the money is needed to fund the priests' retirement package.
they do? funny, all the socialists I know (and I know many) are okay with sharing, and okay with being 'equal'. not very godlike, if the known gods are any indicator.
11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
That's one of the sillest passages in the entire Bible. The "Lamb" is supposed to have had a hand in creating the entire universe so what the hell does he need with any man-made objects or any of the other human qualities in verse 12?
What the hell does a man/god need with money? He turned water into fine wine and fed 5000 hungry men plus women and children who also ate with two fish and five loaves. Then the showoff had the folks to gather up 12 baskets of leftovers. He could have been a really good doctor if he had needed any money. He was constantly healing and raising from the dead every where he went. A real trooper. As far as what he wanted Christians to do. Here's what your new testament has to say about treatment of the poor: James 2: 14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? 17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. •"Jesus answered, If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'" Matthew 19:21 •"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in." Matthew 25:35 •"Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys." Luke 12:33 •"But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind." Luke 14:13 •"When Jesus heard this, he said to him, You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'" Luke 18:22 •"Cornelius stared at him in fear. What is it, Lord?' he asked. The angel answered, Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.'" Acts 10:4 •"After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor and to present offerings." Acts 24:17 •"For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem." Romans 15:26 •"All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do." Galatians 2:10 •"Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need." 1 Timothy 5:3 •"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27 •"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:17-18 Luke 16:19-31New International Version (NIV) The Rich Man and Lazarus 19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ 25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ 27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ 30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
