Just finished up listening to the latest Freakonomics podcast where they discuss whether tithing and even religious gatherings can make someone happy.
Some interesting quotes (from non-religious liberal types)…
the trend is that the more liberal denominations give less
What I find is an incredibly strong correlation, that basically these people are more likely to have higher incomes, have higher education, have more stable marriages, be less likely to be on welfare, essentially be more successful on any sort of economic measure you want to use.
I think another route and the route that I probably find most likely is the church is essentially a social network, that essentially provides kind of insurance against bad things happening to you, and that it provides a place where you can go and network if you lose a job, you can have people who can help you out if times get tough, loan you money or whatever.
Listen to it for yourself, it’s definitely worth it (and the rest of their podcasts, I’ve always been a big fan).