Keeping the Faith: Coin plate may be bleak at some places of worship

November 24, 2008 by Haley Etchison 

Is the current economic downturn affecting donations?

Faith and religion, if not headline players on the world stage are unquestionably pulling the strings behind the scenes.  Regardless of individuals’ beliefs about God, most people think religion is an important topic today. I know because religious students in my classes seem to never turn down a chance to discuss religious topics with their atheist and agnostic classmates  and people of other faiths, or vice versa.

Since I believe those discussions are critically important and that faith fits a fascinating niche in our society that effects us in amazing ways, I have decided to take up the sacred art of column writing in an effort to promote healthy discussions among UNLV students.

A mass turning to religion in the wake of crisis has become something of a cliché.  Since most people expect attendance at houses of worship to spike following widespread grief or bad news, few are surprised anymore when the numbers slump a month or two later. About a year after Sept. 11, religious leaders of all stripes began reporting that the families and individuals that had filled their seats in the months after the attacks had, as predicted, slinked back to their regular lives.

But economic crisis may have a different effect on popular religion than singular acts of terror.

The problem lies in the idea that religion generally expects something from its followers, be it time, money or a change in behavior, that many people are just not willing to give in these belt-tightening times.

Tithing, a concept common to many religions that calls for the giving of 10 percent of one’s income, has begun to be adapted to the strains of recession.

I recently attended a church service at Green Valley Evangelical Lutheran Church, where Pastor Don Pieper spoke on the church’s behavior in response to economic decline.  He encouraged listeners to continue giving to the church, but surrounded the call with a sermon’s worth of “fluff” about staying positive despite financial strain.

As students, we often expect the god of Web searching to lead us to answers about anything – even God. I wanted to see what people might find if they were looking to redefine the role of religion in their lives in these tough economic times, so naturally I turned to Google.  

A blogger for a Christian Web site wanted to persuade people to keep tithing despite challenges. He/she wrote, “For us, we tithe first and then pay our bills with all else. We believe this is what the Bible tells us to do.”

George Greene, founder of nomoretithing.org, has a different view.  “The purpose of this Web page is to highlight what the Bible really teaches concerning giving money and other resources.  Contrary to popular belief, the Bible does not teach us that we should still be tithing,” he said.

Many secular sources have recently focused on “prosperity theology” as a motivator of worship and financial giving during tough times.  Prosperity theology teaches that authentic religious belief and behavior will result in material prosperity.

This is an appealing deal for many would-be worshippers, but Mike Ruffin, who publishes devotions.com describes the other, less enticing side of the doctrine.

“What was being taught by [a lot of people] who stand in our churches today, is what has become known as ‘Prosperity Gospel.’ In other words, if we’re suffering in life, then there must be something wrong with our faith.” Ruffin said. “We don’t receive because we don’t believe,” 

He went on to promote an opposing philosophy that claims bad things happen to good people because sin is inherent in humanity, not as a direct result of bad actions.

True or not, scores of people have been drawn in recent months to religions that espouse prosperity theology, hoping to bulk up their wallets a bit.

In spite of the state of the economy, religious student organizations seem to be conducting business as usual.  Most of their members joined for reasons unrelated to the fluctuation of religious interest in response to national concern, so membership is relatively immune to the recession.

“I’m involved because I was really Jewish growing up.  I was in a small Jewish group in high school, so in college it was the obvious path of choice,” said Jacki Honig, a member of Hillel, one of UNLV’s Jewish organizations.  She added, “There wasn’t even a question.”

But many student organizations are involved in service projects that have been effected by the economic downturn.  Ellen Grossman of the Jewish Family Service Agency has seen some changes because Las Vegans struggling to make ends meet have begun turning to religion-backed service organizations like hers.  “The number of people seeking help from the [agency’s] food pantry has nearly tripled in recent months,” she said. The surplus they thought they would have for the year may turn out to be a deficit if demand continues at the rate it’s going.

People seem more interested in religion these days, but often only to the extent that religious organizations reach out to offer material help.  There is little evidence to suggest that the numbers of people seeking religious lifestyles are climbing in response to the falling ones on Wall Street.

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