Some churches around the world have moved toward online giving – church attendees can go online, tithe a certain amount of money, and have that money pulled directly from their bank accounts or credit cards. It’s especially popular with parachurches, where one megachurch is at the center and satellite churches watch the services on television. And while the trend has made giving easier for some, Ministry Today reports that “many Christians remain hesitant to use a method they believe is susceptible to fraud, theft, and error.”

The magazine claims online giving is secure and makes it easier to make recurring gifts to a church. This is also helpful for church leaders – if they know member X will be giving $50 a month, they can plan ahead for how to use those funds.

On the other hand, the magazine warns that online giving makes it easy to forget the importance of developing face-to-face relationships with congregants and thanking those people for their gifts to God/the church.

What do you think? Is online giving a scam? Or is it a convenient tool for giving?

Copyright 2009, Religion Transcends

Filed under: Catholicism, Christianity, Protestantism | 1 Comment »

In 1986, Tibetan Buddhist leader the Dalai Lama recognized Osel Hita Torres as a reincarnation of another lama – Lama Yeshe who had died two years prior. Many Buddhists worshipped the boy like a god. But now at age 24, Torres is abandoning his faith and speaking out about his unhappy childhood.

Background – What is a lama?

A lama is a Tibetan religious teacher (kind of like a guru). The title can mean someone has authority to teach, is spiritually admirable, or is a reincarnation of a past lama. Torres is the latter. The Dalai Lama himself is in the most famous line of reincarnated lamas. Past lamas tend to socialize together. 

Torres speaks out

Torres claims he was often depressed, separated from his family who have voluntarily given him a monastery as a baby. He was placed on a throne and worshipped there. Torres claims he was only allowed to socialize with other lamas and was not allowed to watch TV or experience a normal childhood. When he turned 18, the Spanish Torres began exploring the world (dancing, kissing, two things he’d never seen) and studying film. He has also rejected the Buddhist religion and spoken out against it.

The Buddhist Channel says Torres’ recent behavior has caused “some embarassment” for Buddhists.

What do you think? Do Buddhists have a right to be embarrassed? Are they just disappointed? Is Torres justified in his denouncement of Buddhism or is he just complaining?

Learn about other lamas on Religion Transcends.

Copyright 2009, Religion Transcends

Filed under: Buddhism | No Comments »

The Pew Research Center published results of a prayer survey a few weeks ago. After talking to 35,000 Americans, they determined that the following percentages of members of various religions/denominations pray at least once a day:

OVERALL

60% of Americans say they pray daily

CHRISTIANS

Jehovah’s Witnesses: 89% pray at least once a day

Mormons: 82%

Evangelical Protestant Christians: 78%

Black Protestant Christians: 80%

Orthodox Christians: 60%

Mainline Protestant Christians (Methodists, Lutherans, etc.): 53%

Catholics: 58%

MUSLIMS: 71%

BUDDHISTS:  45%

HINDUS: 62%

JEWS: 26%

See the results in graphic form at the Pew site.

It appears women over the age of 65 are the most likely to pray. People with the least amount of income also seem to pray the most (for money, perhaps?).

Of course, the poll doesn’t explain Pew’s definition of “prayer.” And certain factors come into play (e.g., meditation may be more important than prayer for many Buddhists) that affect the results. So it should be kept in mind that prayer may reflect religiosity but is not an exclusive factor in determining religiosity. What do you think about the results?

Copyright 2009, Religion Transcends

Filed under: Judaism, Sects, Statistics | No Comments »

Scientists have taken a deeper look at the brains of people who claim to have had spiritual experiences connecting them to God. Decide for yourself — is the experience real? Or is it just a chemical experience in the brain?

Check it out at npr.org today.

Copyright 2009, Religion Transcends

Filed under: Religion and Science | No Comments »