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Are Catholics more charitable than Protestants?

Jonathan Bailey

Well-Known Member
There is an organization called Catholic Charities but the Protestants don't seen to have a similar organization.

It seems as the Catholics are much more far-reaching world-wide while the Protestants are just home bodies.

The southern baptists can't seem to see past their front porch swing. They seem to have a dim view of the world.

Maybe the Catholic Church gets much more funding for charity.
 

HonestJoe

Well-Known Member
There is an organization called Catholic Charities but the Protestants don't seen to have a similar organization.
Are you sure? There are definitely Protestant based or originated charities out there, though their names might not make it as obvious.

Of course, there is the argument that charity should actually be about doing good rather than making yourself or your faith look good. I don't see why which church you go to on a Sunday should influence what charity you do through the rest of the week. Of course, if they didn't go to church on Sunday at all, they'd have an extra day for more charitable work :cool:
 

Orbit

I'm a planet
There are tons on Protestant missions and charities, they just aren't as centralized because there are many denominations in Protestantism. Actually, the biggest donors to charity are actually the poor themselves, who donate a greater percentage of their income to charity than the wealthy do.
 

MikeDwight

Well-Known Member
Its all Churches do now. I took a thousand dollar plane ticket to Mission which brought a fly net to Venezuela, WHAT? Religion and the Soul and Spirituality justified any waste on the entire planet. How would you come by any of these statistics? The National Presbyterian Church in Mexico literally disapproves of the Spanish invasion, Spanish language, conquistador actions. Seems to be doing alright down there, think of all the charity the catholics need to do. King Phillip's Phillipines, really? Charity or change the name. one or the other.
 

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
There is an organization called Catholic Charities but the Protestants don't seen to have a similar organization.

It seems as the Catholics are much more far-reaching world-wide while the Protestants are just home bodies.

The southern baptists can't seem to see past their front porch swing. They seem to have a dim view of the world.

Maybe the Catholic Church gets much more funding for charity.

Protestant churches doesn't work as a group; so, it depends on the church. For example, the Catholic church paid my rent, food, clothing, and furniture. I called a local baptist church about food and they said they helped their own members first.
 

Jonathan Bailey

Well-Known Member
Are you sure? There are definitely Protestant based or originated charities out there, though their names might not make it as obvious.

Of course, there is the argument that charity should actually be about doing good rather than making yourself or your faith look good. I don't see why which church you go to on a Sunday should influence what charity you do through the rest of the week. Of course, if they didn't go to church on Sunday at all, they'd have an extra day for more charitable work :cool:

The Catholic church just grabs much more media attention worldwide: there is a glamorous Pope in Rome to represent Catholics. There is nobody dressed in white to ride around in a Pope-mobile and wave to crowds to represent Protestants. The Catholic church is very rich and powerful.The Catholic church is also much more broadly advertised: there is no Protestant radio. The Protestants just can't compete with Rome for fame and fortune. The Protestants don't have all those large beautiful cathedrals and basilicas and Renaissance artwork.They don't have their very own version of a Vatican State. The Catholic Church is about 1,500 years older than the Protestants. The Catholic church is full for fancy clergymen, fancy architecture, fancy statues, fancy artwork, fancy stained glass and fancy pipe organs. A worldly treasure trove. There is something prestigious about being Catholic. Something noble. The Catholic faith requires good worldly works for salvation. A Catholic mass in a huge cathedral by priests in luxurious vestments is pure majesty fit for kings.
 
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MikeDwight

Well-Known Member
Ya of course. I mean, if we were 1.2 billion people, I mean we're not, if the Pope didn't have 1.2 billion people. How's one internet say we got 800 million? One says 300 million or a third of them. Grab a Bible you're a protestant, that's how they do it. Chinese house protestant. 250 million orthodox.
 

dianaiad

Well-Known Member
Apples and oranges. The Catholics are one group...the protestants are many. One simply can't count that way. For one thing, the Mormons (who have what is arguably the best welfare system there is among belief systems) work with Catholic Charities fairly frequently, because CC can get places Mormons aren't welcome. That's changing, but we still work with 'em.

A better study might be individual. Not...'is the Catholic church more charitable?" but "Are Catholics more charitable, and if so, how?

Such studies have been done...charity by state, by political affiliation, by whether the 'givers' are theist or non-theist...

In point of fact, it turns out that Muslims are more charitable than Christians or Jews. Mind you, a good part of that is because many Muslim nations have the government collect such contributions, but then again, I understand that 'giving to charity' is a prime 'pillar' of Islam, so perhaps they would do so even if the governments didn't collect the contributions.

I haven't had a chance to do a whole lot of research, and I couldn't find anything that was a lot of help. LOTS of studies on believer vs nonbeliever, and liberals vs conservatives, but not so much by denomination. (shrug) not a whole lot of help here.
 

exchemist

Veteran Member
The Catholic church just grabs much more media attention worldwide: there is a glamorous Pope in Rome to represent Catholics. There is nobody dressed in white to ride around in a Pope-mobile and wave to crowds to represent Protestants. The Catholic church is very rich and powerful.The Catholic church is also much more broadly advertised: there is no Protestant radio. The Protestants just can't compete with Rome for fame and fortune. The Protestants don't have all those large beautiful cathedrals and basilicas and Renaissance artwork.They don't have their very own version of a Vatican State. The Catholic Church is about 1,500 years older than the Protestants. The Catholic church is full for fancy clergymen, fancy architecture, fancy statues, fancy artwork, fancy stained glass and fancy pipe organs. A worldly treasure trove. There is something prestigious about being Catholic. Something noble. The Catholic faith requires good worldly works for salvation. A Catholic mass in a huge cathedral by priests in luxurious vestments is pure majesty fit for kings.
Yes, but does this have much to do with charitable activity either way?

I think one would need a proper study in order to answer the question in the OP, for exactly the reason others have given, namely that the Catholic church, being a single global organisation, has a number of charities with global reach and recognition. Anecdotal evidence, based on what people have heard of, won't necessarily given a fair answer.

All I can say from my own experience is that we get charity appeals after mass, for aid to other countries, several times a year. There is one in particular that I really like called Mary's Meals. This provides one square meal a day in countries where there is extreme poverty and malnourishment, at school, to encourage children to come to school and get an education as well as being fed. It seems highly cost-effective and successful. Actually this one is not a specifically Catholic charity, though its founders were. More about them here: Mary's Meals - Wikipedia
 

JJ50

Well-Known Member
If paedophile priests, the which that church has turned a blind eye are charitable, then of course the RCC is more charitable than other denominations!:mad:
 

Jonathan Bailey

Well-Known Member
Yes, but does this have much to do with charitable activity either way?

I think one would need a proper study in order to answer the question in the OP, for exactly the reason others have given, namely that the Catholic church, being a single global organisation, has a number of charities with global reach and recognition. Anecdotal evidence, based on what people have heard of, won't necessarily given a fair answer.

All I can say from my own experience is that we get charity appeals after mass, for aid to other countries, several times a year. There is one in particular that I really like called Mary's Meals. This provides one square meal a day in countries where there is extreme poverty and malnourishment, at school, to encourage children to come to school and get an education as well as being fed. It seems highly cost-effective and successful. Actually this one is not a specifically Catholic charity, though its founders were. More about them here: Mary's Meals - Wikipedia

The Catholic church is rich and seems to have much to give away. The church must be tithed by all those world-wide followers. The church probably makes money by investing it for a gain. The profits might be sued for charitable purposes.
 

metis

aged ecumenical anthropologist
The Catholic church just grabs much more media attention worldwide: there is a glamorous Pope in Rome to represent Catholics. There is nobody dressed in white to ride around in a Pope-mobile and wave to crowds to represent Protestants. The Catholic church is very rich and powerful.The Catholic church is also much more broadly advertised: there is no Protestant radio. The Protestants just can't compete with Rome for fame and fortune. The Protestants don't have all those large beautiful cathedrals and basilicas and Renaissance artwork.They don't have their very own version of a Vatican State. The Catholic Church is about 1,500 years older than the Protestants. The Catholic church is full for fancy clergymen, fancy architecture, fancy statues, fancy artwork, fancy stained glass and fancy pipe organs. A worldly treasure trove. There is something prestigious about being Catholic. Something noble. The Catholic faith requires good worldly works for salvation. A Catholic mass in a huge cathedral by priests in luxurious vestments is pure majesty fit for kings.
Simply put, the above is twisted in so many ways.

I would suggest that probably no denomination that works harder to help the poor that the Catholic Church does. A couple of decades ago, the Mennonite and the LDS contributed to Catholic Relief Services because they had no facilities in Africa especially. And if one checks it out, CRS is very efficient since most involved already work for the Church in other capacities.

Here in the Detroit area, we have the Capuchin Soup Kitchen that feeds thousands every week in a poor area of Detroit, and yet over 90% of all that rely on them are not Catholic.
 
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