An amazing sentence from Rick Santorum: “If you graduate from high school, get married, and then have children, there is less than a 3% chance you will be in poverty.”
Going to church helps people stay on paths, as outlined above, that let them escape much of pain and unpleasantness that is visited upon people who do not believe and obey God’s operating instructions. But, which church should the poor attend?
Protestant churches are not the lowest cost providers of access to God. Married ministers with families are costly to a congregation. The per-member cost of supporting a minister and family goes up as a congregation dwindles. As costs go up, the congregations dwindle more quickly.
During this process of decline, which may be temporarily averted by bringing in a “rock star” minister, there is unavoidable, unrelenting pressure on the congregation to give more. Those who can’t afford any additional contributions are the first to leave. They feel embarrassed not to be able to make the larger contributions that are necessary.
While every church says, “We welcome the poor!”, the fact is, they can’t afford to do so. The squeezing increases proportionately with increases in property, sales, and income taxes.
Catholic priests do not marry and have children. So, Catholic parishes operate more inexpensively. The squeeze isn’t always on. Some Catholics don’t put anything in the collection. Many put in a dollar or so a week. There’s no reason for them to do more, and they know it. “If I start making more money, I’ll start making a bigger contribution.” they say. “The priest has taken a vow of poverty, and he doesn’t need my money,”
Actually, they have it backwards. If they start giving more, they’ll start making more, but it takes awhile to understand that. During that time, the Catholic Church cheerfully provides a place where they can receive the Sacraments and their children can be shown the straight and narrow path. It doesn’t cost them more than they want to give. There are many, many ways that it pays the poor to be Catholic.
There is, despite popular beliefs encouraged by the other side, a welcoming of the poor in every Catholic Church. Many parishes are subsidized by a handful of blessed and prosperous people who are grateful for the opportunity to help God save souls. They gladly bear much of the budgetary burdens.
It pays the poor to be Catholic. It pays the rich to be Catholic, too. It pays everyone!
