Are you catholic?

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GodsGrace

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It began in 2006.
What about before then???
Before then it was not necessary and records were kept for different reasons. One of which is what I stated -- for selection of children that would be picked for Catholic school acceptance based on the contribution amount of the parents. Richer kids had the advantage. This is not a very christianly thing to do. In fact, it should have been based on the child, the reasons WHY the parents wanted to send the child to a Catholic school, etc.
 
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Rollo Tamasi

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I hope your idea about caring for wayward kids doesn’t include letting them get away with lying and stealing - that only sets them up for failure as adults
I'm not their caretaker
I see the kids in my neighborhood, I know who has problems at home and who doesn't, I offer work on my property, if they accept I get to talk to them, once in a while someone will open up and listen, and what they do with that afterwards is up to them
But they know I'm there if they want to talk again
 

Rollo Tamasi

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Dear friend,

They are not MY values. They are Christian values: thou shalt not steal, honor your father and mother.

I get it. You were nine and lived in a bad home. You are now older, reflecting and sharing this story as an adult. Now that you are older and wiser it seems you would have more of a “I now get what my mother was trying to teach me” attitude and that is what your story would be about. Instead you say “i would have punched them out” and are trying to make it an anti-Catholic story. What you experienced at the age of 9 had nothing to do with catholic doctrine.

God must be a school teacher!!;) Follow the rules or be punished.

Mary

BTW....The dime put in your hand wasn’t yours....it was your mothers.
You obviously lived a sheltered life
 

Stranger

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I agree absolutely.
I can't remember being in a Protestant church where envelopes were used for "donations". Or, at least, not envelopes with a numbering system.

Years ago when I was a member of a Southern Baptist Church we had envelopes to give our tithes with. And I believe our name was on them, as they were mailed to us. Plus, we had envelops designated for specific missionary giving. So, it is not just a Roman thing.

Stranger
 

GodsGrace

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Years ago when I was a member of a Southern Baptist Church we had envelopes to give our tithes with. And I believe our name was on them, as they were mailed to us. Plus, we had envelops designated for specific missionary giving. So, it is not just a Roman thing.

Stranger
I dislike this method.
BTW, this is not done in Italy.
People would just stop going to church.
 

Stranger

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You obviously lived a sheltered life

And that, I guess, makes you somewhat better because you learned to steal at an early age? If learning the things of God early is being sheltered, I am all for it.

Stranger
 
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Stranger

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I dislike this method.
BTW, this is not done in Italy.
People would just stop going to church.

People stopped anyway. If giving this way stops them from going they arn't going to be there long. Later I belonged to another Protestant Church and I didn't give by check, but cash only in the plate as they passed it around, The Church asked me to record how much I gave so they could record it for the tax purposes. But I didn't. But I always gave the same amount. They figured it out and sent me a tax statement anyway. No big deal to me.

Stranger
 

GodsGrace

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People stopped anyway. If giving this way stops them from going they arn't going to be there long. Later I belonged to another Protestant Church and I didn't give by check, but cash only in the plate as they passed it around, The Church asked me to record how much I gave so they could record it for the tax purposes. But I didn't. But I always gave the same amount. They figured it out and sent me a tax statement anyway. No big deal to me.

Stranger
The NT says to give with a joyful heart. As long as one gives joyfully, it's all good. I'm just saying that people shouldn't feel coerced. Sounds like you went to small churches.
 

Stranger

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The NT says to give with a joyful heart. As long as one gives joyfully, it's all good. I'm just saying that people shouldn't feel coerced. Sounds like you went to small churches.

And of course I agree with that. The first church I described was very large. The second would be what I call medium size.

Stranger
 
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Rollo Tamasi

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And that, I guess, makes you somewhat better because you learned to steal at an early age? If learning the things of God early is being sheltered, I am all for it.

Stranger
You say this for the sake of argument
You answer my message to her, but you ignore my message to you
Post #34
 

BreadOfLife

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I always wondered about things.
When I was young, the catholic church gave me an envelope with numbers on it that identified me.
I didn't know that at 9 years old.
So when my mother gave me a dime to put in the envelope, I use to take the dime out and give an empty envelope.
How would they know I figured.
Then I would go spend the dime on penny candy and be happy.
We were poor and I rarely got money for penny candy.
Well one day the church called my house and told my mother I was giving empty envelopes.
Boy, did I get in trouble.
I was shocked that I had my own number.
I was offended.
Who were they to number me?
I guess I was always independent, growing up in the city projects and surviving on a daily basis.
Well, after getting blasted by my parents, I decided "well, they never go to church, so who are they to tell me what to do with my dime".
And I deduced that since the catholic church was jam packed for 3 services every Sunday morning, that they didn't need my dime.
I needed it more than them.
Now when you think about it, giving a dime to the catholic when I did, I gave rebelliously.
But when I kept it and spent it on penny candy, I was happy and thank you.
And people tried to tell me I was sinning.
But I kept doing it.
Until my mother no longer gave me a dime.
I forget what happened after that.
I still had to go to church but I forget about the envelopes.
I doubt I gave in to my mother, I was far too rebellious.

But I guess my problem is, who are these church people that they felt they had a right to number a 9 year old boy and keep- track on my giving?
Why if I was a few years older I probably would have punched them out.
Psychologically-speaking - this post speaks VOLUMES about a lot more than just a kid who was stealing dimes . . .
 

BreadOfLife

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I can't believe you people!
You place your values onto an abused 9 year old growing up in a tough neighborhood and pretty much on his own growing up.
You say it was my dime?
You bet it was.
Any money that was put in my hand was mine.
And lots of time I had to fight to keep it.
Ever have to live with that when you were a kid?
Honor your mother and father?
I didn't know what honor meant.
The word was never used in my house.

The school teachers.
All you people could be school teachers.
Follow the rules or be punished.
Yup . . . VOLUMES . . .
 

BreadOfLife

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They had to keep the people numbered so if someone's kid wanted to go to catholic school, they'd know how much was donated and they actually accepted the kids whose parents gave more.

This is because there was so much demand to send kids to Catholic school. I know this for sure because my mom wanted to send me but they wouldn't accept me for this reason. She was very hurt and didn't participate much after that.

OTOH, a friend was smarter than my mom. They gave the right amount of money every Sunday. The father would show up at collection time, put the envelope in the basket and then turn right around and go back home.

Great system.
This is complete nonsense.

First of all - MOST Catholic parishes don't even have schools.
The reason for the envelopes is for budgeting and taxation purposes.

I was a counter for several years in my parish, so I know firsthand.
I'm also on that Pastoral Advisory Committee.
 

Rollo Tamasi

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This is complete nonsense.

First of all - MOST Catholic parishes don't even have schools.
The reason for the envelopes is for budgeting and taxation purposes.

I was a counter for several years in my parish, so I know firsthand.
I'm also on that Pastoral Advisory Committee.
Ooh,ooh, can I join your church?
I owe you a few dimes.
 

GodsGrace

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This is complete nonsense.

First of all - MOST Catholic parishes don't even have schools.
The reason for the envelopes is for budgeting and taxation purposes.

I was a counter for several years in my parish, so I know firsthand.
I'm also on that Pastoral Advisory Committee.
In NYC they did.
You're calling me a liar again.