Tithes to churches or Universal Health Care

[TheGentlemanBastard]

My point is that followers of a guy who urges compassion should, perhaps, spare some, even if it might cost them a little.

They do. The religious are much more charitable than the non-religious.
https://blog.acton.org/archives/106428-r...erica.html

• Among Americans who attend services weekly and pray daily, 45 percent had done volunteer work during the previous week. Among all other Americans, only 27 percent had volunteered somewhere.
• Americans with any religious affiliation made average annual charitable donations of $1,590, versus $695 for those with no religious affiliation. In addition to giving larger amounts, the religious give more often—making gifts about half again as frequently.
• Two thirds of people who worship at least twice a month give to secular causes, compared to less than half of non-attenders, and the average secular gift by a church attender is 20 percent bigger.

It seems to escape your grasp that I was not talking about politics, but rather that believers who value dollars and cents more than they do things like helping the indigent.

If you're not talking about politics, see the above link. THe religious are more charitable than the non-religious.

The folks who claim to be Christian are all too often the same folks who cry "not with my tax dollars", as if that is a big distinction.

I would address this, but how we spend tax dollars is a matter of politics, and you claim you're not talking about politics.

They're happy to mouth the words of helping the poor, but they're pretty stingy about doing that.

See above link.

I didn't say those taxes would be significant financially. But where is the principle here? Christians who claim to follow the teachings of Jesus, here in America, seem awfully concerned with dollars, don't you think? If the tax burden is that small, what's the problem?

It seems to escape your grasp that you're not talking about politics.

I get it; you don't think Christians should feel obligated to help the sick and indigent.

As noted, the religious are more charitable.

You object to your tax dollars helping those less-fortunate than yourself. Got it.

And you're still not talking about politics, remember?

Seems to me that Jesus was more thoughtful about people than shekels. It's a shame so many of his followers worry more about their tax bills than their neighbors,

As noted above, they give more to charity than atheists.

Pity they can't find a way to put their beliefs into action.

Yeah, you'd think they'd be more charitable than other people. Oh wait...they are!

Maybe you, and they, should read Matthew 22:15 -- 22.

Why is private charity greater than public charity?

He should also be vetting his sources to make sure they're actually citing studies, as the article implies, not just throwing up charts.

He should also be vetting them to assure they don't have an overwhelming bias, like this right-wing rag does:
"The Acton Institute is a think-tank whose mission is to promote a free and virtuous society characterized by individual liberty and sustained by religious principles." Source