Prove Them Wrong! (believe, Buddhist, Christ, atheists)

[bulmabriefs144]

I hear Christians constantly cite the quote of how they far out-give nonreligious types.

https://www.premierchristianity.com/...-than-atheists

Here's the thing: you can spend most of your posts trying to bash their efforts, but this is not the same as actually doing something.

So I want you guys to tell:
1. How much you plan to give this year,
2. and which charities you plan to give to (and what they do)

This is a challenge for giving, and I want to hear how you plan to address it. Can't have those Christians show you up after all.

I, a syncretic Christian/Taoist/Buddhist plan to give to:

1. Doctors Without Borders - Allows medicine be given in lots of foreign countries where it is needed the most (versus being wasted on nonexistent cancer research) - wound up being $50
2. Innocence Project - To attempt to free captives who are falsely imprisoned - $25
3. AntiSlavery International - They try free victims of slavery and human trafficking - I'm decided on a EndSlavery Now instead since the above is UK based and I don't wanna work with converting pounds. $25.
4. Heifer Project - They give livestock to families, allowing people to become self-sufficient - (I plan to give close to $300, probably, haven't gotten anything yet, but probably a sheep and something else)

You may ask, why I give more to the Heifer project? Well, it's because I am giving for the first time to the other three, and want to see whether my donation gets good results. And because I am not actually that rich. The AntiSlavery International especially caught my eye, in light of reports of slave trading on the rise, the other two, I'm just trying out. Also, the Heifer project has charity "products" that you buy, so it's kinda like buying a nice gift for someone you might not ever see (well, they do show how some such person is doing).

I would ideally like to see you guys "prove this wrong" by giving especially during the holidays, at least what I gave, preferably more.

[L8Gr8Apost8]

You're not supposed to discuss how much you do or give. I. do appreciate the links though

The fact that so much of the world is in desperate need of assistance raises hard questions for both Christianity and humanism about how we should respond in good works. For humanism, it seems the overriding question is quite simply 'why?' That is a question that we Christians need never ask. Instead we face another question about doing good works. But its probably a more challenging one: 'How?'

There is no why in humanism. Don't listen to guys like this when they talk about what humanism is.

[phetaroi]

Once I get moved to Arizona, I'll go back to my normal giving pattern. Usually something like:

Boys & Girls Town in Nebraska -- about $100
One of the schools teaching Indian children -- about $100 (usually to the one in South Dakota)
Pet Ranch -- $100
Partner For Surgery -- $100
Other emergency situations (such as Haiti, etc.) -- about $100
Other small donations, often locally -- perhaps another $100-$200
Buddhist temple to support the monks -- $200+

I am now Thai Theravada Buddhist.

[fishbrains]

I tend to some items monthly, so my estimates are pretty accurate:

ACLU: $240
NPR: $120
KIVA: $120
FFRF: $120
Local college endowment:$300

I will usually throw another $200-$400 annually to various charities. That might include some sort of disaster relief, I have donated to the Heifer Project, maybe a local food bank or animal shelter.

I am an agnostic atheist.

[phetaroi]

Originally Posted by fishbrains

I tend to some items monthly, so my estimates are pretty accurate:

ACLU: $240
NPR: $120
KIVA: $120
FFRF: $120
Local college endowment:$300

I will usually throw another $200-$400 annually to various charities. That might include some sort of disaster relief, I have donated to the Heifer Project, maybe a local food bank or animal shelter.

I am an agnostic atheist.

You've inspired me with your donation to the ACLU. Maybe -- with this administration -- I need to get back to donations to the NAACP and the Southern Poverty Law Center.

[TroutDude]

Last year I gave about $3,000 to various charities - international, national and local. I expect it'll be about the same this year.

[Mightyqueen801]

Lots of generosity here.

I won't say how much I give, but I do support a food pantry in the area all year as well as regular donations to the local animal shelter, plus in the summer I participate in a back-pack and school supplies drive through the local Visiting Nurse Association and in December "adopt" a family for Christmas gifts, also through the VNA. That's coming up soon. I think we get names and needs next week.

I used to buy food for the pantry, but they prefer monetary donations because then they can buy in bulk. I personally know the people who run this one, so I feel confident the money is handled well.

Sometimes other things arise throughout the year. For example, a friend lost her sister and the sister left a disabled daughter, so they asked for donations to CHOP (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia) where the niece had received multiple surgeries. In another case, a guy I know who survived a brain tumor as a child asked for sponsors when he ran in a 5K in memory of local girl who didn't survive hers. The money goes to assist families of kids with brain tumors.

[bulmabriefs144]

Yeesh, not a big fan of the ACLU. FFRF is even worse. Although, occasionally, they do go after people other than Christians (cults, radical Islam, control groups).

Disaster relief is usually a safe donation. It has no religion or political party, it doesn't (unlike Komen or other medical fields) go to a charity that will be tempted to pocket the money in fears that curing the thing will make the money stop, and there will pretty much never not be disasters, to the best of my knowledge.

I like phetaroi's donations more. Although, KIVA actually looks interesting. Loaning money to people to help them become entrepreneurs? Yeah, that's pretty darned cool.

[nana053]

I won't say how much, but I give to:

The local food pantry - I buy groceries each month and take them to that pantry.

I give to operation back pack every year which gives school supplies to children in need - it is organized by the YMCA.

Kiva.org (I belong to the atheists, agnostics, free thinkers, humanists team) on the site.

Loans that change lives | Kiva

Donorschoose.org (I was a teacher, so I try to fund projects that interest me especially math, science and special needs teachers - I try to give to local teachers or to teachers in my old area or to teachers in my daughter's city).

https://www.donorschoose.org/

I give sporadically to a few other organizations including Austin Humanists helping the homeless.

[TRANSPONDER]

I regularly kick into cancer relief and childrens' disabilities, but to some others on irregular basis. But I'm bewildered as to how that proves or disproves anything. A belief is either true or not. You casn't make a false thing true by donations.