The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #152326 Message #3564464
Posted By: GUEST,Ed T
05-Oct-13 - 11:29 AM
Thread Name: BS: Religion, which is the best one?
Subject: RE: BS: Religion, which is the best one?
""Ed, in Austria (and in other countries), churches have formal membership structures - was that the question? The testees had filled in a form, also asking for income etc. Since it was all anonymous, some may have lied, but could not possibly have had any advantage from it.""
Grishka:
No, that was not my point - it was more that that church membership (or attending church services) has less to do with determining a religious belief today, than it did in earlier years. This relates to pete-7*s earlier claim that there is a direct relationship between a tendency to lie - among those with a belief in a god versus those no such belief.
In the country I live in and the church I attended as a child, there was a registry used mostly for church income generation purposes. What you gave was published each year. Most of the rich families, who could afford large donations were eager to have their names posted. The majority of the low income people rarely wanted to see their smaller donations listed. (BTW, the church also sold pews at the front of the church, where the more well-to-do folks proudly sat - my family were contented to stand at the back, with the less deserving folks. My family could have paid to buy a front seat. But, my parents found the practice excessive and offensive).