My mother was a devout catholic. She was in her 80’s and half blind when a priest visited her home. He asked her to donate $9k for a new organ. She was smart enough to say no. A month later, the church closed its doors and the parish was consolidated with another, smaller one across town. Anyone have similar experiences?
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Why is it that whenever one asks for help they get thoughts and prayers, but when a church needs help it is always with dollars?
dalefvictor
Level 8
Oct 29, 2020
0
If it were my mother, she probably would have handed over the money. Good for your mom!
I hope all the churches in the world suffer the same fate eventually.
Zoltans_Queen
Level 6
Oct 29, 2020
0
Nothing new, in the middle ages guards were posted outside castles to keep away predatory priests bearing wills favouring the church, when the king or lord of the manor was dying.
LenHazell53
Level 9
Oct 28, 2020
1
The catholic church is the richest church of them all with assets and investments all over the world, they could eliminate poverty three times over if they wanted to. Of course they don't want to because without the poor they would soon disappear. Fuck them!
Mofo1953
Level 9
Oct 28, 2020
4
As a Former Catholic... Bravo Zulu to Your Mother.
GipsyOfNewSpain
Level 9
Oct 28, 2020
4
How was a new organ going to help keep the church open? Wrong priorities or just a scam?
IMO a church needs an organ like a fish needs a bicycle. And if it really needs once, just buy a Yamaha keyboard for a couple of hundred bucks on eBay.
prometheus
Level 7
Oct 28, 2020
2
Agreed, this was a huge cut stone cathedral size church, the organ pipes and ducting would fill most living rooms. BTW, it was located in a relatively poor district
If you don't sing along to a real pipe organ you don't love Jesus.
He lied ... it never was for the organ, it was to keep the church afloat. He figured she'd die before she figured it out.
@AtheistInNC great. What's the point of ten commandments if you can't even keep them? No surprise there really - just fix it with a bit of praying later right? It's almost as if the ten commandments are actually just a list of things you can do wrong and get a get-out-of-hell free card later with some knee time.
@prometheus Yup. You can't trust anyone who can commit a heinous crime and then "pray" and be absolved of it. Total horse puckey.
Of course the Catholic church is in great need of money. All those London real estate deals for luxury apartments being uncovered, must've put a crimp on the cash flow. So sad to see such an august organisation that has accumulated wealth, in spite of its precepts, having to be reduced to begging. We should form a PAC to help them utilise what they have, rather than plead for more 
Pompey
Level 6
Oct 28, 2020
2
Catholic Church struggling financially when it IS the Biggest and Wealthiest Organisation in the ENTRIE World.
Just ONE tenth of its LIQUID Assets could relieve Poverty, Hunger, etc, etc, across the globe for at least the next 5 Generations or more WITHOUT having to touch their rest of their Assets.
In late 2002 the Gross Wealth of the Catholic Church was approx. 300 TRILLION Dollars U.S. and still climbing.
On average it 'rakes in' on a monthly basis world-wide approx. 2.86 Million Dollars U.S. in tithes, rentals, etc, etc, and that does NOT include bequests from Estates of its Congregations.
@Triphid Let's see some numbers. This is just pure speculation.
(you didn't mention how much it costs to eliminate poverty, hunger and etc across the globe. Somehow I think that is going to be a pretty big number.)
@Pompey, @AtheistInNC I actually DID put up the Gross ( not NETT btw since they PAY NO Taxes) Wealth of the Catholic Church as at late 2002.
FYI, EACH newly 'elected' Pope gets a COMPLETEY new and VERY expensive wardrobe, a NEW and extremely expensive Papal ring, etc, etc, costing approx. 1 to 1.5 MILLION dollars U.S.
ALL Papal apparel IS Tailor made by the most expensive Tailoring Firm in Italy and hand sewn from SILK with 24 carat gold thread, etc, sewn into it and most of the wardrobe is replaced at 1-2 yearly intervals until the reigning Pope dies.
When EACH Pope kicks the bucket, EVERYTHING, and I mean EVERYTHING belonging to that Pope is destroyed INCLUDING the Papal ring/s.
Sounds like she was smart enough to know that donating would be throwing good money after bad..
TomMcGiverin
Level 8
Oct 28, 2020
3
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