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Comments on: Good Christians All https://whynow.dumka.us/2010/04/05/good-christians-all/ On-line Opinion Magazine...OK, it's a blog Tue, 06 Apr 2010 20:16:56 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 By: Bryan https://whynow.dumka.us/2010/04/05/good-christians-all/comment-page-1/#comment-51665 Tue, 06 Apr 2010 20:16:56 +0000 http://whynow.dumka.us/?p=13761#comment-51665 In reply to Steve Bates.

In general I use the standard deduction because the itemized version is a royal PITA and I would rather do other things with my time, but even if I was itemizing, I was taught that the truly anonymous gift is the best kind of gift, and telling the IRS destroys the anonymity. Different traditions, not better or worse, just different, and one of the reasons I find the “Pharisees” so offensive.

I don’t write about it much, because there are a number of “traditions” that I was taught that I now view as rather nasty relics of earlier religious wars. Bottom line is that your personal reason for giving is more important than how much you give, i.e. did you really want to do it because it was right?

]]> By: Steve Bates https://whynow.dumka.us/2010/04/05/good-christians-all/comment-page-1/#comment-51664 Tue, 06 Apr 2010 14:07:20 +0000 http://whynow.dumka.us/?p=13761#comment-51664 Bryan, I think that for one rare time I disagree with you… not on the bragging Christians who parade about waving all their charitable donations in your face (I think somewhere in scripture there’s an injunction against that), but about tax-deducting your charitable contributions, quietly and privately, between you and the IRS. Do I do it? No. But that’s because a) most of the org’s I give to don’t qualify because they have some political advocacy component*, and b) you don’t save very much by deducting a $30 or $50 donation, which is about my speed in these parlous times. IOW, it isn’t worth the bother.

* Many of those in turn are split into an activist org and (separately) a foundation; the latter can accept tax-deductible contributions for, e.g., educational purposes. Sierra Club is structured that way. BTW, I’m no expert; none of this is to be construed as tax advice.

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