Catholics in the Archdiocese of Washington and many other places are being encouraged (pressured?) to enroll in a commercial enterprise called "Faith Direct, Inc." instead of placing their tithe in the collection basket. On its surface, this is an interesting way for Catholics to use electronic means of contributing to their parish. Obviously, FD, Inc. makes money off this arrangement.
But who is "Faith Direct, Inc."? It is a for profit company owned by Brian Walsh, a conservative Republican political operative. Walsh's other clients, (Warfield and Walsh) include the Republican National Committee, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the Heritage Foundation, the New York State Conservative Party, the Fred Thompson Presidential campaign, and Senator Trent Lott's PAC. He also raises money for the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation (we know how conservatives love their horses).
As parishes direct the lay faithful to enroll in "FD", they are also given the opportunity to sign up for FD's Twitter messages, thereby giving Brian Walsh the ability to communicate his views and opinions directly to enrollees. Nice way to assemble a Twitter list to push the GOP agenda.
Use of "Faith Direct, Inc." is, of course, a personal decision. We just feel the lay faithful are entitled to full disclosure.
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