[SoothingDave]

I have never, in any Church I have attended, been asked to pay to pray.

True. But some people think that if I give the priest $50 to do my wedding or a funeral that I am "buying" access to the sacraments.

SD

[OLD REGGIE]

True. But some people think that if I give the priest $50 to do my wedding or a funeral that I am "buying" access to the sacraments.

I would hope the "some" people you speak of are few. Very, very few.

I do remember, in my old RC days, carrying a pocketful of change to throw into the various "collections". The first time I went to a service in a Protestant Church I was amazed that they had only one collection and that the plate was full of paper money. The Protestant and Catholic population in that town were of the same economic status so that doesn't explain the difference. Do you have an idea why the "high pressure" money tactic actually resulted in fewer $'s than the "low pressure" technique?