Why would a Christian group reject donations on the basis that the donations come from atheists?

I can’t see why a donation would be rejected because of what base an Atheist was playing. Oh! You mean ”...on the basis…”? Go figure! More religious insanity!

Why would an atheist want to donate to a crime syndicate?

@ragingloli A crime syndicate? To what exactly are you calling a crime syndicate? The baptist churches?

In any case the atheist in question wants to help the children of the hospital get the funding they need.

@kritiper Yes apologies for the typo, it has been amended.

Because they are “Christians”, not Christians.

Because they’ve forgotten that Jesus dined with publicans and sinners.

They just see it as further persecution of Christianity. Somehow. Oh. Wait. No. Satan is trying to sneak into their midst with promises of fortunes and riches.

Oh brother. No comment.

I know you did not ask this for the sake of getting a real answer as much as slamming the hospital and trying to slander God in the process, but here is a plausible answer you won’t accept anyhow. Maybe atheist would take money from anywhere or anybody for their causes, even from a religious body that was against them, same with the LGTB contingent, but some would feel it was tainted money almost the way some see marriage as religiously tainted, or tainted by the government as a money making scheme. If they took the money from known enemies of God, that could (I am not a part of their board so it might be different) symbolize a lack of faith in God providing and making friends with the world simply for mammon. If I were tem, I would not accept it either. Another plausible reason would be for someone to use it to ruin the testimony or to even say they blessed the hospital and that the Lord, whom they do not believe, was powerless or not real because money did not magically appear in the bank account like manna from Heaven. It also might insulate the hospital from any atheist agenda they giver might have. In any case, I am sure there are more than enough saints to make up for the money and the kids will not be suffering due to that rejected donation.

This goes both ways. Some people won’t help a faith based charity group or send their kids to a school attached to a church. Even when they are the best options.

I’m glad the guy was able to raise some money with the story, I can’t imagine the fundraising in Muskogee is very easy.

I would want to know if that atheist organization was created right before the try at donating? What work does the atheist group do? If the organization was created just to antagonize Christians, then I don’t blame the Baptists for rejecting the money. If the group has been around and donates to many varied organizations then I think the Baptists should take the money and say thank you.

I suppose this should not surprise any of us.

This reminds me of a news story from a few years ago. There was a devastating earthquake in an ancient Iranian town that killed hundreds and put the people in dire need of everything. B’nai Brith, a Jewish organization, sent a relief package involving money and tons of food under the guidelines of Tzedaka which states that this mitzvah must be performed anonymously. But when the elders of the town found out that the donation came from Jews, they began committing suicide.

Here you have an ancient adversary reaching out in peace and, rather than accept it in the spirit in which it was given, they are so shamed that they kill themselves.

Sounds like we have a case of those Christians who put Christianity in a bad light.
Their refusal makes me wonder do they really need the money for the kids, or for something else….

But, if they didn’t want to accept the money from the organization, why didn’t he give the money as himself?

@Hypocrisy_Central

This topic has nothing to do with slandering any gods. It’s got to do with a religious organisation being so overzealous that they have forgotten what they are there to do. My problem with them is that they demonise atheists to such a degree that they feel they are too good to take their charity.

But I take the point that the throught process is most likely due certain people viewing it as tainted money or whatever. It’s not particularly rational, but there you have it.

After reading more about it I can see why they rejected the money. An article said that it would be published/advertised that the donation was in “honor” of the atheist organization. These Christians believe that Jesus protects them, because they worship Him and promote the worship of him. You have to think from their perspective.

If Matt Wilbourn was so interested in donating to that charity, he could have done the Go Fund Me in his own name, but no I guess he wanted to make a point. Is he much better?

Would you accept money from someone who was contrary to your beliefs, and who you felt was harming your way of life and country? That’s the mindset of these people.

What is the mission of the atheist group? I couldn’t find a website for them.

@JLeslie

The group in question is a rather small group and all I could find was their Go Fund Me.

However they may be affiliated with the Oklahoma Atheists:

“Our mission is to develop a community of individuals and families who value and promote critical thinking, freethought, reason and a scientific worldview – as opposed to the acceptance of faith and dogma – and who seek to have a positive effect on the community at large through fellowship, ethical and rational discussion, community service, and education.”

This is their Facebook page and this is their website

@NerdyKeith To a Christian they are simply anti-God. I don’t see why any group has to label themselves atheists if they are a-ok with religion and God. I’m an atheist, I’ve even been to a few freethinkers meetings here where I live, because someone suggested it to me. At the meeting there were theists, so I’ll keep going. If it was a group of people who just hated on religion and God I would drop it like a hot potato.

I think there is room for both. People can be scientific and religious. People can compartmentalize these things. Telling Christians as a group they are unscientific and ignorant isn’t the way to go in my opinion. Their faith is extremely important to them. It is part of their world construct.

Some how @Hypocrisy_Central, I have a feeling that if the donation got up into the million dollar ranges it would miraculously not be so tainted.

Disclaimer: Mark me as none of the above. I don’t find it necessary to spend time pondering the origins of the world in order to live happily. I’m just not that curious about the subject, I suppose, and I don’t understand why the whole world around me spends so much time arguing about these unproved and unprovable things—even a lot of the science appears to be a matter of faith to me.

But…

True altruism is anonymous. If Matt Wilburn had initially donated the money to the church anonymously, the money would have gone to the children. But he didn’t do that. He insisted from the beginning that either he or, later, when the gofundme site was created, his atheist group be publicly recognized as the donors.

This put the church on the spot and I can’t help but think that it was designed this way. Wilburn put the church in a no-win PR situation—they would be damned of they accepted and damned of they didn’t. If he truly wanted the money to get to the children, he would have found a way.

It was a PR coup, and it worked. Too bad children were involved. Wilburn’s political technique is a little too Karl Rovish for my tastes.

^^^ GA.

@Espiritus_Corvus He did end up finding a way to get the money to the kids, and it was a lot more than the initial 100. He went through a third party. If church organisations want to be so pious, they have a shit-ton more work to do than just reject money from atheists. I got no problem with a god, but I do have a problem with hypocrites who claim to be better than everyone else they live near because of terms they call themselves.

@cazzie Well said. Beliefs are not the problem, discrimination is the problem.

Pokes @NerdyKeith…give the woman a GA!!!

@Dutchess_III [… I have a feeling that if the donation got up into the million dollar ranges it would miraculously not be so tainted.
With some milk Christians or some ”ain’ts”, maybe, but true steadfast Believers would not touch it if it were 80 billion

Not very many steadfast believers out there, then, are there.

Sad but very true.

not sad at all. one anders breivik is more than enough.

Isn’t it the bible “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth?” It should be.

^^Nope. But there is something about twenty pieces of silver.

And riches seemed to be quite coveted, overall, in the Bible.