Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: fasano@unix.cis.pitt.edu (Cathy Fasano) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: "Money: it's a gas. Grab that cash with both hands . . ." Message-ID: Date: 10 Apr 91 09:12:55 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Just leetle ol' me... Lines: 57 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article kilroy@gboro.glassboro.edu (Dr Nancy's Sweetie) writes: [definitive proof that Christians are second-to-none in sheer tackiness when it comes to pleading for money... ] Which brings up an interesting question: Does anybody know of any studies (as opposed to anecdotal evidence) which compare various religious fund-raising styles and plans in various contexts? (I know about the study that showed that Catholics contribute half as much (as a percentage of income) than Protestants, but I've never seen any evidence that Catholic fundraising is really systematically different from Protestant). Now, my husband and I would react the same way as kilroy and Nancy did to this church -- be utterly appalled and never come back. But how common is the reaction? After all, there were lots of people at that service, and I doubt they were all newcomers. And I've certainly heard enough appalling stories (admittedly some of these were a bit embellished, but not all, and not all embellishment) from across all variety of religious undertakings to suggest that a large number of people stay with congregations which practice these things -- perhaps it's just that very few people besides us care that much? On the other hand, here's an idea: we've got lots of s.r.c. readers who have the requisite knowledge and experience to collect some data and "cook the numbers" so that we can "prove" a correlation between obnoxious fundraising and lower contributions. Ya' know -- How to Lie With Statistics 101. :-) Hey -- here's our chance to *really* effect a positive change in the Church, folks! :-) Just a thought... :-) cathy :-) -- Cathy Fasano fasano@unix.cis.pitt.edu cathy@gargoyle.uchicago.edu "The Church and the World are jammed to the rafters these days with people willing to get involved, get their hands dirty, take risks, make sacrifices, hurl themselves at spears, lead the advance, inspire, illuminate, encourage, organize and manage great affairs. I find most such folks insufferable, even if they are my brothers and sisters in Christ. Where are the people willing to sit on the sidelines and find fault?" -- Michael O. Garvey -- Cathy Fasano, aka: Cathy Johnston, cathy@gargoyle.uchicago.edu, fasano@unix.cis.pitt.edu "If yer gonna skate on thin ice, ya' might as well dance." [I can suggest a couple of places to start: In "The Catholic Myth" (the title is rather misleading) Andrew Greeley quotes some data on giving patterns for Catholics, and some of his data compares it with Protestants. You could start with his book and trace the references. He is part of a project involved in collecting statistical data about religion. Also, the Lily Endowment has been sponsoring empirical studies about congregational life, and almost certainly some of them have data of this kind. I can't put my hands on any of their material at the moment. --clh]