jg…While I thank you for your stint in the Navy aiding the protection of our country, your service didn’t help the truly unfortunate of this world much. You’ll have to pardon me if I don’t consider service in the armed forces “God’s work” on the level of Mother Theresa (again, personally, I appreciate your efforts)… and you conveniently didn’t bother to address the issues that I brought up in the first paragraph of my previous post, which speaks volumes.
As to my “public service” or “charity” or whathaveyou, well, ask and you shall receive. (Well, sometimes, anyway.) A quick perusal of my 2006 1040 Schedule A Statement 5 reveals $16,200 in Contributions by Cash or Check spread among the following:
International Community Foundation
Kingsley House
Make-a-Wish Foundation
Special Olympics
The Tibet Fund
World Vision
The College of William and Mary
The Lance Armstrong Foundation (yeah, despite the annoying yellow wristbands)
The Katrina Fund
You asked.
Now, does giving to charity make me a “good” person? No. I do it for me. I enjoy helping people who I think deserve it. (To put it into perspective, however, I get an equal amount of pleasure helping to trample people who I think deserve it.) Am I going to heaven? Nope. In all likelihood I’ll rot in the ground just like everyone else. Unlike most religious types, I don’t help others in order to increase my likelihood of going on to my “Great Reward” in the sky. I’m not trying to appease some God by doing “good.” I just enjoy it; thus, it’s a symptom of my own self-interest.
I can only imagine what the typical Christian (or other religous type) is thinking as s/he strokes out a check to some charity: “Look, God, Look!! I’m a good person!! Really, I am!! I hope you remember this when I meet up with St. Peter at the Pearly Gates!! Will I get extra credit for this?!?”
