chrisn-585491 (7/2/2013)
"I'll also say that there is a big difference between charitable giving and giving to a church. I wonder if those charitable statistics that people throw around make that distinction. In other words, I wonder how the statistical differences between states would look if money given to churches did not count. (I'm assuming that the current stats include all tax approved "charitable" giving. That may not be correct.) "I'm wondering what percentage of gifts to the church actually go to charity verses the overhead of running the church. If only a small faction of a person's tithe is going to charity, are they better off giving to a charity with less overhead and more impact? WW*D?
That would depend on the church/religious assembly in question. Roman Catholic dioceses make financial statements a matter of public record, and all revenues, including collections and funding appeals, are accounted for and independently certified. I'm sure there are other creeds/sects with a similar approach. Then there are some churches/assemblies for which the eye test makes it fairly obvious where most of the offering ends up. You make the call- it's your time and treasure to give.