02-23-2010, 06:14 PM
(This post was last modified: 02-23-2010, 06:30 PM by Director Michael.)
Daniel2 Wrote:... I only gave money with the intention that it would be used for the non-religious activities that the person mentioned.
If you are concerned that part of your donation is likely to be used to fund idolatrous activities, including perhaps missionizing, you could make a stop-payment order to your bank if you wrote a check or gave a credit card number, and the funds were not yet transferred. Of course you would be charged a bank fee for that service, and you would still be obligated to give that amount of funds to a proper charity (preferably one that is also providing needed help to that group of people). Another option would be to fax a letter to the institution, telling them you made the donation (amount, date, check number, etc.), and instructing them as to what non-religious activities you want that money to be used for. Alternatively, you could just rely on the fact that you acted based on what you were told, and if a part of the funds gets used for other purposes, you wouldn't be judged as accountable because you were deceived.
Daniel2 Wrote:Is there anything that would need to be repented for?
I would say no, since you weren't aware of all the facts at the time you made the donation with the right intention. But you could resolve to be more careful about this from now on.
Daniel2 Wrote:If I'm in a situation like this next time, would it be better if I don't give any money?
It would be better if you would first ask for information about the organization that the requested donation would be going to, so you can make an informed decision. Or ask for some printed information or a web site address that you'll look over on your own at home, and decide then about how much you'll give.