Actually, they do. Churches are often used as collection centers for blood drives. Mine is.

And whom do you suppose constitute the majority of donors? Members!

__________________
"The whole modern world has divided itself into Conservatives and Progressives. The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes. The business of the Conservatives is to prevent the mistakes from being corrected." G.K. Chesterton

The church isn't collecting the blood; it's hosting the effort.

But don't you see how this makes the indictment of liberal stinginess even worse? Why don't liberals invite the same charities into their institutions and invite their neighbors to give blood?

They do. It is called "increase in taxes".

__________________
Czar of the 26th Ward.

A distinction without a difference. My point is that the giving difference between liberals and conservatives may be largely accounted for by the fact that the latter are more likely to be church attenders and members. Therefore, conservatives are more likely to support churches and all their attendant activities and causes. If there is a blood-collection station in the church lobby then, logically, they are more likely to give a pint than someone who is not a member.

Because liberals don't tend to be joiners. They don't have as many "institutions."

__________________
"The whole modern world has divided itself into Conservatives and Progressives. The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes. The business of the Conservatives is to prevent the mistakes from being corrected." G.K. Chesterton

I think what Liberals and Conservatives have in common, and they share it more than they realize, is their love for Statism.

If I had a dime for when I've heard liberals and conservatives say "there outta be a law!!" about something.


One day Libertarians will rename themselves to the Common Sense Party which has a more down-home feel to it, then we'll take over and start firing thousands of government employees.

__________________
WHYY pays their CEO $750,000 a year. So WHYY should I renew my membership? Seems they have no problems finding money and spending it unwisely.


And this is why you should donate to PACCA, not PETA:

In September, PETA made headlines in Vermont and across the nation for asking Ben & Jerry's ice cream to use human breast milk in their ice cream, instead of cow milk

Not only do liberals not join; they don't give and they don't help. While you're stuck on the church thing, don't forget conservatives give more to both religious and secular charities.

Why don't liberals give more to secular charities?

"Research" data can be manipulated in the way that so-called "scientific research" of Intelligent Design proponents is biased so that certain segments of the conservative fringe have tried to explain away the reality of climate change. The demographic factors examined, or the lens through which the raw data is interpreted, are slanted to capture only the results that the group wants to find.

One also needs to take into account not only giving to religious charities, but other non-profit efforts, as well as non-monetary donations, volunteering of time and talent, etc, as well as the precentage of total income given to all charities by an individual out of their "disposable income."

The real truth? EVERYONE can do better with giving- both liberals and conservatives and most people in between. Sider makes this point quite powerfully and persuasively in Rich Christians where he compares living conditions of Americans to those of the vast majority of peoples in the 2/3 world.

__________________
Peace,

John

My eBay World

My Librarything

MySpace

. . . .

See- this type of "us and them" mentality and rhetoric are a large part of the problem with the huge ideological divide on issues like this in America >>> Justify to defend and rationalize one's own comfort zone and ethics, then generalize about a poorly, inaccurately constructed straw man opponent.

I would also dispute the claim that liberals just want to be generous with other peoples' money and stingy with their own.

I think many progressives, myself included, strive to be generous personally in diverse ways beyond just faith-based generosity, AND believe in a greater concept of social justice as a society- i.e. those 200+ references in Judeo-Christian scripture calling for justice for the poor and "least of these."

To use the Augustinian "two kingdoms" analogy, people of faith are "in the world but not of it," but we are still in the world, and called to live justly, and press for just and fair government that is representative of ALL the people, not just the wealthy, privileged few.

Let's not over-simplify, rationalize and stereotype here. Just remember, when one points a finger, there are four pointing back. This year I have been humbled by the generosity of others, and along with my family, are striving to make some lifestyle changes in order to be able to give more. It is an on-going challenge that is not easy, and I realize I still have a very long way to go. We all need to stay humble, I think and start by looking in the mirror.

__________________
Peace,

John

My eBay World

My Librarything

MySpace

. . . .

If people don't join organizations, they are harder to reach. If you've ever been involved in some large undertaking, you know that Step #1 is to reach out to relevant groups that are likely to provide supporters and cash. Liberals and Democratic candidates, historically, go to labor unions and black churches. Conservatives and Republicans go to white fundamentalist churches, veterans groups and the anti-abortion crowd. Gaining the support of groups is a fast way to put together a successful coalition.

A blood drive is a secular charity, but the same principle applies. If you need to stockpile a lot of blood plasma, what is the most effective way to do it?

*Ask a large sympathetic organization for support? (An organization whose members might earn status by wearing their "I gave" buttons to worship later.)
*Or park a collection van at a street corner and hope donors wander in?

Apparently, nobody can document what the supposedly more altruistic conservatives are giving to. So, I'm left with only a theory that churches are responsible. In that case, the difference between liberals and conservatives -- human nature being universal -- is that one side is being prodded by religious organizations and one is not.

__________________
"The whole modern world has divided itself into Conservatives and Progressives. The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes. The business of the Conservatives is to prevent the mistakes from being corrected." G.K. Chesterton

I'd agree with that. It does seem to be everyone's first instinct.