The Berkely Religion-Compassion Experimentation

[Random Panther]

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120430140035.htm

In three experiments, social scientists found that compassion consistently drove less religious people to be more generous. For highly religious people, however, compassion was largely unrelated to how generous they were, according to the findings which are published in the most recent online issue of the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science

The results challenge a widespread assumption that acts of generosity and charity are largely driven by feelings of empathy and compassion, researchers said. In the study, the link between compassion and generosity was found to be stronger for those who identified as being non-religious or less religious.

Generosity born out of compassion for one's fellow man is far supiorior to generosity born of ''factors such as doctrine,a communal identity,or reputational concerns." in my opinion.

[Deleted]

Jun 2, 2012 17:40:45 GMT -5 Random Panther said:

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120430140035.htm

In three experiments, social scientists found that compassion consistently drove less religious people to be more generous. For highly religious people, however, compassion was largely unrelated to how generous they were, according to the findings which are published in the most recent online issue of the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science

The results challenge a widespread assumption that acts of generosity and charity are largely driven by feelings of empathy and compassion, researchers said. In the study, the link between compassion and generosity was found to be stronger for those who identified as being non-religious or less religious.

Generosity born out of compassion for one's fellow man is far supiorior to generosity born of ''factors such as doctrine,a communal identity,or reputational concerns." in my opinion.

Generosity born of selfishness, to make the giver look, feel or seem "good" is not generous in the first place. It's done for purely selfish reasons.

[StormInateacup]

I tend to steer well clear of most religious based charitable foundations. Not just because I really do feel they're in it for the benefit of their own souls more than for any deep seated commitment to the notion of enriching or improving lives and communities, but because such ventures so often seem to entail a kind of spiritual bribery of the unfortunate. You know - "here - take our bowl of rice and all it will cost you is a hymn singing session or a prayer vigil with us. " As if god only feeds those who bend their knee to him.

I'm not at all sure that the best use of a charity dollar can be gained if you're involved in buying bibles for a starving child, you know?

Though there is one church organisation here which I do know, from working with them over many years, really are there with a no conditions attached kind of approach. The Wayside Chapel in Sydney, begun by the Rev. Ted Noffs and now carried on by his sons and grandsons have been feeding, housing and providing health care services to the injecting drug users, alcoholic, homeless, the aged, the mentally ill and the street sex worker community of Sydney's Kings Cross for over 40 years.

No one at the wayside Chapel is expected to participate in any kind of worship. Conversion of the poor and unfortunate is not their focus. They are asked what services they need and then the people who work there quietly set about trying to provide them. No ecumenical strings attached.

They were in fact the first people to set up any kind of organised aid programme for these street people and for over a decade the good old Rev was officially expelled from his own Church for doing so. The Uniting Church felt he had brought the entire Diocese into disrepute by allowing such miscreants into his hallowed halls - and they ceased to fund him or to pay him a wage unless he desisted. Well he refused to follow their edicts and continued on. His wife took work in an office to replace the wage he had once drawn from parish funds and they begged a space from the local business community in which to continue their work.

It wasn't until the world wide recognition of his work forced the hierarchy to welcome him back or look like the lot of hypocritical pratts they were that the Church once more made any kind of contribution to any of his programmes. He was famous here for having said to the gathered parish elites when they first confronted him about this:
"Jesus was welcomed into the company of the prostitutes and the beggars. Who am I to say that I desire any more esteemed companions than he kept?"