A recent study by the Giving USA Foundation reports that charitable donations has declined in the recent past.
"June 10, 2009 - Charitable giving fell last year by the largest percentage in five decades, according to a new study by the Giving USA Foundation. Individuals and institutions made gifts and pledges of $307.65 billion, a decrease of 5.7 percent on an inflation-adjusted basis over the $314 billion given in 2007, according to the foundation, a research organization backed by the fund-raising industry." (Faith in Public Life)
Likely due to the recent dire state of the economy, people simply aren't able to set aside as much money and time as in the past when the financial situation was not as bleak.
Nonetheless, in Unity, as in other religious traditions, we believe that tithing and charitable giving is an important part of one's spiritual life. According to what we call the principle of mind-action (which many will note is similar to the law of karma in some eastern traditions), whatever we put out into the world will come back to us abundantly in one way or another, though it could be in a different form than that with which we have given.
Based on Jesus' teaching, "Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back," (Lk. 6.38) when we give, donate, or tithe from whatever amount we have we have faith that it will help and serve other for their benefit and also come back to us in turn so that we may again engage in the blessed act of giving.
Stephanie Strom of the New York Times has a write-up of the findings. Read it at Faith in Public Life.
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