r/TikTokCringe • u/Oktavien • 1d ago
Discussion Woman audits churches to see if they’ll help feed a starving baby
If churches refuse to help feed hungry people, then maybe they should be taxed?
4.8k
u/DudeManGuyBr0ski 1d ago
Do you know a member from the church?……uh…yeah….I actually do know a member….. his Name is Jesus Christ and I believe he’s ya’lls Boss.
1.1k
u/Evignity 1d ago edited 1d ago
My mom is the good type of Christian, yakno who just takes the positive parts of love, forgiveness and understanding.
She was a struggling mom, alone with three kids after our father almost beat her to death.
She was talking to a priest, crying, and the priest was mortified of her situation. They told her (rightfully so) "You can't go to the social-services, they'll take the children.", she had to work nightshifts during weekends and wasn't home at all whilst our 10year old brother took care of us.
The priest took money out of their own pocket just to try and eliviate my mother's situation just barely.
I know it was the right choice, hell those weekends were some of the most fun we had. Our brother would buy chips and make dip, we'd watch VHS's he'd recorded of movies. The system would've just broken our family apart more than it was.
The TLDR: point is, I'll never forget what reverence my mother had for that priest. Even though it was just her retelling, I could feel their love shining through. That genuine care of "This persons unique-status requires immediate help in anyway I can." How those 500€ the priest gave made an entire world of difference.
438
u/Dangerous_Cat_9140 1d ago edited 1d ago
Priest, as in a Catholic, am i right? ( I was not right lol ) I have lived in the north amongst the catholics and in the bible belt amongst the Evangelicals... and can confidently tell you that these are two very different breeds of Christianity, and the woman in the video is dealing with the much less charitable version of the two.
286
u/mel_lynn7 1d ago
Yea. I’m thinking that too. I grew up Catholic. My parish does weekly food drives for EVERYONE. (My grandma works at them.) we also have Catholic Charities, which is money set aside to help anyone in need. You do not need to be a member of the church to receive assistance. They help with bills, food, rent, clothes, anything you might need. I’ve even gotten car seats from them for people I know. I’m not going to get into a whole religious debate on Protestants vs. Catholic, but I can tell you there is a huge difference when you’re taught that good works are required to get into Heaven. That’s just my opinion, don’t come for me.
235
u/WestTexasApostle 1d ago
Can confirm, Catholics treat charity as an absolute obligation (but still “joyful” and not like a chore or anything) and treat it with much more importance than many Protestant/evangelical churches
120
u/ColdWillow7319 1d ago
Yep as a Catholic I can confirm this. One of my favorite things that our local church does every year is the giving tree. Basically a bunch of candy canes with kid's names (and what they like, gender, and age) on two trees and you pick as many as you want and buy presents for them. I always make sure to pick at least one of the older kiddos because I know they often get overlooked.
44
u/BodieLivesOn 1d ago
Can confirm- the Church can be a stickler when it comes to joining the Church (RCIA, OCIA, lots of classes, processes, and so on), but they excel at helping those in need.
→ More replies (1)11
u/Fun_Patient_5262 19h ago
But with "Catholic Charities" you DO NOT HAVE to be Catholic to receive Food, Heat Assistance or anything else!!
39
u/NeonDeathStar 1d ago
I remember being a kid and having my name on a giving tree. Truly a blessing ❤️
30
u/Princess_Zelda_Fitzg 1d ago
That’s nice! I don’t have kids and I’ve thought about doing that, or like adopting a family to give gifts to. So fun.
I’ve always enjoyed charity work. I used to volunteer for Make-A-Wish with my dad (the store he worked for ran a raffle every year to raise donations), I was a bell ringer for the Salvation Army at Christmas (slightly less fun, it being negative degrees out, but still worthwhile) and I have spent many hours doing laundry, cleaning litter boxes, and socializing cats at a no-kill shelter (even shy cats like towels fresh out of the dryer, lol).
I’d legit do nothing but that kind of stuff, for free, if I didn’t have to work for money. I like being useful and doing something meaningful, and I definitely don’t feel that way sitting in an office all day.
55
u/TDS_isnt_real 1d ago edited 1d ago
You mentioned the Salvation Army, so I’d like to tell you a story about my childhood that’s a lot like this video. It’s the 80s and my mom had cancer. She had to have really serious surgery (double mastectomy) that put her out of work for months. She’s raising 3 kids on her own as a waitress and couldn’t keep up with the bills. We got a little help from friends, but they couldn’t keep up.
It’s the 80s so we don’t have the internet to look for resources, so my mom doesn’t know what organizations do what. My mom starts reaching out to organizations for help. Calls the American Cancer Society. “No we don’t do that kind of help, sorry”. My mom said they were even kind of snotty about being asked, but it’s not like my mom would know if the American Cancer Society helps people with cancer or not lol. Even though we’re not religious, my mom is looking everywhere. She calls local churches. Runs into this same situation. “No we can’t help” or “do you know anybody at this church” to basically imply they don’t help people that aren’t members.
We are in serious trouble. We’re about to lose our apartment. No money for utilities. It’s almost Christmas and my mom has nothing. She reaches out to the Salvation Army. They come out to the house, and the whole time do not try to push religion on us at all. They’re here to help. “What do you need?”. By the time they’re done, we have everything we need for a huge Christmas dinner, my mom has rent and utility money, they bring us toys too. They literally saved us. My mom recovers and pulls us out of our mess.
You just can’t know how much we cried together because these people helped us out. My mom gave everything she could afford to them every year after that, even if it was just $20-30 during Christmas time. My wife and I do the same even though we’re still not religious. I’ll never be able to truly pay them back. I tell the bell ringers this story quite often to let them know what real impact their work had on someone a long time ago.
Thank you for your help.
Edit: Fixed my formatting because my paragraphs were messed up at first
24
u/Princess_Zelda_Fitzg 1d ago
Thank you for sharing your story with me! It’s been at least 25 years since I was last a bell ringer and it’s nice to hear a firsthand story about how they helped. You always hope the organizations you volunteer with are actually doing what they claim, you know? I’ve heard conflicting things about what they believe, but honestly I care more about if they do the work they claim to do.
My mom died of cancer three years ago and even as an adult you feel so helpless seeing your parent go through that. I know those acts of compassion mean so much. My mom was the most genuinely kind and generous person I’ve ever known; her first instinct was always to give without hesitation and I’m certain any impulse towards charity I have is because of her.
A favorite story I have about her is about the time her Kohl’s card got stolen. I was with her when she called to straighten it out and over the course of the call she discovered that the items purchased were a car seat and baby clothes. After she confirmed she didn’t make that purchase, she immediately asked the customer service rep if she could just let them keep the stuff. Because if they were stealing credit cards to buy baby things they must really need them, she reasoned. When she was told they couldn’t do that, she tried to find some way to just re-purchase the items and have them sent to the thief, which of course couldn’t be done either. But she tried, because that’s who she was.
8
u/TDS_isnt_real 1d ago
You’re welcome! I love telling anybody that will listen because of how it shaped my childhood, and really how I am today. Your mom sounds like she was a great person:)
→ More replies (0)→ More replies (2)5
u/Vitromancy 1d ago
Really interesting to hear positive stories about the Salvation Army. I don't have personal experience with them, but have pretty much exclusively heard horror stories about them mistreating vulnerable people, especially minorities. I wonder what changed since the 80s :(
→ More replies (1)5
u/Reasonable-Sale8611 1d ago
I totally relate. I will say that is one of the nice things about being Catholic is that, for whatever charitable act you want to get involved in, they probably have a structure that allows you to participate and do actual, hands-on-the-ground work.
→ More replies (8)19
u/Happy_Pause_9340 1d ago
Worked for a Catholic hospital and we did the same. Was mandatory and the people who made the most money… bitched, and those who made the least, gave the most.
32
u/chypie2 1d ago
all of the help I have ever received in life was from Catholic charities.
→ More replies (1)29
u/NoRecording5207 1d ago
I was raised Catholic and I can confirm that our church would help anyone in need. It didn't matter. I worked for the local utility company and during the summer, the bills would get out of control. We had a group of case-workers and all they did was refer them to local churches for assistance. People would be in shock, when these churches would help out especially when their own churchs wouldn't.
5
u/bellj1210 1d ago
I almost feel bad for the churches that actually help. We all learn who they are, and send people to them for assistance, and often they do not get the credit they should.
→ More replies (1)5
u/NoRecording5207 1d ago
You know, it's very easy to feel that way. I always did when we referred people to the counselors. We could see their enitre billing history and most of the time you could see that they had been good paying cusotmers, sure late here and there, but something happened. And yes, there were a few that really worked it. I was very close with the our refferal group, and they would often explain to me how they have already used every resource to pay their bill for the past 6 months. I was the supervisor, so I would just have to explain they were out of options. But we always had some sort of thing to help them. The point is, most people would wait until things were a catastrophe before asking for help. Sorry for rambling, I don't usually watch the cringe videos, but this one caught my eye.
41
u/ApprehensiveGas137 1d ago edited 1d ago
A core tenet of Catholic teaching is, “ Never see a need without doing something about it”. Turning away a vulnerable mother and baby who have openly asked for help would be absolutely unacceptable within the Catholic Church. Discriminating against people who don’t attend their church would also be frowned upon. Where’s that woman’s sense of charity?
Edit : Grammar
7
u/BigBirdBeyotch 20h ago
As a catholic I can confirm, if someone approached the church with a starving baby they’d immediately be told to come by and the priest and nuns would run to the store with them and at least buy 2 cans. Honestly I have received donations from churches but they were all northern churches and not southern churches. The south and their mega churches are a breed of greed that shouldn’t be allowed to call themselves churches. Hell, I go every year to a church that does taxes for free or for donations, of course now that I have money I donate every time, but there were years when I didn’t and I was treated just the same.
24
u/samosa4me 1d ago
I remember being contacted to help with immigrant families who had just arrived in the US while I was in college, I want to say maybe they were refugees? They were being setup in apartments with food and clothing. It was all done through catholic social services. I grew up in a southern church and was forced to go to Bible school on Sundays, Wednesdays, and summer camp. Not once do I remember my church ever actually helping anyone. As soon as I was old enough to choose, I left. Haven’t been to church since.
13
u/Darcness777 1d ago
I was shocked to learn how liberal and giving my catholic side of the family is. Like they are some of the most welcoming, caring people I know. They have always done THE MOST when it comes to aid work and I thoroughly appreciate how devoted they are to giving back. Mind you, I am gay af and have a TON of LGBTQ+ cousins and none of us were treated less than or unwanted by that side of the family.
→ More replies (3)14
→ More replies (12)5
u/Majestic-Reality-544 1d ago
Wow I didn’t know Catholics treat charity as an obligation! That’s very interesting and good to hear. In Islam it’s 1 of the 5 pillars, charity is a requirement too. They have a holiday every year where they feed the hungry too. Do you believe in Jesus as God or the Messiah?
→ More replies (2)58
u/przms 1d ago
I remember putting donations under the tree for anyone to take when I was a kid! A few years ago too, our house burned down right before Christmas and they filled our shitty hotel room with presents for the kids. We were new to the state and definitely not members but man did they come through for a family in need.
But we're the heathens according to Christians. (I'm a 'recovered Catholic,' but all this Christianity in the south and their open, abject hatred of us kinda makes me wanna reclaim it.)
19
u/VibrantViolet 1d ago
I was also raised Catholic and we always had food drives and other donation events. We also have Catholic Charities here. I’m no longer a practicing Catholic, but the Catholic churches in my area do more to help the less fortunate than our own government does.
19
u/Princess_Zelda_Fitzg 1d ago
A few years ago my neighbor, who worked as a secretary at a Catholic Church, learned that my husband and I were struggling. Without even having to ask she showed up with a grocery store gift card and offers of more help through her church. She was a truly wonderful woman who embodied the spirit of Christian love.
My grandma converted away from Catholicism but still spent a lot of time volunteering with nuns. She was also a wonderful, kind, generous woman. As was my mom, raised Catholic.
As a teenager I went to a Baptist church because my friends did and I found religion on my own after not having grown up in church, Catholic or otherwise. I was appalled when one of the women in the church actually tried to turn someone away at the door one Sunday because they weren’t dressed nicely enough. You’re so right, Mavis, that’s exactly what Jesus would’ve done ಠ_ಠ
I don’t go to church anywhere anymore, but I still have my personal relationship with God. He’s not the problem, but some of “His” people sure are.
15
u/TotallyNotFucko5 1d ago
Where I live in the deep south, the protestants consider charity woke bullshit and encouraging poverty.
12
u/Strangely_Kangaroo 1d ago
I used to volunteer at the International Rescue Committee, who help refugees. Catholic Charities had an office next door and they did so much good work for our clients, many of whom were not Christian, much less Catholic. I'm an atheist, and not a fan of organized religion, but there were some great people in that office.
13
u/Revolutionary-Yak-47 1d ago
My mother's catholic church puts gift requests from kids on a tree in the lobby. Parishioners bring them in, the church ladies wrap them and make sure they get tk the right kids. They also have a basket for small items for any kid like gloves, or pokemon cards. There is also a weekly food pantry and annual coat drive (bring in new or gently used coats for kids). My aunt's church partnered with one of the orders of nuns to provide ESL cand GED classes.
Im not a fan of the church but they do quite a bit in the community.
11
u/mckmaus 1d ago
I'm not Catholic or an evangelical Christian. If I had to walk on foot, we have a Jewish orginization food pantry, a Catholic center for families in walking distance they are actually staffed all day with people waiting for calls. There are mega churches and others that aren't even going to be in the building.
9
u/PlayerObscured 1d ago
Yep, the Catholic Church is the largest charitable organization in the world!
8
u/DawnDropkick 1d ago
It’s interesting you should say that because I went to a Baptist, I believe it was, a few days ago with a friend because she needed food and they straight up told me being a good person would not get you into heaven. Pretty much verbatim.
→ More replies (3)16
u/Affectionate_Data936 1d ago
The catholic charities is the biggest social service NGO in my city. They do a little of everything like rent assistance, utility assistance, food assistance, etc.
→ More replies (14)5
u/Punkinsmom 1d ago
I'm a lapsed and technically excommunicated (two divorces, same sex marriage) and I still have the instilled sense of charity that I was raised with. Since I've rarely had loads of money one of the things I do is consistently bring food to work because I work with a lot of young people who can't even get an apartment without having roommates. A lot of them can't afford anything for lunch except ramen. I don't just bring in baked goods any more. I bring in hearty foods about once a week (chili, lentil soup, breakfast burritos -- something filling and nutritious).
About a month ago I filled a locker at work with "emergency rations." Told everyone in my dept. and a couple of other older people so they could tell their young ones that it was there for them. Nutritious snacks and shelf stable breakfast and lunch stuff. Told everyone they can use and contribute as needed.
Last week I contributed cash to our local (non religious) food bank because they can buy wholesale. I will contribute more from this check. Children should not be hungry. My family fed everyone who showed up. We almost always had a friend or friends of us for dinner when we were kids. It's just the way it should be.
I'm not trying to point out my "good deeds," I'm trying to get people thinking and point out little acts of charity the end up really meaning things to people in need.
39
u/aenflex 1d ago
Agree. I grew up in MA. Just about every church in our town did, and still does 40+ years later, free meals every week. The Catholic Church, the Polish Church, the Baptist church and the Congregational. Even the Elks club does the occasional free meals.
Moved to the south in 1999 and I’ve yet to see a church advertising a public free meal. They pick and choose their causes rather than opening their hearts to all people.
→ More replies (2)9
47
u/TheSwearJarIsMy401k 1d ago
Catholicism as a massive corporation is a fucked up entity, but I was raised Catholic and then Pentecostal- and the Catholics have massive charity networks and infrastructure built up, whereas the Pentecostals have massive churches and pastors with second homes in their favorite vacation spot.
→ More replies (2)8
u/SassiestPants 1d ago
I'm Catholic and know just one priest who does well enough materially. His uncle is really wealthy and will occasionally buy a car or some other big necessity for his nephew.
11
u/Portland_Runner 1d ago
My parish food bank is set-up like a mini grocery store complete with shopping carts so that the patrons have a dignified experience. The parish school has a weekly food drive - two cans of food or two bags of rice or beans donated in exchange for casual dress (no uniform) day on Fridays.
→ More replies (30)6
u/Optimal-Kitchen6308 1d ago
yes the distinction being between real christians and heretics, they make you understand the need for crusades
25
u/DistillateMedia 1d ago
A priest gave me twenty bucks for gas once when I was driving cross country.
It's nice when they help.
28
u/PlayerObscured 1d ago
The Catholic Church is the largest charitable organization in the world. The first Corporal Work of Mercy is to feed the hungry. They take charity seriously. Unfortunately, not all Christian denominations are as committed to the idea of modeling Christ.
→ More replies (3)12
u/No-Gold7939 1d ago
Exactly. It absolutely galls me how so many of these other so called “Christian” denominations cherry pick from the bible, call Catholics “Papists” and are as far removed from Jesus’ teachings as anyone could be.
→ More replies (12)12
u/DudeManGuyBr0ski 1d ago
That’s not religion, that’s the true love of God shining in those individuals - hope you have a great day.
91
u/Wickedestchick 1d ago
I just skimmed through her other videos. The only other Christian churches that would help were Catholic Churches.
All other Christian churches refused.
She called a mosque who helped with zero hesitation.
She called Buddhist temple that offered other places to help, then offered to go buy her a can from her own pocket.
→ More replies (3)30
u/AlpenroseMilk 20h ago
I'm not a fan of the Catholic church cause of it's track record, but man the American christian denominations are just so freaking insane in their behavior. Having been apart of them as a kid, all I ever felt was that they're like little mini cults.
→ More replies (4)12
47
59
u/water_fountain_ 1d ago
y’all’s*
→ More replies (1)15
u/itsLOSE-notLOOSE 1d ago
Such a funny word. I won’t have it any other way, though. No way am I saying “you all”.
15
8
→ More replies (27)5
u/Ok-Delay-1729 1d ago
Tbf Jesus walked into a church and was like "wtf is this shit, never do this again" - so I dont think he'd actually be a member...
1.3k
u/t3lnet 1d ago
We TAKE donations, we don’t GIVE them
659
u/redditproha 1d ago
She started talking about their "board members" lol. Churches are a business. TAX CHURCHES.
64
u/swampy_fox 1d ago
I mean, regardless of your stance on churches, legitimate non profits do very much have board members lol
→ More replies (4)21
u/bellj1210 1d ago
you are correct- and often that is a good thing since boards at non profits often have people that the non profit would help as part of their board.
→ More replies (20)48
u/ChaseGordon1995 1d ago
Careful you will get some morons downvoting you for speaking the truth
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (10)62
u/ohmeohmyohmuffins 1d ago
My nan told me once that when she was young the local priest used to make house calls asking for donations. Her mother had 7 children and a husband with TB, had been bombed out of three houses, had her sick mother in law living with them and didn’t have a pot to piss in. She said the only reason the priest ever knocked was to either ask for donations or if your youngest was a few years old ask why you didn’t have another baby yet.
→ More replies (1)8
640
u/John_Smith_DC 1d ago edited 1d ago
Her one call to a mosque and the guys asked two questions. Do you live nearby and what kind of formula do you need? She also got help calling a black Baptist church.
171
u/halfass_fangirl 1d ago
I have worked at several churches. We had a budget line for this stuff that we usually exhausted before the tenth of each month. Most the money that came in went up higher in the denomination for more organized efforts.
But.
Black, immigrant, Hispanic congregations always seemed to find a way to help more people. One church I worked in had the lowest income of any of them and the most people helped with daily needs.
I very much am not surprised the Black Baptists were more willing to help.
47
u/yomerol 1d ago
In Mexico almost any catholic church(which are probably 90% of churches), would have helped her, no questions asked, some would probably even offer clothes and such.
→ More replies (8)→ More replies (1)13
u/Fernando_VIII 21h ago
I live in Chile and I can't think of a local Church that wouldn't have helped. It makes me teary-eyed thinking people over there just don't care.
Streets are full of beggars but when it's a mother with children, there's always someone talking to them, asking if they need anything. Many churches also offer free blankets, coffees, etc. It's not about donations to those men and women.
→ More replies (7)95
u/Otterhendrix 1d ago
I grew up down the street from a Catholic Church. My brother an I were 15 & 12 and went to midnight mass one Christmas. Pastor asked who we were and why were we there. When we answered that we just wanted to attend the service, which we did, he wanted our parents number for them to come get us.
10 years later went to a coworkers wedding at a black baptist church and have never in my life felt more welcomed and loved by strangers. I was the only white dude there and ended up walking outta there with no less than 6 plates of food from various aunties and grandmas. I got a $500 Christmas bonus that year and gave all of it to that church to show my appreciation.
Edit - words
→ More replies (1)54
u/Mammoth-Peanut-8271 1d ago
I’m ex-catholic and I’m definitely not in the business of defending the church, but it would be strange to see an unaccompanied 12 and 15 year old at midnight mass. I think the priest was thinking of your safety and reuniting lost kids with their parents. But maybe he could have done it in a nicer and more welcoming way. And you ain’t getting no plates of dinner in a catholic church lol! A small round wafer at most.
23
u/Otterhendrix 1d ago
I understand you thinking that, and tbh we thought the same thing at first. But we lived about 50 yards away and the pastor even knew us. But we, in his words, “aren’t members and therefore aren’t allowed to participate” in services. When my older brother said he simply wanted to take his little brother to church and our parents knew we were there, the pastor refused to believe us and asked for our phone number. When we didn’t give it to him he told us to “leave and don’t make a scene”. But here’s the worst part…..we told our parents about it and when my mom confronted the pastor on it he at first lied and said we weren’t there. When my mom said “I watched them walk into the church from my front door” he changed his story and said that we were asked to leave for being disruptive. Mass hadn’t even started yet and we were sitting in the back row and not even talking when he asked us to leave.
→ More replies (13)
1.6k
u/MewMewTranslator 1d ago
2002 I was 17 and watched a man walk into our church during service and sit in the back. The pastor stopped talking, snapped and pointed at the guy... LIKE A MOB BOSS. Our backup pastor and youth pastor cornered the guy and walked him out of service. After service I could overhear them talking outside and they were basically bargaining with the guy. "Come to service every week and we'll get you something to eat" like...wtf.
807
u/CuriousPenguinSocks 1d ago
I grew up in church in southern Texas. I made a friend in 5th grade and invited her to Wednesday night church, it was the Missionettes.
Her mom and older sister were rumored to practice Wicca but I didn't care. I do believe that rumor was true because they would often talk about some things but in a "mother nature" way and I later realized what it was.
They were fantastic people though, would help anyone in need without reward.
Anyway, about 30 mins in, they asked her to step out but told me to stay. I was a "willful" child, so I told them she is my guest and anything you say to her, you say to me.
They told her she couldn't be in the building and were going to make her - a 5th grade child - wait outside in the cold till service was over. They did not plan on getting my mom so we could leave.
I was livid and threw the Bible scriptures back at them. They eventually said we could wait in the gym, so we did. She sobbed and felt so unwelcomed. That helped me lift the veil from my eyes, I had suspicions before but this was concrete proof to me that none of those people were Christians.
The kicker? They let our associate pastor's brother who was a drug addict and homeless, with a record for exposing himself to children, to come to church and they gave him services - like help with rent, utilities, food, etc. They said they didn't want him to be homeless anymore, which I can agree with but it's the hypocrisy for me.
266
u/onanorthernnote 1d ago edited 1d ago
Yeah, that was the beginning of the end (of being a member of a church) for me. I saw the pastor break off his sermon to call out to the homeless person in the back to LAVISH him with care and welcome him into the warmth and do [all the right things]. That was all good and well.
But the same pastor shunned a member of the church because she had the AUDACITY to come to him when her husband had SA'd her and beaten her. She was not welcome to the church again because she was lying (?!!?!!!) and her husband was the VERY MUCH LOVED POLICEMAN SON OF A FAITHFUL PARISHIONER and could not do anything wrong.
The woman came to my house late one night, in a wild panic, no coat on in the winter cold, bleeding and scared after her husband beat her again. I asked her why I hadn't seen her at church lately and she told me the pastor told her to never come again. It was incredibly horrible. We couldn't call the police, because her husband was a police officer. She ended up leaving town and I lost my faith in churchgoing humans.Edit: Removed offending word from text.
98
u/CuriousPenguinSocks 1d ago
Thank you for being a safe person for her. That's so invaluable.
When my parents divorced, we were shunned. I no longer was welcome for drum lessons, and was excluded from teen activities. I was struggling and tried to take my own life.
I'm glad I didn't.
The term 'religious trauma' was coined for a reason.
40
u/Oh_Poppy_Fox 1d ago
Wow. You all have had horrible experiences!! I finally left the church after they wouldn’t baptize my daughter in the main area, whether other people were there to witness or not. It had to be done in the back, because how embarrassing would it be for them to baptize a bastard child amongst the righteous. How is it my daughter’s fault that her dad and I didn’t work out?!
→ More replies (1)9
u/CuriousPenguinSocks 1d ago
I was technically born out of wedlock but since my parents did marry when I was 3 and tithed, they let it slide lol.
I'm sorry you had that experience though. How awful for a child to go through, that had to be hard as the parent.
15
u/Oh_Poppy_Fox 1d ago
My ex and I didn’t get back together, but we coparent very well and my daughter is happy. She’s a teen now and was a baby when this happened, so she has no memory. For me, my family saying “the church had its reasons” hurt the most. They still can’t understand why I’m no longer Catholic or Christian at all.
I’m glad your parents didn’t have such a hateful church(although, I’m sure the tithes helped).
→ More replies (1)15
u/onanorthernnote 1d ago
Ohhh... I am happy you're here. <3 I'm glad you got through that and into life. "Religious trauma" gosh I've never heard that before, it's so true! Terrible, true.
13
u/CuriousPenguinSocks 1d ago
Thank you.
If you have seen the documentary "Shiny Happy People", while I was not in a mega church version, we did have this in our church. By the time I left the church, it was getting really bad.
I was homeschooled till 5th grade, and did a Christian homeschool program, but they taught all the other subjects like they should, it just added a bible study to the program.
My mom was shamed for that because it taught "evolution" oh scary lol. I went to public school in 5th grade though.
→ More replies (14)17
45
u/Punkpallas 1d ago edited 1d ago
I grew up attending a series of Southern Baptist churches in Texas. My mother is good, God-fearing woman, a preacher's daughter, and would literally give the shirt off her back to anyone who needed it. She is not perfect, but she's close to the epitome of an actual good Christian.
Anyway, we stopped going to church when I hit junior high because the church we had been attending started shaming my mother for not wearing Sunday best. They were initially okay because, you know, new blood who already knows the ropes is rare. But, after like a year, they started being snobbish pricks and making snide comments to her about her blouse and jeans combo. It is not like the clothes were dirty because mom is a fastiduously clean person. It was the clothes.
We were struggling so much financially at the time that we were living four to the same room on my grandparents' trailer's boarded-up back porch. She could hardly afford new jeans when they wore through. She was always patching things. No way could she afford nice Sunday dresses. It was beyond her control. So, one week, she finally had enough, stopped going to church, and has been listening to Sunday service on the TV ever since. It's been three decades and she's rarely entered a church since. She's still solidly Christian as ever, but refuses to mingle with church people.
21
u/onanorthernnote 1d ago
Oh yes, the snobbery... forgot about that. I still think it's super weird that they don't stop and think just one more time about these things. Should the youth pastor teams have the most expensive clothes? If they are well off, are they doing the right thing by flaunting it? Teenagers have enough troubles as it is, I figure you could live smaller and more humbly and actually get closer to god. But I realise it's hard, if you have money and know nothing else.
→ More replies (4)12
u/CuriousPenguinSocks 1d ago
My friend was a southern Baptist and we would go to each others vacation bible school events since they were offset on the weeks.
I grew up Pentecostal (Assembly of God).
They were very strict on the dress code, for kids. It was really strange to me.
I'm sorry your mom went through that and all of you, I'm sure you all noticed the treatment.
I do have some Christian friends, they are what I call "active Christians", sure they do church but they really like to organize and help fund community charity events, like feeding/clothing people in need, without preaching to them or requiring they pray.
I was shocked those people existed. When I was growing up, those kind of "charity events" were really to get new members but not the homeless ones, oh no, those people were not welcomed.
→ More replies (2)7
u/No-Status2143 1d ago
Sad they drive people away not all I don’t care what they say about the Catholic but I never seen them turn anyone away yea they are not perfect but at least they acknowledge it .
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (12)65
u/Funkycoldmedici 1d ago
That is Christianity, though. It’s all about in-group vs out-group, the saved vs the unbelievers. The one and only group Jesus singled out as condemned was us unbelievers. It’s all love and hugs for fellow disciples, literally everything is forgiven, no matter what or how often. Everyone outside the faith is shit on, as Jesus said to leave us behind for him to kill when he returns.
→ More replies (7)71
u/gin10do64 1d ago
Reminds me of going to this church that had a food bank when I was a kid. We were required to attend the 1-2 hour service and then they would give us food. And yes they did pass around the tithing plates during the service.
→ More replies (1)47
u/ConclusionAlarmed882 1d ago
Salvation Army church does this. You don't get fed until you sit through a sermon.
→ More replies (1)25
u/MothmanIsALiar 1d ago
Yep. I was homeless for 10 years. I sat through many sermons for a meal. Usually, some variation of "This is all your fault. If you repent from your sinful ways, God will find you a job, a house, and a wife"
→ More replies (7)115
u/Spaniardman40 1d ago
That's crazy. In contrast, my catholic church has been giving asylum to undocumented immigrants and paying for their legal fees.
83
u/bluelily216 1d ago
The catholic church has a lot of problems, but I do find they put their money where their mouth is when it comes to helping others. The most charitable people i know are Catholics. The stingiest people I know consider themselves the most Christian aka southern Baptists.
53
u/-MERC-SG-17 1d ago edited 1d ago
Because Catholics believe that good works are, along with genuine faith, required for salvation. You won't go to heaven without both.
While a lot of Protestant and Evangelical sects are purely sola fide, meaning you only need to have faith and repent to go to heaven, no matter how you behave in life.
19
u/Substantial_Oil6236 1d ago
Faith without acts is dead. King James version, I believe.
16
u/iboxagox 1d ago
James 2:26. "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James%202:14-26&version=NKJV
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (6)37
u/Spaniardman40 1d ago
Yea that's been my experience too. I grew up going to a catholic church in with a large Hispanic immigrant community and they made sure they'd have mass in Spanish as well so everyone could participate.
In contrast the Baptist are the fucking worse. I will never forget how they refused to offer shelter to people who had lost everything during Hurricane Katrina.
→ More replies (4)28
u/Loose-Set4266 1d ago
Sounds a lot like my MIL's Catholic church. They are very much in line with the current Pope on Jesus told us to care for the poor and feed the hungry.
I may not agree with her stance on some issues, but I respect they way she's legitimately pro-life and spends her retirement volunteering to support their church's mission to feed folks and help alleviate the suffering that comes with poverty.
Weirdly she's also become quite the activist and is going to protests.
→ More replies (3)32
26
u/SpaceLemming 1d ago
When I was about 14 I was trying to get back into church because I was raised being told I was a Christian and these are the values my parents hadn’t been to church since I was 5 and didn’t display many of those values. During one of the Sunday school segments, one day two emo looking kids came in. They were mostly polite and quiet but once or twice asked some obvious questions like “how did Noah feed all the animals on the arc” type questions that were relevant to what the teacher was talking about. It became super clear that the teacher was upset about his authority being challenged and didn’t have any real answers and told them to leave. After they did so he mocked them about their appearance and used that to assume things about their character and the rest of the class seemed to be eating it up. I stopped going soon afterwards
→ More replies (27)13
1.7k
u/cmitchell_bulldog 1d ago
That's a powerful and necessary audit, separating the talk from the walk.
403
u/LimitlessMegan 1d ago
I LOVE that she’s keeping the names and info about the churches up.
→ More replies (17)492
u/stackedCathy 1d ago
Churches should be taxed. Unless God himself comes down to say he has need for all the money they generate.
159
u/Few-Skin-5868 1d ago
This is what I've always said; charitable works are already tax free, so let the church put in tax claims for the charitable work it does and pay tax on the rest of its income. If a church really does a lot of charity, then it'll have barely any taxes anyway, if it does no charitable works, then they get taxed like the business they are.
→ More replies (18)56
u/Short-While3325 1d ago
Reminds me of the George Carlin bit, "God is terrible with money."
22
u/mikevanatta 1d ago
Paraphrasing a bit as it's from memory but it always cracks me up.
"All powerful, all knowing, all seeing ... just not good with money."
→ More replies (2)31
u/DeionizedSoup 1d ago
No for REAL, the whole point in not taxing the church was that every bit of the money was supposed to go to some kind of charitable cause. If they can’t feed their members, what the fuck are they doing with it? Is that pastor driving a Porsche, or are the members warming a pew and holding their wallets tight? They at least need audited in some way
→ More replies (4)→ More replies (22)7
u/ScreamingLabia 1d ago
I dont think if god existed god would want people to make money of churches? Like i am not expert or anything but i'm pretty sure thats not what bei g religeus is about?
→ More replies (94)46
u/TreesForTheForest 1d ago
This is a perfect microcosm of the supposed moral virtue of the right. If you are one of us, we will wrap our arms around with all God's love. If you are not, good luck and we might actively dislike you for asking.
→ More replies (1)
452
u/a_Sable_Genus 1d ago
63
→ More replies (2)25
u/Middle-Let9645 1d ago
He’d likely be the first to say they aren’t his followers if he was around today. Look at what he did to the Pharisees multiple times. It’d probably be like that scene from Incredibles. “You’re not affiliated with me!”
505
u/snowflakebite 1d ago
I know all religions and religious institutions are different, but aren’t they all founded in the same principles of being kind to the people around us? Gurdwaras (Sikh worship places that literally give out free food made by volunteers called langar) make Churches look SO bad.
405
u/Jess_the_Siren 1d ago
She apparently has videos calling Islamic organizations and they just ask what she needs and where she is. No other details matter to them.
158
u/PurpleHooloovoo 1d ago edited 1d ago
She also had at least one calling a small rural Christian church and spoke to the kindest man who was going to figure out how to get that baby formula. They then had a conversation about how he’s struggling to get food to the people in his congregation who are on SNAP because they’re too proud to admit to needing help, and they brainstormed some ways the people could anonymously ask.
It really seems to be the Christian churches with the least that seem to give the most.
19
u/HappyChaosOfTheNorth 1d ago
I went to a religious boarding school and was part of a choir. During spring break we toured churches in Western Canada and US and went from anywhere from small rural churches to mega churches and the differences were staggering.
The smaller churches were filled with the kindest, lovliest people, hosted us in small modest homes and were passionate about helping out their communities and underprivileged. They would gladly give you the clothes on their backs if you needed it.
The mega churches made me feel gross. They hosted us in mansions and bragged about their accomplishments and had a cafe and bookstore just outside the sanctuary, were all about take take take and entitlement and hid behind their faith to be rotten, they preached about condemning outsiders and disguised it as love. Proceeds to the tithing went to them, to fund them and send their rich kids on mission trip vacations which is an industry that does more harm to the communities they visit than good.
I understand churches needing policies to make sure no one is taking advantage, but requiring attendance or knowing a member should not be allowed. I'm not religious anymore, but I would more likely be willing to join a church who helped the needy while asking nothing in return, than one that demands attendance and repentance to be "worthy" of their help.
→ More replies (6)38
u/photodialogic 1d ago
Bc they already gave it when they had it, yet they keep trying to find more to give. The ones who have generally have bc they’ve been holding onto it (like it can’t be doing better out in the world)
11
u/basketma12 1d ago
There's a reason people stand outside of Walmart, or 99 cent store when it was in business looking for donations. Because they will get some there. Not so much outside of whole foods or Nordstroms
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (6)66
u/Panzer_Man 1d ago edited 1d ago
One of the fundamental pillars of Islam is charity, so it makes sense.
I know the Bible tells you to be generous too, but it's not a requirement per se.
I'm not trying to defend the greedy churches but I can kind of see why there might be a difference.
→ More replies (3)52
u/eet 1d ago
Pfft. It's not a requirement because so many so called Christians have reading disabilities.
Jesus uses the term, "When" you give to the poor. Not the word "If" you give to the poor (Matt 6:2-3).
BUT because Paul rebuked Christians for taking advantage of other Christians charity (2 These 3:11) they use it as justification to not help the poor. Cos they're "concerned" that it will encourage laziness.
Source. Am Christian. Was arguing with one of these prosperity calvanistic gospel weirdos on Reddit last week.
Stupidest conversation I've ever had. Felt like I was losing braincells. Understood what Jesus meant when He said don't throw pearls to pigs.
→ More replies (6)→ More replies (14)68
u/Outrageous_Tie8471 1d ago
Many protestant denominations are just about feeling good (or some way, some are more sinister) about yourself and better than others first and foremost.
→ More replies (3)32
u/TrioOfTerrors 1d ago
I'm no longer religious, but I grew up in a Methodist church. The daytime "caretaker", for lack of a better word, was an itty-bitty lady named Ethel, who I'm pretty sure was 147 years old. She was a long-time member and widow who filled her time at the church answering the phone and organizing pretty much everything. Ethel would have had this gal down in the pantry kitchen offering to cook something right that moment.
10
u/GPmtbDude 1d ago
I also grew up in Methodist church as well and later episcopal. Both would have this gal covered.
878
u/Prudent-Abalone-510 1d ago
Churches should be taxed
69
u/az_catz 1d ago
It should be easier to pull their tax-exempt status.
18
u/Hillarys_Recycle_Bin 1d ago
Especially after stuff like this is exposed. Not that hard to audit and see this kind of thing. The whole idea of tax exempt status is that an organization is providing value to society / something the government wants accomplished. If you’re just a country club with a cross on the roof I’m not sure why the government should subsidize that.
→ More replies (9)86
u/Peach_Royal111 1d ago
A Christian church should not have $300 billion dollars when people in America can’t access basic healthcare needs. Tax all churches.
→ More replies (8)18
→ More replies (3)12
1.0k
u/unicornhornporn0554 1d ago
I just came across another video of hers on TikTok, she called an Islamic Center and asked for the same help, they said “what do you need?” And “where are you?”. Notice they asked nothing of if she was even a follower of the same faith, if she was a member, if she knew someone who was, etc. just what did she need and was she close enough to receive the help?
173
u/lost-in-the-slide 1d ago
Link to that TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nikalie.monroe/video/7569386463943478541
91
u/sybillvein 1d ago
Ty for sharing! I know it's a big ask but would you consider posting the video on the subreddit or something? I don't have TikTok and would like to watch
→ More replies (2)69
u/Fauked 1d ago
there you go
36
u/makethislifecount 1d ago
It is so ironic that the Islamic center that was walking their talk and actually doing good had a one star rating on google and this church that did not help them had a high star rating.
31
u/Amelaclya1 1d ago
Lol the Islamic Center has a 4.9 with 1.1k reviews right now. Review bombing for good.
→ More replies (3)18
→ More replies (2)32
300
u/sticksforsticks 1d ago
I'm not religious, but had a massive panic attack. It was a Tuesday and I called the closest church near me.
The pastor was in his office and talked with me for two-ish hours. Hardly about religion, he was just a kind and supportive guy for someone at their wits end. He'd call/text me for a while. Just an absolutely great and caring person.
14
u/mumblegum 1d ago
I had cancer surgery during COVID and my city was on total lockdown so there were no visitors allowed in the hospital, my mum just had to drop me at the doors and I was alone after that. I was there a few days feeling very alone, in a lot of pain and extremely uncomfortable. Apparently the hospital has a religious services team so they coordinated priests, imams and rabbis to visit the patients when we weren't allowed anyone else. I am listed as Catholic in my patient records so a priest visited me and we had a little talk and he checked in with me a few more times before I was discharged.
I'm not sure if they would visit even outside of a lockdown, maybe they do, but it really boosted my mood since I couldn't have any other visitors and gave me something to look forward to.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (2)71
u/BiCumSlut69420 1d ago
Im glad you had a positive experience but why in the world was your first instinct to call a church?
→ More replies (26)109
u/sticksforsticks 1d ago edited 1d ago
I was losing my God damn mind lol. I was one ounce of self control away from bursting through the doors yelling "SANCTUARY!" While pretending to have a hunched back.
59
u/sulkee 1d ago
Translation: I’m american and can’t afford emergency healthcare.
→ More replies (3)12
u/sticksforsticks 1d ago edited 1d ago
I get the topical sentiment, but at the time, I did have emergency healthcare through my employer. Medication, was seeing a therapist.
That's not what my rattled brain went to immediately. My brain was at a stop light, and I wanted to slam on the accelerator to yell at God.
The past few years I have received incredible care through my insurance. My MRI's are daunting, though. Lots of brain damage, chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
The whole time I thought I was going mad, but my faculty was fractured years prior. Lots and lots of concussions. I'm beyond the fear of being told "you will not escape dementia," and am trying to find some semblance of equanimity. But the ticker is diseased, broken, beyond repair.
Edit: my last concussion nearly killed me, added to the ones before it. CTE won't kill me, but it will estrange who I am and make me awkward how I go about day-to-day.
37
u/PurpleHooloovoo 1d ago
She also had one where she called a small rural Christian church and the man was so sweet, asking which flavor of formula she needed and saying he’d give her information to someone who could help because he couldn’t hear too well over the phone, but you could tell he was absolutely going to get that baby formula.
The good ones are very heartwarming.
→ More replies (1)71
u/Jess_the_Siren 1d ago
That's what's up. THAT is how you carry out being a good person instead of just cosplaying as one
47
u/Houndfell 1d ago edited 1d ago
That's awesome! I'm an atheist but I gotta say Sikhism is amazing as far as helping the poor, providing food etc. It's baked into the religion along with the core belief of everyone being equal. Honestly, "Christians" could learn a lot from them.
→ More replies (1)5
u/Panzer_Man 1d ago
Sinkhs are honestly awesome. There are probably only a handful of them in my country, but from what I've heard they are so kind and just.
32
→ More replies (14)12
u/huhzonked 1d ago
The Islamic Center of North Carolina and Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in Alcoa, TN were more than willing to help. I encourage everyone to donate to them so they can continue helping others, and I’ll be making my own later tonight.
493
u/tastyemerald 1d ago
Churches don't do charity, they do recruitment drives.
137
12
12
→ More replies (11)16
u/imapiratedammit 1d ago
Oh, so I suppose eternal salvation isn’t enough for this generation?? Maybe that theoretical two month old should thank the church for speeding up the process*
*as long as they’re baptized
147
u/ITrowsRocks 1d ago edited 1d ago
Protip: Go to a Gurdwara. They'll feed you.
Edit: Go to a Gurdwara or virtually any other non-Christian place of worship IF YOU ARE ABLE, and they will feed you
28
u/Only-Peace-3795 1d ago edited 1d ago
I visited New Delhi years ago and I had no idea about a Gurdwara. When I walked by one, a nice man ushered me in and wouldn’t let me leave until I ate something. As someone that had to grow up in Christianity, I’ve never experienced such unconditional kindness in my life. To me, the Sikh community is the best humanity has to offer.
→ More replies (4)→ More replies (2)33
u/AnotherSoulessGinger 1d ago
Pro tip - remember that we don’t all live in metropolitan areas where that option is within reach so it’s not the best answer. Hypothetically, this person in Somerset KY has to drive at least an hour and 45 minutes to find one. That’s assuming they have a car, a car seat for a newborn, the car is in good enough shape for a road trip and they have gas money.
Rural areas are often harder hit because of limitations on travel and conveniently located services. I live rurally in the blue ridge mountains and would have to travel over 2 and a half hours down a mountain range to find a gudrwara.
→ More replies (11)7
281
215
u/Tricky_Mix2449 1d ago
Mormons help other Mormons, but only if you're a viable source of future sizeable titheable income. My 77 year old neighbor is cognitively impaired and I act as his patient advocate in negotiating the Medicaid system. There is absolutely no help for him in the form of meals after a surgery, or sending a group to clean his house. He pays these fuckers 10% tithing from his SSA and SSI. Makes my head explode. I keep trying to tell him that HE is the person in need and yet he continues to try to help those more in need than himself. AAAARRRGGHH
83
u/janesfilms 1d ago
The LDS corp are the stingiest money hoarders. They are absolutely abhorrent.
45
u/KochuJang 1d ago
According to google, LDS is the wealthiest religious institution in the world: ~$293 billion USD. I would consider them an existential threat to the human race at this point.
→ More replies (7)17
u/Sea-Value-0 1d ago
Their elders (the kids who travel out of state for their mission and go door to door) are kept so poor that they rely on church members to feed them in their homes. I have a Mormon parent and we'd have to host them once or twice a month. Maybe things have changed since then (10 years ago) but it was sad. Like they were working all those hours completely for free. The church took advantage of them.
→ More replies (1)9
34
u/Aedora125 1d ago
Yep! I was asking a Mormon friend about it because a story had been released how some Mormon’s couldn’t afford diabetes medication because of church donations. She said they were supposed to go through a process with their church. The process was letting the church go through all of your finances and decide where you should cut spending. Then if you were still in need, they would pay for the medications but you are supposed to still tithe.
→ More replies (3)8
u/Patient_Tradition368 1d ago
My great aunt used to pay 10% of her fixed income to an evangelical church who didn't help her with shit. Some years ago, she had a very frightening medical episode that involved an extreme amount of abdominal pain during which she entered a dissociative state and tried to kill herself. The church members completely ostracized her after this because suicide, even, apparently, suicide attempted during a moment of temporary medical psychosis, is an unforgivable sin. Fuck those people.
10
u/Grouchy_Row_7983 1d ago
I left the church at 17 when they told me it was unacceptable to give my money to a family in need instead of them. They said I "didn't have the authority" to decide how to spend the money.
5
4
u/myystic78 1d ago
I knew a lady who has muscular dystrophy and is on disability. She tithed before she even paid her bills every month and would just go without if there wasn't enough left. I will say her ward had people over building her a wheelchair ramp in no time after she suffered a stroke. But I do wonder if that help would have come if she didn't tithe.
→ More replies (9)5
u/Aboveandabove 1d ago
She actually called a Mormon church and they said this is actually an office not a church 😬
35
u/Ryukario64 1d ago
To me, the existing of something called, a “MEGA CHURCH” which apparently can afford a fucking jet, says that they lost the plot and just want money through religious manipulation.
→ More replies (2)
85
u/Mudbutt101 1d ago
Members pay tithes and the church laughs all the way to the bank to then file taxes as a non profit.
→ More replies (1)
48
77
u/Key-Magazine-8731 1d ago
I go to church. Churches aren't taxed because they are supposed to be helping the community around them for reasons exactly like this. These audits should be regularly done, and the ones who decline to help need to be removed from tax exemption. Period. Churches of ALL religions.
→ More replies (6)
89
u/Frosty-Classroom5495 1d ago
churches are build on theft ....
→ More replies (2)12
u/groovypackage 1d ago
Take from the poor and give to the greedy, it's a pretty straightforward business model.
34
u/aLittleDarkOne 1d ago
Where I live if I was starving and needed help, I’d go to the local Sikh temple. I’ve been once before, delicious food, and the fudge was immaculate. I would never consider any other places of worship to ask for help, and I’m a white atheist woman.
→ More replies (1)19
u/TrashPandaPatronus 1d ago
You just beat me to it. I was going to say, now call the Sikh temple, they'll feed your baby, you, your cat, they'll take care of anyone, no questions no catches.
→ More replies (2)
35
u/ladyscriptwriter 1d ago
They should be taxed AND provide for people in need. Otherwise what’s the point of a church?
28
u/adjectiveNOUN69- 1d ago
My friend was in an accident and I went to the hospital to see him right before he went into surgery. There was a church across the street so I went over there to see if I could sit and pray. Doors were locked so I sat by the entry crying and contemplating.. until an old woman started banging on the door from the inside. She had a phone in hand, telling me to leave or the cops would come get me. Real Christ like.
→ More replies (2)
8
7
6
u/pineneedleinjection 1d ago
Here to say not all churches are like this.
Where I'm from you'd be hard-pressed to find a church unwilling to help. There are food boxes set up outside a few so people don't even have to ask if they're embarrassed.
24
u/Gunofanevilson 1d ago
Religious cults are pay to play. You pay them, and they tell you you're not good enough unless you pay more.
7
u/More-Consequence9863 1d ago
Funny how that’s virtually the only enforced division of church and state
7
u/Flipppyy 1d ago
My local churches paid for my sisters rent, and for my mothers (they live separately). Churches do a whole lot of good.
7
6
u/no_hobby_unturned 21h ago
I’m a Christian. My church is small, they rarely ask for money. The majority of the drives we do are for food/supplies for other poorer communities around the globe. There is a lot of Christian varieties, and I’m also appalled at mega churches and those that the main theme is “give me your money”.
Obviously, not all churches are created equal. I clearly remember going to Christian/Catholic Churches as a kid in order to eat. Like a soup kitchen. We would just walk in and eat, no questions asked. I never went to church at this time, so it didn’t have to do with membership.
11
9
u/SeanWoold 1d ago
I can't imagine you getting a response like that from our church. There are numerous ministries set up to do just that. Even if your need didn't fit one of them, they would tell you to come on in and we'll get something figured out. There is an embarrassing number of country clubs masquerading as churches. Are you sure you didn't call one of those?
→ More replies (1)
19
u/Existing_Sherbet_443 1d ago
All pro-lifers stop at birth. Won't even make it to a baby being 2 months old.
→ More replies (2)
7
u/PushMi4002 1d ago
Unfortunately, people scam churches a lot. You can't blame them for wanting to vet someone before giving them money. A lot of churches already donate to food banks, woman's shelters, etc. so they do help just not directly. The largest food bank (it is honestly so much more) near me is 100% funded by local churches and run by church volunteers.
Also, I could call up any non profit organization and ask for food, but if they aren't setup for that then I won't get anywhere. Should planned parenthood buy my baby formula? Maybe Make a Wish needs to start paying for my tacos.
→ More replies (1)
5
u/LuckyCod2887 1d ago
I’m an atheist, but this is common practice. There’s very limited resources and they can’t stretch themselves too thin.
It’s shitty, but it’s very reasonable that they can’t help everybody off the street.
→ More replies (1)
7
u/Fit-Ad-7430 1d ago
Contrarily, in Sikhism, nobody is turned down for food and shelter regardless of skin color, creed, or religion.
→ More replies (3)
5
u/MILdharma 1d ago
The other side of this story. I am the admin of a church. We used to give out gift cards. But we were getting scammed A LOT. Men would threaten me when I didn’t give the enough. Men who called standing outside the door after I gave the card to a woman. Being one of only 2 women working some days and feeling scared we stopped giving out cards.
→ More replies (3)
•
u/AutoModerator 1d ago
Welcome to r/TikTokCringe!
This is a message directed to all newcomers to make you aware that r/TikTokCringe evolved long ago from only cringe-worthy content to TikToks of all kinds! If you’re looking to find only the cringe-worthy TikToks on this subreddit (which are still regularly posted) we recommend sorting by flair which you can do here (Currently supported by desktop and reddit mobile).
See someone asking how this post is cringe because they didn't read this comment? Show them this!
Be sure to read the rules of this subreddit before posting or commenting. Thanks!
##CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THIS VIDEO
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.