Religious People More Charitable

Some findings from Barna at ChurchExecutive.com reinforce other findings we've begun to see over the past 2-3 years which show, contrary to the popular accusation hurled by liberals who want to take money out of your pocket and give it to someone else, that conservatives are more charitable than liberals.

One of the most significant differences between active-faith and no-faith Americans is the cultural disengagement and sense of independence exhibited by atheists and agnostics in many areas of life. They are less likely than active-faith Americans to be registered to vote (78% versus 89%), to volunteer to help a non-church-related non-profit (20% versus 30%), to describe themselves as “active in the community” (41% versus 68%), and to personally help or serve a homeless or poor person (41% versus 61%). They are also more likely to be registered to vote as an independent or with a non-mainstream political party.

One of the outcomes of this profile – and one of the least favorable points of comparison for atheist and agnostic adults – is the paltry amount of money they donate to charitable causes. The typical no-faith American donated just $200 in 2006, which is more than seven times less than the amount contributed by the prototypical active-faith adult ($1500). Even when church-based giving is subtracted from the equation, active-faith adults donated twice as many dollars last year as did atheists and agnostics. In fact, while just 7% of active-faith adults failed to contribute any personal funds in 2006, that compares with 22% among the no-faith adults.

Maybe people of faith remain more in touch with the ideas this nation was founded on: charity with an emphasis on personal responsibility.

Or maybe people of faith are just more in touch with God's admonition to help one another--they just believe in doing it themselves, rather than reaching into someone else's pocket to do it.