mightychurch.com

From today’s SMH :

Christians, women do more voluntary work
January 29, 2009 - SMH

Christians and women are bearing the brunt of the nation’s charity work.

Analysis of the 2006 Census by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has found Christians are more likely to do volunteer work than people with no religion.

People who were part of a non-Christian religion were less likely to do charity work, although the ABS noted this could be a result of a language barrier.

More women volunteered than men, regardless of how much paid work they did.

Rural people and older people were also more than pulling their weight in helping others.

Overall, more people are volunteering. The proportion of people doing volunteer work has increased from 24 per cent to 35 per cent since 1995.

© 2009 AAP

Any comments ?

Fair enough, though I’m sure that many of those ‘Christians’ are actually nominal.

Maybe ‘a language barrier’ could be replaced with ‘bigotry’ ;)

I doubt if that’s fair at all .....I’d talk further but have to deliver the sandwiches to the junior cricket and then go hang these security lights at the community dunnys.

shame we non-christians haven’t the time to defend our position….we’re probably out there doing it rather than sitting here talking about! ;)

and could someone define ‘nominal’ for me please.

Nominal = people who tick ‘Christian’ on the census form but don’t have any faith in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.  Therefore, their so-called Christianity doesn’t show in their lives insofar as church and fellowship is concerned.

No religion = to me, these would be people who’d say they don’t have a God (atheism).

I’ve met a lot of (relatively) good nominal Christians in my work.  They would call themselves Christian, and there’s certainly a higher percentage of these people who do good works.  Such as getting involved with charities.  I certainly respect that.  But it doesn’t translate to faith and involvement in distinctly Christian activities such as church and fellowship groups.

I think you’d be right Arthur….and maybe my area was effected my other forces in the past but there is very little christian based activities of a community nature around this district.
All parent/community/whatever based projects and schemes…..the churches are pretty defunct (before my time….came in 1980)......catholics kicked lots of goals here with a ridsdaleetc(won’t go there but is a major factor) ....anglicans are all playing bowls and the rest go to Atisha up the road.
My wife off doing her first afterschool activities thing for the year ..induction night tonite…..had 19 last year…two nights a week for the rest of the school year .....charges the kids a $1 /week for materials, cordial and fruit.  Building a float for the Bendigo Easter Parade is first project for the year. Last years group got an award for their Murray Cod .....full of kids and made in the style of a snaking chinese dragon which the bendigo Easter parade is famous for.
this comes out of a need in this community and didn’t spring from any ‘christian’ group ........those findings may apply to your yuppie areas but certainly not out here.
Ask my wife about christian help ....she’ll tell you straight.
She’s love to have use of the Anglican church across the road that’s been nailed up since the 80s .......and she hopes her approach to the Anglicans again doesn’t fall on deaf ears as it has in the past. She offered $8000cash last time and they just sneered ......she’s offering $800 this time   :D
a picture of the building it’s in the middle of one of our paddocks on it own little block not much larger than itself and right opposite the community hall…...we only want to hand it to the shire after restoration ......the communities wants it for a youth centre/meeting room ......but the Anglicans are being stubborn.
My wifes getting shrewder though and I reckon she’ll get it this year ;)

Now what’s this crap about christian groups doing more than others again .....someone explain :)

an aside.
Arthur, I think every aussie has religion which would make it hard to actually tick the box…..they just aren’t all god based.  On the other hand not many can spell athiest either .....or is it neither?
:D