Stupid things religious people say

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Would you baptize your kid 500 euros?

500 Euro per capita bonus for each person being baptized

Peter Löw, a self-made millionaire from Starnberg, donates to parents in the parish who are having their child baptized. The first family arrives at church with three children – and collects the money in cash on hand.

The Catholic parish community of Starnberg has now launched the campaign „Starnberg Guardian Angels“: Parents of children up to the age of three who have their offspring baptized in Starnberg will receive 500 euros in cash to start their Christian life.

The idea comes from Peter Löw, who has made a lot of money in countless business dealings over the past few years. The Starnberg self-made millionaire and author is a devout Catholic, a churchgoer and a father of eight. And now he wants to do good and –at least a little – save the Catholic Church: The action „Starnberg guardian angel“ is intended to encourage imitation.

A per capita premium for Catholic baptisms? That's not how parish priest Andreas Jall wants the action to be understood. „We get nothing out of it“, he insists. Nevertheless, he expressly welcomes Löw's donation, because raising children in general and baptism in particular have increasingly become a matter of cost. Jall also sees the baptismal bonus as an advertising measure for the Catholic Church. „But it shouldn't come across as us shopping for believers here“, says the pastor. For him, families and children are the future; the Starnberg parish community is merely a mediator in the gift-giving campaign.

Good faith is generally not available at no cost to Christians. This is especially known to people who are liable for taxes: Eight percent of the income tax goes to the church. In economically tense times, this may also be one of the reasons why more and more believers are turning away: In 2025, 307,117 people nationwide left the Catholic Church. Including deaths, the total number of Catholics fell by about 550,000 to around 19.22 million members. That's only 23 percent of the total population. In Starnberg, too, the church community shrank by a thousand people within ten years to its current 7000 members, reports Jall. Thinking about the future: having young talent certainly can't hurt.

Löw is providing a total of 20,000 euros for the campaign „Starnberg guardian angel“. The offer is valid until 31. December for the first 40 children. The patron wants to give each family 500 euros for their child's baptism –albeit with limited reach: In order to set the right priorities and prevent „baptismal tourism“, the children must be no more than three years old and must be registered in the Catholic parish community of Starnberg; this includes Starnberg, Söcking, Hanfeld, Perchting, Hadorf and Landstetten. Protestant members of the faith are excluded, as are Catholics living in Percha or Wangen.

https://www.sueddeutsche.de/muenchen/sta...li.3515310

Holy reverse of selling indulgences, Batman!!

Boru