Have a Supernatural Experience? You'll Probably Give More to Your Church
Chances are, if you've seen an angel, or been visited by someone who has died, or believe that God has talked to you, you're more likely to donate to your church or synagogue or mosque, according to newswise.com. That's because "supernatural experiences trigger religious donations," it reports. Not hard to figure out why. When good things we can't explain happen to us, we're usually pretty grateful. And that gratitude sometimes impels us to give back. While voluntary giving to religious organizations consistently makes up the largest share of America’s philanthropy, little research has been done on why that is until now, newswise.com notes, crediting Katie Corcoran, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in Baylor’s Institute for Studies of Religion, with a new study that looks into it. "The study shows that the less religious doubt people have, the more they are willing to give," the Web site notes. In her study, respondents who gave to religiou...