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Moral dilemma

You cant worry about that stuff all the time. Chances are you make dozens of purchases every year that support overseas child slavery, ever bougt a pair of Nikes or virtually any clothes for that matter.

I know when I buy a Disney movie that part of it goes to their lobby crushing my rights in washington. If I only bought from ethical sellers I would have to move to the hills and live off the land.
 
I look at it this way. I like pizza. sometimes I buy my pizza from Domino's because they are usually the best price in my area. I recently found out that the founder of Domino's is a fundy @$$hole who supports a lot of causes I disapprove of. Nonetheless, I won't let that stop me from buying from Domino's because I think it illustrates quite nicely that you really don't know where the money goes once it leaves your hands and you can't control it anyway. No matter how you spend your money there is a chance that some of it goes to fund causes you don't like , nothing you can do about it so there's no point in worrying about it.
 
You're only seeing one side of the transaction. Yes, your money will fund her religion. But, on the other side, her fudge will converted to energy for use by your atheist body, so that it may stride around defying her god! She's gotten some government-backed paper out of you, but she's actually made you stronger in return!
 
I don’t need the fudge, but I would most likely buy it. Some people need the church or some other place of worship and that does not bother me. Some churches do a lot of good for the community. Also it makes it easier for fellow worker relations. Years ago my son would be selling candy for school or boy scouts. So you buy, they buy.


Paul

:) :) :)
 
Beancounter said:
There is a lady in our office who makes and sells fudge.

The proceeds go towards funding her church.

I am an atheist who likes fudge. What should I do?
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We have a similar situation at my work place. I have long ago decided never to support such faith based initiatives.
 
Do you know what the proceeds are being used for? If they're for basic upkeep of the building, etc., or for charitable causes the church runs, then buy the fudge. If they're being used for proselytizing, "missions" or the like, then don't. That would be my approach, at any rate.

I am an atheist, but I support the church my wife goes to by buying things in their thrift sale, and helping set up said thrift sale. The proceeds go mainly to charitable work and the maintenance of their building, so I don't mind supporting that. They don't really proselytize in her church, and she and I have long ago come to terms with the conflict in our beliefs.

Actually, I just help out at the thrift sale to get first crack at the books, records and CDs! Am I bad?
 
Nyarlathotep said:
I look at it this way. I like pizza. sometimes I buy my pizza from Domino's because they are usually the best price in my area. I recently found out that the founder of Domino's is a fundy @$$hole who supports a lot of causes I disapprove of. Nonetheless, I won't let that stop me from buying from Domino's because I think it illustrates quite nicely that you really don't know where the money goes once it leaves your hands and you can't control it anyway. No matter how you spend your money there is a chance that some of it goes to fund causes you don't like , nothing you can do about it so there's no point in worrying about it.
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Actually, I stopped buying Dominoes pizza on this account. That and other pizza chains have better pizza! I also never go to Chik-Fil-A as the owner is another fundy @$$hole who closes the chain on Sundays so that his employees can get proper religion (and stick to the commandment about the Sabbath and what not). Entenmann pastry is another product that I avoid as there was something about their stance on gay rights some time ago (but I cannot find references).
 
Bean counter,

1. Your belief pales in comparison to her solid action.

2. You should take action.

3. Buy it from her isn't bad, in fact you should be very nice and kind to her.

4. Ask yourself, if you sell fudge to support atheist cause, will she buy?

If 'No', then there is no reason why you should buy. In fact doing so damages the survival and proliferation of your kind/"species".

If 'Yes', then it is up to you if you want to gain the competitive advantage by being a little less co-operative.

If in doubt, be a good guy. Never be the bad guy first.
It is good for both of you to start off trying to be good guy.

5. But if you do not take action to determine her willingness to be co-operative, then you are doomed to stay in the dark.
You either waste away little by little buying her fudge.
OR at some point, you lose the moral high ground by being the bad guy first, ie you refuse to buy her fudge for the selfish reason of your support for atheism.

6. Take action, subject her to the test instead.
 
ebola said:
Simple. Start a competing fudge concession. Undercut her prices. Drive her out of business. Close up the fudge concession and move it thirty miles away, so that if people want fudge, they have to drive there to get it. You know, the Walmart way.

Eric
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:D
 
Beancounter said:
...snipe...
But the fudge is so cheap!!!
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1. The PRICE is cheap, not necessarily the COST.

2. Always negotiate. Perhaps she will not mind making a loss.
She could have just donated the money she used to buy the materials. Perhaps she is just taking action to show her dedication to her church.

3. It'll be a real test of her faith. Is she willing to go through all the trouble of baking, selling, make a loss in terms of money.
But still feels happy and fulfilled that she is spiritually richer?

4. If you get the cake for below cost, and she earns on spirituality. Then there is a perfect win-win !!.

5. By the way, you might want to ask how many % of the proceeds goes to the church? If I'm not wrong, as a guide less than 10% to 20% of the donation should go towards charity expenses.
 
It's just fudge for Ed's sake. Hey, its your money and you are entitled to spend it any way you want to. But a moral dilemma can be found in many situations. Just about any help for any church helps the church. Must we really agonize over all of them?
  • My money has "in god we trust on it" should I use it?
  • The local church has organized a blood drive for disaster victims, should I contribute?
  • My company is involved with the United Way, should I quit my job?
  • My neighbors house burned down, he is from out of town and has no family. I was thinking about offering to help but he believes in god and pays tithing to his church, what should I do?
  • The toy for tots progam in my neighboorhood is run by a baptist minister, should I help out?
The politics of Atheism.
Have contempt for theists and then complain when they don't respect atheists.
 
Jyera said:
5. By the way, you might want to ask how many % of the proceeds goes to the church? If I'm not wrong, as a guide less than 10% to 20% of the donation should go towards charity expenses.
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The whole toot as far as I know. We are not talking a major commercial operation here, just 10 or 20 small bags a month. She buys the ingredients herself and then gives the proceeds to the church.

But I will press her next time!
 
Should I buy the car, most likely some people of some religious faith build it.
Should I go to the hospital, surely there are doctors and nurses there of religious faith.
Should I but and eat the bread, many people in the chain who got the bread to the store had religious faith.
As you are drowning, do you ask the lifeguard if he as some religious faith.

We live in a society of different religious faiths and political believes, you just deal with it and move on.

People deal with you and you have no religious faith, they feel they get the idea and you don’t.

Paul


:) :) :)
 
kuroyume0161 said:
Actually, I stopped buying Dominoes pizza on this account. That and other pizza chains have better pizza! I also never go to Chik-Fil-A as the owner is another fundy @$$hole who closes the chain on Sundays so that his employees can get proper religion (and stick to the commandment about the Sabbath and what not). Entenmann pastry is another product that I avoid as there was something about their stance on gay rights some time ago (but I cannot find references).
Click to expand...

Sure, a small amount of every pizza I buy ends up in the hands of someone who gives some of it to causes I despise. A small amount it also goes into the hands of the teenaged kid who is delivering pizza to pay his way through college, a small portion of it is going into the hands of the single mother who is working a second job at the pizza place to support her family, a large portion of it goes into the hands of various ordinary people who do nothing with their money I could really care one way or the other about.

My point is, money flows around in an economy and that means that some of that money eventually finds it way intot he hands of people we despise right along with the people we like. Nothing we can do about that fact, so I don't think it is worth worrying about.
 
I say buy the fudge if you really want it, my wife isn't so sure that's not vicariously supporting the church. I guess I'd probably eventually agree with her and buy my fudge elsewhere.
 
I know a person who doesn’t work (and this is good), because the tax money is going into a bank account by the government for the devil. What a clever way to be lazy.

Paul

:) :) :)
 
How much are you helping the church? Is she really raking in the money?

If the fudge is really worth it, then everytime you buy some, enthusiastically and repeatedly tell her "This is the best Goddamn fudge I've tasted!"
 
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