Why you don't see atheists feeding the poor

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http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyat ... community/

So by cherry picking one soup kitchen, you've proved a point? There are many secular charitable organizations (eg. Amnesty). Despite this, people from the major religions actually give more to charity than most atheists do.

"The SCCBS data do not support this hypothesis, however: Religious people are more generous than secular people with nonreligious causes as well as with religious ones. While 68 percent of the total population gives (and 51 percent volunteers) to nonreligious causes each year, religious people are 10 points more likely to give to these causes than secularists (71 percent to 61 percent) and 21 points more likely to volunteer (60 percent to 39 percent). For example, religious people are 7 points more likely than secularists to volunteer for neighborhood and civic groups, 20 points more likely to volunteer to help the poor or elderly, and 26 points more likely to volunteer for school or youth programs. It seems fair to say that religion engenders charity in general — including nonreligious charity."

http://www.hoover.org/publications/poli ... ticle/6577

I wonder if it's either difficult or awkward for a secular charity to form.

Or if some Atheists are reluctant to self identify.

Also, is it possible that Religions have a different Income Tax status? It seems like a Secular group could just as easily setup a Non-Profit, but I'm not sure how that works or if there is a significant difference.

http://foundationbeyondbelief.org
http://www.livescience.com/20005-atheis ... ssion.html

http://www.kiva.org/teams

If anyone wants a serious answer for "why you don't see atheists being charitable". The answer is simply that atheists don't usually wear t-shirts to bring attention to them while doing charitable stuff. Also, since there are many closeted atheists out there doing charity, a chunk of the charity from the religious actually belongs to atheists ^^.

Charity is always a good thing for those in need (unless there are unfavorable conditions for them to follow as a result).

But it is no really a good measure of one's morals anyway. I care more for the motive behind it than the act of charity itself.

I speculate that atheists (at least in the US) are more likely to advocate government programmes rather than NGO charities to help the poor/elderly etc. than religious individuals.

So, a simple comparison of donations would likely be invalid.

It would probably be better to ask: "What percentage of your income (for instance through tax-funded programmes or donations) would you be willing to allocate to charity?"

So far, I haven't found a study that uses such a methodology.

And if someone is donating money to religious "charities" advocating abstinence only sex education as a tool to combat HIV, then that money would be less harmfully spent if it was donated to Al Qaeda.

Individuals spend as much or little money to charity as they wish and as their budget allows. I don't think religion has a lot of influence on that. Maybe religion-based charity groups will donate more to people of the same religion, although certainly in Europe they become more and more charities that help people regardless of their faith.

The social welfare system we have in Europe has nothing to do with charity, it is a political system. Nothing to do with charity. Charity are groups you join voluntarely or money you give away personally to the ones in need. Governments do often support charity groups and initiatives.

Also, I would like to add, what is charity? For example I am paying member of a Cuba support group ; membership money is used for projects in Cuba and for organising events defending Cuba. Some would call that wrong to defend a socialist state, I am in favor of Cuba's system so I consider it charity. Not everyone will agree where the boundaries of "charity" lie. Fundraising for a religious building for example, I wouldn't call that charity, even though I have nothing against it.