@Dennis King in catholicism (where the church is considered part of the faith) it is an accepted fact that you should donate 10% of your yearly income to the church and another 10% to various causes. In other christian faiths, it's ok to donate your TIME instead, especially in prodistant beliefs, where your body can represent the church; just giving what you can is ok. The jewish faith also believes in the 10% philosophy and is where catholicism gets it from. This money is used for both the church as well as the community, though the poorer the community, the more goes towards the church out of necessity, while the richer the community the more goes towards outwards events. There are even churches that will pay for the rebuilding of a congregation member's house if it burns down, medical assistance for those who need a surgery but can't afford it, etc. You wonder why some religious people have a warped view of things like SSI, it's because their church already gives them SSI -.-