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Common Ground run by a dangerous cult?

24 March 2008 in Business, Notes, Religion by Stilgherrian | 6 comments

I always used to enjoy the wholesome food from the Common Ground Café at Sydney’s Royal Easter Show, the Newtown Festival and other events. There’s now a bad taste in my mouth now that I’ve discovered they’re owned by an isolationist cult with abusive child-discipline practices. A former members says workers aren’t paid and there’s no workers compensation or insurance.

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25 March 2008 at 12:59 pm

Quatrefoil

I have a similar bad taste over my (fortunately small) donations to the Mercy Foundation which turns out to be a Hillsong affiliated cult which has done serious damage to the young women I was trying to help. I did realise it was a religious organisation, but without thinking about it too much, thought it was the Sisters of Mercy, who are not a bad bunch. I think all my donations will go to the Smith Family in future, who are explicitly non religious.

25 March 2008 at 1:40 pm

Crispin Harris

For similar reasons, I avoid donations to political lobbyist organisations.

Too many of them have affiliations in unexpected directions, or spend too much of their donated income on “non-core” (i.e. non-helpful) activities.

(And when a high-profile green group starts being associated with Eco-Terrorist groups such as Sea Shepherd, I start to really wonder about the height & stability of their moral high-ground. <sigh>).

These days, most of my donations go directly to the needy (by buying them food, not giving $$), or to organisations like ABM, St. Vincent De Paul & the Salvation Army — who publicly argue with policy makers about social justice issues.

25 March 2008 at 3:53 pm

Stilgherrian

There’s a follow-up story in the Sydney Morning Herald today: “The general manager of the Royal Easter Show said he would not be surprised if a café run at the event by a Christian sect was inspected by the state’s workplace watchdog after revelations its workers were not being paid.”

@Quatrefoil: It’s getting hard to know which charities are in accord with one’s beliefs. Is more openness needed?

@Crispin Harris: I’m with you on Sea Shepherd, of course, as I’ve previously written…

27 March 2008 at 5:13 pm

fatty samuels

I don’t give to ‘charities’ as such anymore. There are plenty of people needy enough of money to ask for money in the street. I would rather give to them. What they spend it on is their own business.

28 March 2008 at 12:42 pm

Bernard

i “hope” that “Common Ground Cafe” and “Common Ground Australia” (the homelessness busting charity) are not in any way linked.

‘twould be the first decent skandel of the Rudd Administration…

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/homelessness-role-for-pms-wife/2008/03/27/1206207300924.html

sorry not properly tagged…

28 March 2008 at 5:43 pm

Stilgherrian

@fatty samuels: That’s an interesting angle. I agree that helping the people in your own community directly is perhaps a Good Thing. However, given that when most people express concerns over where their charity dollar goes, I’m amazed you can happily let the money be spent on… whatever. Or do you choose the recipients more wisely?