After writing about the problems with the Karmapa Lama, I had some more thoughts about why people give donations to religious institutions like temples and churches or also to gurus and masters. Sometimes I wonder whether they think they can bribe God.
The ideal scenario would be this: a believer goes into a religious building, be it a church, a temple or any other such place. He or she has a problem and goes there to do prayers or ceremonies. This person finds inner peace, can calm the mind and maybe in this way find a solution for the problem. This makes him thankful that there is such a place and he wishes this place to remain so that he can always go there to pray. He thus supports the place with his donation.
What actually happens in the minds of people is not really this! People give donations not out of thankfulness and the wish to support, but rather in the belief that they can buy blessings. They think they can buy their luck or good destiny just like rice on the market.
They want to get something, they have a wish and they want to have it fulfilled. For this wish they go, offer some money and say ‘God, here you are, this is how much I give for you to fulfill my wish’. Even if they don’t formulate it clearly like this, they think that for big wishes you should give a big donation, for smaller wishes, some coins may be enough.
People thus try to buy fulfillment of their wishes from God. God however does not want or need any money. People have this thought that they give for God, or that God would love them more if they gave more but actually God does not really care for this. Otherwise what could a poor person give if he had a big wish?
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You are obviously writing – as the picture also shows – after seeing how it is in Hindu temples. I had to compare this with what happens in our churches and thought that it is actually pretty much the same. People sit in the church service, all the time thinking ‘please God, let me get this job/house/girl/…’ or ‘i hope i win the lottery’ and in the end, they give a donation in the collection box with the thought ‘this should be enough!’ and the church pays their child-abusing preachers’ lifestyle with it! Great, what did God get from this???
One man was praying to the God, 1CHey God If I win a million dollar lottery, will donate you 50% 1D but he did not win the lottery and keep requesting the God for almost a year. After a year, The God actually came to him and slapped him and said, 1CIdiot first go a buy a lottery ticket 1D.
One man said to God: if I find some money today, I will donate 25% from that. Luckily he found a 1 rupee coin but it was bit broken. He went to exchange this coin at a shop and he got 75 paisa. Then he said :’God, you are very clever, you already took your 25%!’
Ha ..ha..how true.
This is the biggest business of India or maybe of the world. In the South Indian Tirupati Bala Ji Temple they make business out of hair as well and there people believe that your wish will come true by donating your hair. So even if you have nothing in your pocket, you still have got hair, so give it and take your blessing. So thousands of people shave their heads so that their wishes may come true and the temple makes millions out of only selling that hair. The complete Guru business is all about getting money and giving blessings. This is for what people visit their Gurus: to give money and get blessings. And the Guru visits people to give blessings and get money. It is a very successful business in India.
There are all kinds of blessings in the market. In India people get blessings also by giving only one rupee to a beggar on the street or in the donation box of a temple. Or by giving millions to their big Gurus or in a big temple.
I never saw it like this but it is definitely an interesting point of view.Whenever I go to a church service, I give a donation. I would actually feel embarrassed if I didn’t because our preacher always stands just next to the donation box at the exit door. I don’t even think much about it but caught myself thinking a few times about how much money I have spent in this way over the years. Then I immediately think that this money is spent for God, it is okay. But how is that money spent for God? Does it make God happy if my church gets a new golden crucifix on the altar? On the other hand I also like supporting the community because I think they do good work. I guess I have to see it as this: helping others. Because I am convinced that God does not care too much about how much I put into that box.
I was watching a Filipina TV celebrity teaching her young son about “sacrifice” on her TV show. She explained that if she asked God for something she should first sacrifice something to gain his pleasure. In this instance she gave the example that if she asked God for some favour and “sacrificed” eating Maltesers HE would be pleased with that and grant her request. (Note: All of this was said with a straight face and in a serious attitude, so I guess you CAN bribe God by giving up your favourite candy).
If she says so, I am sure it must be true!She probably has this experience and you do not, so better try yourself first! 🙂