I've been playing a game for a while now called Path of Exile 2. It's one of those action RPG games in the style of Diablo. The game is currently in early access, with the full game probably becoming available sometime later this year or next year. Obviously, if there is a Path of Exile 2, there is also a Path of Exile 1 that is entirely free to play and some might argue a better game simply because it has been out so much longer.
In PoE2, there these things called orbs that you can use to change the attributes of gear in the game. Actually, there are more than just orbs, but all of these items or materials fit into a category that the game calls "currency". Which is interesting, because I never really considered stuff like that currency before, but if you have played the game, you quickly learn those items are just that. There is a whole internal market in the game that revolves around using those materials or currency to purchase items and other materials or currency.
I mention all of this to say that it's interesting what can be considered currency these days, and as times change, so do the things that used to be fixed and unwavering... like fiat.
Every other week when I get my paycheck from work, I take some of that money and I set it aside as an offering for my church. If you are a rule follower, it's technically supposed to be ten percent of your gross income, but I don't think I give exactly that. It's probably a bit less if I am being honest. While I know that religion has caused a lot of misery in the world, I also feel it has created a lot of good. I don't feel bad about giving some of my money to the church for a couple of reasons.
First, I acknowledge that I am blessed. Yes, I have put in hard work to get to where I am, but I also feel there has been a hand of providence guiding me to this point. It's the least I can do but give back a little bit of what I have been blessed with.
Secondly, despite what a lot of people think about churches being money grubbing entities, that's now always true. Yes, it's easy to point to the mega churches and the pastors that live in grand mansions, but for every one of them, there are a dozen other pastors out there just trying to do the Lord's work and get by.
My sister is married to a pastor, and in all the years they have been together, I can't remember a time he didn't have to work multiple jobs along with her job just for them to get by. When they lived in a small town outside of Lexington Kentucky, he was serving as a pastor as well as working at the local Wendy's and substitute teaching for a small private school in the area.
Even now at his new church he is also working as a manager at a local thrift store and food back for the needy people in the county where he is located. Trust me, I've been to churches where they come at you hard about the offering. In fact, if I remember right I have been to churches where they took an offering multiple times through the service, but that's not what is all about.
In the past, I used to write a check to the church for the amount I was going to give for the offering. I would place it in the offering plate each Sunday that I was in church and for me that was my way to give back and a small act of service. Over time, my church did away with the offering plates, and moved to a small box near the entry and exit doors that you could put your money in.
While those boxes are still there, these days, I don't even use them. The church is now tied to an app called SubSplash where you can just give your offering online. I was kind of surprised the other day when I noticed they allow you to donate money via cryptocurrency.
It seems even religion has given the divine blessing to crypto. Which is pretty funny, because I remember back in 2017 when BTC was just starting to gain some traction, many conservative people were questioning if cryptocurrency was a sign of the end times.
No lie!
I had several conversations with my close religious friends about crypto and their first concern was always something related to the mark of the beast and all that stuff about the rapture and apocalypse. Pretty crazy right?
Fast forward to today, and now the church is saying crypto is okay!
Personally, I still don't use my crypto for offering, not because of any taboo or greed or anything like that, I just don't have that much of it that I can be giving it away. Especially at the current prices! Perhaps one day when HIVE moons I'll be able to drop a full BTC in the virtual offering plate as a small thanks to the divine.
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