A family of 3 earns avg. 4000 per month
10% of that = 400 per month as the tithe.

Christians FORGET about compound interest effects.

In just 30 years of giving that amount and no more, the family gave away 904,000 to the church.

This happens when the same amount of money can be placed in a nice safe mutual fund earning only 10% per year. At the end of 30 years the account would have grown to 904,000

The poor Christian only sees 400 per month going out of their budget, or 144,000 over the 30 years. They ALWAYS forget about the interest rate.

Now here is the sad part, the church only gets 144,000 from that family because the church will not save it either, no, they will spend it.

The best thing a Christian could do is not to give any money to the church now, but rather put it in a mutual fund on behalf of the church and let the interest tick away. At the end of 30 years, take out the money, and give it all to the church or shave off 700,000 for your family and give the church (god) 204,000. That way, God will be richer by 60,000 and you get to provide for your family the way a "real" loving person should.

Don't worry about the time factor, there will be more souls to save in 30 years and god could really use the money then. (after all he is timeless)




[This message has been edited by critical thinking made ez (edited May 14, 2001).]

Churches, like families and business, have present needs and obligations. My church pays the pastors and support staff, pays for the rental of a building, and does save for buying our own facility. Oh yeah, it gives generously to a local battered women's shelter.

But what the heck, I'm sure there will be battered women to worry about when the CDs mature!

Layman, you must have forgotten the bible fable about the father who gave his sons some gold and when one didn't invest it wisely to return a good profit, he was punished. You run the same risk with your god. Not investing wisely could get you in to a mess 'o trouble with the Big Guy.


PS You could also give more to the woman's shelter and other worthy programs if you didn't waste your money on bibles drives, church buildings, and missionary trips.

[This message has been edited by critical thinking made ez (edited May 14, 2001).]

I invest wisely and I give to my church generously. Both are commanded of God and are compatable with each other.

But then, I suppose those battered women would understand that I simply must wait until my CDs mature.

I bet most of those battered women are beat by there God fearing husbands who have been taught that women should submit to their husbands. The bible just keeps on creating its own set of problems.

Your "bet" has no evidentiary value.

The evidence could have been obtained if a christian who started saving 10 years ago at 10% interest would be willing to finance such a study for christian proof, and still have money left over for more Bibles in Russia.

And in the meantime those battered women will just have to stay at home, eh?

Very compassionate.

So you finally admit that battered women are a more important issue to take care of than your church's efforts at converting the unsaved. I agree with you Layman, you have some non-christian wisdom after all.

You are a very creative thinker.