How much Money should a Christian have?

[Kathrin]

I have often thought about things like this.

I can just speak personally. It always depends on the reasons, what is ok and what is good etc.

Personally I know the good feeling of not having much. Of living on very very little, and still being able to share. It is a wonderful feeling, very fulfilling. Eating leftover bread from a bakery and somehow always having enough to share with other people.

Right now it is a bit different again; I used to be a street musician and now I have a “real” job. I see other street musicians and beggars and feel grateful that I earn more now so I almost feel compelled to give them something.

I also don’t work full time but rather like to do other things too. I sometimes always have enough even though for example last year, again, I have not worked for about 3 months. Somehow this works out and feels good.

At this point in time I am actually trying to save up a little bit for a project I may want to start, but I do this mostly by still living very very simple, and I do share… sometimes I wonder how much to share… if I share 10 percent of my income is that enough…etc… I am not really sure how much it is in percent… I just know I do share…

Kathrin

 

[JRKH]

‘Should’ is one of the most dangerous words in the English language methinks for it relies on guilt and a person’s subjective feelings to attempt to motivate. I think in terms of discussing issues of morals, it is best to stay in the objective realm.

It is better I think to I think address the minimums and then let people decide from there. Issues of sin do not rightly address what a person should do, but instead what they must or are forbidden to do.

Can’t say that I totally agree with you on this, but I do see what you are driving at. It is nearly impossible to put any kind of hard numbers or even hard principles on such things.
The Church, very wisely, tries to guide without being too specific since each persons particular situation is different.
However, I also see the potential problem of creating a sense of “legalism” in “setting minimums”. The danger here is similar to what Christ encountered with the leaders of His day. That is a rigid adherance to “The letter of the Law” while forgetting the Spirit.
In todays parlance I see it as those who say, “Whew!! I’ve done what is required to avoid hell”, and feeling no qualms, no pangs of duty, when watching a commercial about starving children on their 52 inch high definition wall mounted surround-sound television.

Most of these things are a double edged sword.
Setting minimums can lead to “legalism” and forgetting the heart of the Christian call to perfection.
Sailor mentions the danger of “authority” trying to “Cap” how much we may have, yet we can see the very opposite occurring with each advertisment we see - there is never enough.

Each one must be called to a certain level.
Each will be called to account for their stewardship.
I pray we each have good answers on that day so that we may hear Mt 25:34-40 said of us instead of Mt 25:41-45.

Peace
James

 

[Joseph_Kemp]

You wrote: “For individuals, How much money is too much?"

Someone else wrote: “How do we draw the line for ourselves?”

There is no line. You are dealing with fantasy. There is no sin in being successful. You will never find anything in all official Catholic teaching that says success is a sin.

Several people here have mentioned Bill Gates and Warren Buffet. These are two of the richest men in the world. How would they have turned out if they had been worried about “being too rich?” Such thinking is nonsense. It is not rational thinking, and will certainly cause you much needless pain. There is no progress possible in this area, no matter how much you think about it.

The only way to determine how “rich” or “successful” you are is by comparing yourself to others. Which is precisely what Christ said NOT to do. Such behavior will only cause despair and needless anxiety. Precisely what seems to be happening here.

There is no highest dollar value mentioned in the Bible. There is no highest amount of money you can accumulate that will qualify you for sin. Nowhere in any encyclical, papal publication, in Canon Law, or in the Catechism, is there any highest limit on what you can earn or own. There is no statement reading “If I earn, say, more than one million dollars, I have sinned.” Such a thing is ridiculous.

We can earn whatever we want. We can rise as high as we want. If anyone believes otherwise, this is a purely subjective view. It is not official Church teaching. You will never find anything authoritative to back it up.

It is actually quite evil. If people try to find some magical “balance” on how successful they are somehow allowed to be, they are engaging in futility. This is a good way to encourage an unhealthy conscience (scrupulosity.) This is a waste of God’s time. I cannot describe how unhappy it makes me to see my fellow Catholics engaging in such worthless madness.

We can spend our money however we choose. We can enjoy it however we wish. A Vatican Bishop I know told me that God has not put any limits on how we spend our money, on what we do with it. We should never feel any guilt in this matter. It would be utterly pointless. If we buy plenty of possessions, how many possessions are “too much?” This is arbitrary. Totally relative. You will never reach an objective answer. It is absolutely impossible. And the Church knows it.

To illustrate, someone wrote on another forum: “I was thinking about the readings from this past Sunday (8-1) which dealt with trusting in God and not earthly pursuits. This got me thinking as a small business owner (and about a friend’s situation who is similar to mine) about the line between striving for success and trusting in God.”

This is a total distortion of the philosophy of “trusting in God and not Earthly pursuits.” It is completely backward. We are encouraged by the Church not to forget about God. All our success originates from Him.

But we are NEVER meant to regard success as “sinful.” Ever. The Church’s teaching is simply not to put TOO MUCH trust in earthly things, so as to forget about God. And I don’t think any regular Catholic is going to just forget about God.

Someone posted on somewhere on Catholic Answers: “The story of the rich young man shows very clearly that almost no rich people will enter Heaven, because Jesus indicates that being rich itself is inherently sinful.”

No. That is not how the Church understands that story. If you do not know the Church’s gentle position on wealth and riches, the Bible will make no sense to you. It will seem contradictory and frustrating.

In the New Testament, Jesus asks a rich young man to sell all he owns and give the money to the poor. Christ says “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter Heaven.” So it would seem that rich people cannot enter Heaven. It is sinful to be rich.

But in Proverbs, it says “A fortune gained quickly is quickly spent. But wealth accumulated slowly, steadily grows.” So it would seem that gaining wealth is a sign of wisdom. It is pleasing before God. This would seem to contradict the words of Christ.

And in another Parable (story), the Bible condemns a man who stores up much money for his own comfort. He is sent to Hell (not literally – it is a figurative story.) But in the Parable of the Talents, a different story, God rewards the man who makes much money. He punishes the man who makes nothing.

For every passage that says that being rich is a bad thing, you will find another that says being rich is good. Back and forth, back and forth. Contradiction after contradiction. How to resolve it?

First, the Bible must be understood as a unified whole. It cannot be picked apart in pieces. If you read it this way, you will get a very unbalanced, harsh, limited understanding of it. A unified understanding of the Bible is called “exegesis.” You cannot approach the Bible without it.

In the example above, the rich young man asked Christ what to do to get to Heaven. Christ told him “You know the Commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’" It is only when the young man pressed Jesus for what else he should do that Christ said: "Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.”

Thus, keeping the Commandments was all that Christ required for entering Heaven. Nothing else. Until the young man pushed for more.

The story of the man who stored up much money for his comfort, and who was sent to Hell is interpreted by the Church as simply telling people that one should not forget that one’s wealth comes from God. Nobody should feel threatened by this. Simply remember God. That is all.

And God is certainly not going to punish you for making a lot of money (or perhaps none.) This is simply absurd. Such a belief will only cause you misery.

 

[edwest2]

We are to be good stewards of what God has given us and we are to be wise. Should I become a millionaire tomorrow, my first concern should be to offer part of that to God. Then I should pray about what to do with the rest.

Many people are concerned about their finances but we need to live within our means and plan ahead, even if this means not buying some of the things we are used to having or buying less.

Wealth is only a tool to be used wisely and not squandered. If we have only enough money to pay our bills, we should be thankful to God as well.

There is no set dollar amount for what each of us should have.

Peace,
Ed

 

[Joseph_Kemp]

JRKH wrote: “When we’re talking about our, “pleasure” shouldn’t that be first and foremost doing the will our Father?..I like the proportionate idea. But what is "proportinate? What should we proportion to “others”, to God’s work per se as opposed to our pleasure? Should we spend more on our pleasure than we spend on our church, schools, and charities?”

Again, this is dealing in fantasy. There is no official “proportion” of any kind for dividing your money between “God’s work” and “our pleasure.” Such a thing is totally relative. It is opinion only. No objective answer is possible in this area.

Exactly how much money do you have to give away before God allows you into Heaven? What is the going rate on salvation these days? The idea of some monetary “price” for salvation is utterly ridiculous. Nobody should ever worry about this. There is no point.

It is sometimes mentioned that Catholics should give 5% of their income to the Church, and 5% to charity. This is a suggestion ONLY. Nothing more. No Catholic is obligated to follow such a thing in any way. Such suggestions on giving are occasionally spoken by Bishops (very seldomly.) They are not morally binding on Catholics at all. It is entirely up to you whether you wish to follow it or not.

There is nothing in Canon Law, the Catechism, or any official Church publication or teaching about giving 5%, 2.5%, 1%, or any other percent of your income to Church or charity. You will never find any authoritative documentation to back up such a belief. It does not exist.

Quoted from Jim Blackburn, Catholic Answers:

“Scripture provides insight on how Christians should give:
On the first day of every week (Sunday), each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper. (1 Cor. 16:2)

The point is this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Cor. 9:6–7)

There is no mandatory requirement to give a specific amount of money or percentage of our income (to the Church). We should each decide for ourselves how much to give and then do so in the true spirit of giving a gift."

QUOTE ENDS.

We ARE obligated to support the Church materially (monetarily), as stated in the Precepts of the Church. But beyond this initial obligation, there are no rules. Total freedom. We can give whatever amount we want. You can do charity with 50 cents, 1 dollar, 20 dollars, whatever. If it is done, as Scripture says, “not reluctantly or under compulsion,” (2 Cor. 9:6–7) then what we give qualifies as a true gift – no matter how little or how much we decide to give.

You wrote: “How much do we sacrifice (from our money) for our Lord and His Church?”

A friend of mine worried for years about this exact same thing. My friend is enormously rich. A billionaire, in fact. He owns his own (vast) island. And for years he worried about how much he should give to the Church. He tortured himself for being so rich, because he simply wasn’t moved to do great charities, like plenty of other rich people are.

My friend finally met an understanding priest who made it clear that God does not base His judgment of us on what percentage of money we give away – whether we are rich OR poor. You can’t buy your way into Heaven. A person could own the entire world and give very little, and God would still be happy with that, if such giving is done out of freedom and love.

Mother Theresa once said: “It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving.” She also said: “We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” This is perfectly in accord with Corinthians 2, as stated above.

My friend now gives (roughly) 40 dollars a week to his Church collection. That is the extent to which his mind and heart are moved to do charity. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Many people are not accustomed to thinking this way. Many people believe that ALL the rich must pay enormous charities, or else risk hellfire. Such a view is downright evil. It is not officially taught by the Roman Catholic Church. It is cruel and hurtful. If people give simply because they wish to avoid Hell, they are giving “reluctantly (and) under compulsion,” and NOBODY can be a “cheerful giver” under such conditions. Giving out of fear will not be rewarded by God. And it will never seem satisfying or authentic. Because it isn’t.

It is simply up to the individual person to make a subjective decision about how much to give. If you are looking for some kind of “golden percentage” in official Catholic teaching on how much money you must give away to get into Heaven, you will never find it. Because there is none. Any such percentage would be completely arbitrary. Totally relative. The Catholic Church does not teach it for precisely this reason. You cannot put a percentage on salvation – no matter how rich or poor you happen to be. And you certainly cannot create authentic giving by scaring people with hellfire. This is an ugly tactic, and is simply wrong.

And if anyone says otherwise, it is good to remember Canon Law 219:

“All Christ’s faithful have the right to immunity from any kind of coercion in choosing a state in life.”

And that includes the state in your life on how much you wish to give, according to Corinthians 2. And we are under no obligation as Roman Catholics to believe otherwise.

 

[JRKH]

WOW Joe - I thought this thread was long dead…

Certainly seems to have hit a nerve with you…

Couple of points relating to the general thrust of your posts.
I never, so far as I remember, tried to say that the Church had any official position on what percent to give or anything else.
Neither was I trying to reach an “objective amount” type of an answer. Obviously each person’s situation is different.
Likewise, I do not believe I or anyone else refered to anyone as being sinful for having money over a certain amount.
The idea was to generate discussion on how we choose to dispose of (or save) our income.

Individuals need to look at where and how their wealth is used. For instance, a person who keeps large sums of money “in their mattress” so to speak is like the servant who buried the talents in the parable. The money does no good.
However, the person who invests his money both wisely and morally to provide employment and benefits for others is doing great good with his wealth. So two different people can both be seen as “rich” by worldy measures, but one is miserly and foolish while the other is wise and generous.

There certainly are people who’s skills, talents and interests run to the “business” pursuits. Such talents are given of God just as much as any other. By being successful (before God) in the use of these talents, such people serve God just as much as those called to a life of poverty and obedience in religious life.

Peace
James

 

[Et_Cetera]

As much as they can make and handle.

 

[Joseph_Kemp]

Thank you, JRKH, for your thoughtful response.

I’m not trying to imply that you said anything that you didn’t. I was simply trying to be as accurate as I could on a most misunderstood area. I cannot count the number of times I have seen confusion among Catholics about “how much to give to the Church,” or “how rich a Christian is allowed be.” It is very distressing.

Two small points in what you said. I’m not trying to be overly-critical. I just want to be as accurate as possible, since Jesus talked often about money, and many Catholics worry about what they should do with it.

You wrote: “For instance, a person who keeps large sums of money “in their mattress” so to speak is like the servant who buried the talents in the parable. The money does no good.”

It is not a mortal sin to keep your money “in the mattress.” We are free to do whatever we want with our money. There is no obligation to think otherwise. We must be very, very careful when interpreting the Bible. The Parable of the Talents does not establish in any way that keeping our money “in the ground” or “in the mattress” is a mortal sin. And the Catholic Church does not teach that it is.

Weird as it sounds, this worried me for years. I loved to play “pirates” when I was a kid. Many times I buried my allowance in the ground. Even now, I may have substantial amounts of money buried in the ground here and there, just for fun (I’m not saying where.) I may have forgotten some of the actual locations. But who cares? It’s just money. I am not obligated by the Roman Catholic Church to worry about what I do with my money. Such worry will bring a person only misery.

You wrote: “However, the person who invests his money both wisely and morally to provide employment and benefits for others is doing great good with his wealth.”

I keep MOST of my money in the bank. The bank uses such money to loan to businesses and other worthy enterprises.

But I am certainly not obligated to keep my money in the bank. I just do it because it is convenient for me. I might just take it out one day and keep it all in my home. And why not? The Parable of the Talents cannot be taken literally. The Catholic Church does not officially teach that you will be punished for not keeping your money in the bank. I will certainly not be punished for mortal sin for keeping my money in my home, rather than in a savings account. The very idea is absurd, and flatly wrong.

I personally believe that Catholics in general worry too much about money. And it’s no wonder. Reading the Gospels without a clear understanding of official Church teaching can be very intimidating on the subject of money. We will be punished if we don’t “give all (we) have to the poor,” and follow Christ. We will be punished if we “bury our money in the ground,” as in the Parable of the Talents. We will be damned if we “store up much money for our own comfort in the future,” as another Parable says. None of these things are interpreted this way in official Church teaching. And it makes me sad to see Catholics thinking of them in this light.

It’s amazing. I have encountered Catholics who have gone their entire lives with misconceptions like these floating around in their heads. And oftentimes nobody ever bothers informing them of official Church teaching.

Christ does not determine our entry into Heaven based on how well we manage our money. He determines our entry into Heaven based on WHETHER WE ARE GOOD PEOPLE OR NOT. Because God does not save mean people. Anything else is really beside the point.

 

[JRKH]

Thank you, JRKH, for your thoughtful response.

I’m not trying to imply that you said anything that you didn’t. I was simply trying to be as accurate as I could on a most misunderstood area. I cannot count the number of times I have seen confusion among Catholics about “how much to give to the Church,” or “how rich a Christian is allowed be.” It is very distressing.

Joseph,
I agree that there is a lot of mis-understanding in these matters.

Two small points in what you said. I’m not trying to be overly-critical. I just want to be as accurate as possible, since Jesus talked often about money, and many Catholics worry about what they should do with it.

You wrote: “For instance, a person who keeps large sums of money “in their mattress” so to speak is like the servant who buried the talents in the parable. The money does no good.”

It is not a mortal sin to keep your money “in the mattress.” We are free to do whatever we want with our money. There is no obligation to think otherwise. We must be very, very careful when interpreting the Bible. The Parable of the Talents does not establish in any way that keeping our money “in the ground” or “in the mattress” is a mortal sin. And the Catholic Church does not teach that it is.

You speak a lot about what we are “obligated” to do and how the Church “does not teach” this or that…Something that others have pointed out as well.
But Christ, and the Church DO teach that we cannot serve two masters. Either God is first or something else is first. If God is first, and our desire to please him is first, then this will dictate how we use our gifts, among which may well be money.
Likewise if God is first, thent hte discussion centers not around Obligaion, but around Love which is the root and core of all else. (Mt 22-36-40)

Speaking to the parable of the talents - I would ask you to observe what happens to the sevant who buried the money in the ground…they, “cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness…”(Mt 25:30) Sounds like a mortal sin to me…
I don’t say that his was burying the money - rather the sin lay in the reason he chose to bury the money…in not using the talents for the purpose the master provided them to him.

Weird as it sounds, this worried me for years. I loved to play “pirates” when I was a kid. Many times I buried my allowance in the ground. Even now, I may have substantial amounts of money buried in the ground here and there, just for fun (I’m not saying where.) I may have forgotten some of the actual locations. But who cares? It’s just money. I am not obligated by the Roman Catholic Church to worry about what I do with my money. Such worry will bring a person only misery.

I find your your attitude is commendable (“It’s only money”). Likewise, I agree that we are not to worry.
But again I see the term “Obligated” - Translation: minimum required…Christ in his preaching was constantly pushing the disciples beyond “obligation”. For instance - throughout the Sermon on the Mount - Mt chapters 5, 6, 7 we See Christ moving beyond what is obligated to teach the fuller requirements. Contained in this sermon are many things applicable - but NONE of them permit us to stop at simply obeying a defined “obligation”, instead He calls us beyond obligation and towards to Perfection (Mt 5:48)

You wrote: “However, the person who invests his money both wisely and morally to provide employment and benefits for others is doing great good with his wealth.”

I keep MOST of my money in the bank. The bank uses such money to loan to businesses and other worthy enterprises.

As do most of us and this is something that is worthy to be sure. What is even more worthy is to assure that where we invest our money only invests in morally acceptable ways. Of course this can be quite difficult sometimes but I knwo that there is at least on funding group that does this (Ave Maria Funds).

But I am certainly not obligated to keep my money in the bank. I just do it because it is convenient for me. I might just take it out one day and keep it all in my home. And why not? The Parable of the Talents cannot be taken literally. The Catholic Church does not officially teach that you will be punished for not keeping your money in the bank. I will certainly not be punished for mortal sin for keeping my money in my home, rather than in a savings account. The very idea is absurd, and flatly wrong.

Parables are rarely intended to be taken literally, but that does not mean they don’t have literal application. So the parable of the Talents certanialy CAN be taken literally. God has granted you a blessing - in this case a certain degree of wealth. How do you use this blessing to Glorify Him? To me, this is the question.
Stop thinking in terms of what the Cathoic Church does or doesn’t “officially teach” and try to think more in terms of what Jesus is calling us to - Perfection in Love.

(Cont)

 

[JRKH]

(Cont)

I personally believe that Catholics in general worry too much about money. And it’s no wonder. Reading the Gospels without a clear understanding of official Church teaching can be very intimidating on the subject of money. We will be punished if we don’t “give all (we) have to the poor,” and follow Christ. We will be punished if we “bury our money in the ground,” as in the Parable of the Talents. We will be damned if we “store up much money for our own comfort in the future,” as another Parable says. None of these things are interpreted this way in official Church teaching. And it makes me sad to see Catholics thinking of them in this light.

It’s amazing. I have encountered Catholics who have gone their entire lives with misconceptions like these floating around in their heads. And oftentimes nobody ever bothers informing them of official Church teaching.

Christ does not determine our entry into Heaven based on how well we manage our money. He determines our entry into Heaven based on WHETHER WE ARE GOOD PEOPLE OR NOT. Because God does not save mean people. Anything else is really beside the point.

I agree that there can be an inordinate worry about money based on reading the Gospels. And I agree that there needs to be a clear and overarching understanding of the Gospel call in order to properly order our lives and avoid such worry.

However, I also think that there is danger in assuming that doing only what is “obligated” is sufficient for I see this as not seeking perfection in Love which should be our goal.
We are not just called to be “obedient”, we are called to be saints.
Therefore, while it is certainly not my place to judge you or any other, I do worry about what seems to be a focus on what is “obligated” by Church teaching - A very legalistic view…And one that Christ clearly calls us to go beyond.

Peace
James

 

[benidict]

How much is too much. I realize that we can’t declare some “sum” or dollar amount, but what constitutes too much money in ones possesion.
Here I am refering to individuals and not institutions, and not Churches. That would get into an entirely different discussion.

For individuals, How much money is too much? How much constitutes “laying up treasures on Earth? $50,000 - $100,000 per anum?
Jesus teaches in Matt 6:19-34 that we are not to store up riches on earth, not try to serve two masters and not worry about what we are to eat tomorrow etc.
In Matthew 19:21-24 is the illustration of the rich man who cannot give up his possesions to Follow Jesus and Jesus comment about the difficulty of the rich to get into heaven.

Jesus teaches us these things, but do we take them to heart. How much do we sacrifice for our Lord and His Church? We have all seen our parishes and our schools struggle with finances, while parishoners (myself included) sock away money for “a rainy day” or for vacation, or for Christmas presents.
We have to have a new DVR,
Or Johnny wants a video game station
We buy a car with all the bells and whistles instead of the base model

How much should wealth should any – individual Christian hold?

Peace
James

More than I am making now my friend.

 

[Soldier_Of_God]

More than I am making now my friend.

I know that feeling.

 

[benidict]

I know that feeling.

Im in a country where people want to kill me, and I still cannot break 20000 a year! A base ball player can hit a ball and makes millions… something is not right with this picture…

 

[Joseph_Kemp]

You wrote: “I do worry about what seems to be a focus on what is “obligated” by Church teaching - A very legalistic view…And one that Christ clearly calls us to go beyond.”

I’m very sorry you see it that way. All my posts are designed to FREE people from a legalistic view of Church teaching. It is my very purpose in writing them. Without accurate information, most Catholics often become VERY legalistic in their understanding of the Church.

I cannot count how many other Catholics think this way, especially on Catholic Answers. The majority of Catholics here are often terrified of going to Hell, for this tiny reason or for that tiny reason – over this misunderstanding of Church teaching, or that misunderstanding. This is a very great tragedy.

Catholic teaching is unbelievably gentle. It should terrify no one. I cannot get over how many Catholics are terrified of this gentle, undemanding religion.

You wrote: “But Christ, and the Church DO teach that we cannot serve two masters. Either God is first or something else is first. If God is first, and our desire to please him is first, then this will dictate how we use our gifts, among which may well be money.”

Using our money as we wish in our everyday lives is not “serving two masters.” There is no sin here. The only sin would be if we replaced our love of God internally with an unhealthy love of money. That’s how the Church defines Greed. In such a state, it becomes much easier to commit sins that actually ARE serious – for example, stealing millions of dollars from your place of work, cheating on contracts, not paying your workers decent wages, etc.

It is easily possible to use our money however we wish, and NEVER be guilty of Greed.

You wrote: “I don’t say that his (sin)was burying the money - rather the sin lay in the reason he chose to bury the money…in not using the talents for the purpose the master provided them to him.”

This is absolutely true, within the scenario outlined by the Parable. And thus the problem of “burying your money in the ground, or not” is entirely solved. Objectively speaking, it isn’t a sin at all. But it MIGHT be, if someone gave you money for a business venture and you THEN buried it in the ground. That goes without saying.

You wrote: “Contained in this sermon (The Sermon on the Mount) are many things applicable - but NONE of them permit us to stop at simply obeying a defined “obligation”, instead He calls us beyond obligation and towards to Perfection.”

The Church ONLY obligates us to obey its set obligations. That’s the very definition of an “obligation.” You don’t have to go beyond them at all. You can if you WANT to. But no one has to.

If it is causing a Catholic pain to go beyond the “bare minimum,” then stop. There is absolutely no sin in this. Such so-called “minimum obligations” are there to protect us from despair. Not to destroy us with guilt. We should NEVER feel that the Church is “obligating” us to live up to a vast call to perfection that very few of us could ever achieve. The Church’s “minimum obligations” are there precisely so that following Christ will not be an intolerable burden on people. They were placed there out of love and compassion. I must say I’m very grateful for them.

That’s all I’m trying to say on this matter.

The Mormon Church, on the other hand, (for example,) has very crushing “minimum obligations.” Mormons require their members to tithe rigidly. Otherwise, none of them gets into Heaven.

I would not do well in a rigid system like that. I am quite a delicate person, morally speaking. Such a thing would utterly destroy me. I do not find it moral at all. So I defend the gentleness of official Catholic teaching to my last breath. It’s the most compassionate, undemanding religion I know. For me, it’s this or nothing.

It’s strange how the Catholic Church gets such a bad reputation for being “rigid” and “rule-based.” One has extraordinary freedom as a Catholic. And yet, so many others often see the Church as impenetrably strict, harsh, and rigid. It is often not clear – even to Catholics - what is an “obligation” and what is not. There is often great confusion and fear about what it takes to get to Heaven or to “achieve” salvation (which of course can never be earned.)

I find such confusion quite creepy. Every Catholic should know how gentle and undemanding their religion is. The fact that so many Catholics do not is very worrying. Scary, actually. It’s almost like there’s a demonic wall of ignorance keeping people away from this simple knowledge.

As a Catholic, I regard it as one of my central (totally personal) purposes to destroy this image of the Church as harsh, strict and rigid. No Catholic should ever add to this image. Such a thing would be evil beyond all reason. Most atheists I know AVOID the Church because of its’ strict, rule-based reputation. I am not going to do anything to enhance that reputation in any way.