The poor, the fatherless and the widow...

[nomoreillusions]

I do not agree with homosexuality. I do believe it is wrong and a sin.

But I have a very hard time going about condemning others for it.

In the entirety of the Torah and Tenakh, G-d felt it necessary to mention the prohibition of homosexual acts, specifically, all of once. In the entirety of the New Testament, again, it is mentioned all of once, though can be contained under the heading of general 'sexual sins'.. it still is only prohibited specifically by mention once.

However, the Bible exhorts hundreds of times to care for the fatherless, the orphan, the widow, the homeless among us, to give of our abundance to them even so far as to specify that we much leave some of our crops in our fields for them to glean.

It is therefore my opinion that G-d cares much more about how we treat the poor among us.

I am more concerned about the suffering in this country, the poverty level, the unemployment rate, the children stuck in orphanages or the foster system than the secular government of this nation deciding to recognize for civil purposes the mutual decision of two men or two women to reside in such a state as we call marriage.

That they are sinning is something that no man or woman can convince me otherwise. That in their sin they harm none but their own selves (sadly) is again, something no man can convince me of otherwise.

But there are children, poor, needy, widowed, and elderly among us that are in desperate need of our attentions, our care, our righteous action!

Would that we could feed the poor with the same fervent self-righteous fire with which we condemn the sinners.

 

[DeathMagus]

It is therefore my opinion that G-d cares much more about how we treat the poor among us.

I am more concerned about the suffering in this country, the poverty level, the unemployment rate, the children stuck in orphanages or the foster system than the secular government of this nation deciding to recognize for civil purposes the mutual decision of two men or two women to reside in such a state as we call marriage.

That they are sinning is something that no man or woman can convince me otherwise. That in their sin they harm none but their own selves (sadly) is again, something no man can convince me of otherwise.

But there are children, poor, needy, widowed, and elderly among us that are in desperate need of our attentions, our care, our righteous action!

Would that we could feed the poor with the same fervent self-righteous fire with which we condemn the sinners.

And I'll help.

 

[Autumnleaf]

We feed the poor and the lazy by paying taxes.

 

[DZoolander]

...begrudgingly

 

[cantata]

We feed the poor and the lazy by paying taxes.

I had a boyfriend who thought poor people are lazy.

We split up.

 

[LightHorseman]

We feed the poor and the lazy by paying taxes.

Case in point...

equating the poor, widows and orphans with laziness, AND rationalising away any Christian duty to help them. Love it!

 

[DeathMagus]

Hey now...he said "the poor" and "the lazy" - that means two distinct groups. If he said "the poor and lazy," that would imply only one group (aka, that the poor are the lazy).

 

[stan1980]

Give a little if you can. I know only 10% or 20% of your money actually gets to the causes when you donate to most the established charities, but lets face it, short of going to Africa ourselves which for most of us isn't going to happen, this is the only way we can help these children who are literally starving.

 

[DeathMagus]

Give a little if you can. I know only 10% or 20% of your money actually gets to the causes when you donate to most the established charities, but lets face it, short of going to Africa ourselves which for most of us isn't going to happen, this is the only way we can help these children who are literally starving.

Aren't certain charities supposed to be better than others, however? (Stuff I do tends to be local, so I don't know.) Perhaps we can add to this thread a compilation of charities that we've researched and found actually donate sizable percentages of contributions to the people the donations are actually for?

For example, how accurate have people found sites like this to be?

 

[stan1980]

Aren't certain charities supposed to be better than others, however? (Stuff I do tends to be local, so I don't know.) Perhaps we can add to this thread a compilation of charities that we've researched and found actually donate sizable percentages of contributions to the people the donations are actually for?

For example, how accurate have people found sites like this to be?

I always donate to world vision, but I think they are UK based http://www.worldvision.org.uk/ . You have the options of saying where in the world your funds get distributed, but I always just select to most urgent causes.

 

[keith99]

I do not agree with homosexuality. I do believe it is wrong and a sin.

But I have a very hard time going about condemning others for it.

In the entirety of the Torah and Tenakh, G-d felt it necessary to mention the prohibition of homosexual acts, specifically, all of once. In the entirety of the New Testament, again, it is mentioned all of once, though can be contained under the heading of general 'sexual sins'.. it still is only prohibited specifically by mention once.

However, the Bible exhorts hundreds of times to care for the fatherless, the orphan, the widow, the homeless among us, to give of our abundance to them even so far as to specify that we much leave some of our crops in our fields for them to glean.

It is therefore my opinion that G-d cares much more about how we treat the poor among us.

I am more concerned about the suffering in this country, the poverty level, the unemployment rate, the children stuck in orphanages or the foster system than the secular government of this nation deciding to recognize for civil purposes the mutual decision of two men or two women to reside in such a state as we call marriage.

That they are sinning is something that no man or woman can convince me otherwise. That in their sin they harm none but their own selves (sadly) is again, something no man can convince me of otherwise.

But there are children, poor, needy, widowed, and elderly among us that are in desperate need of our attentions, our care, our righteous action!

Would that we could feed the poor with the same fervent self-righteous fire with which we condemn the sinners.

Did not Christ say that any who gave a child a drink of water it was as if it was given to Christ? Are there not several times where it is said that those who help the poor are blessed?

I don't recall any verse saying blessed are those who bash gays. I da recall a few saying something very different about those who persecute or judge others.

 

[nomoreillusions]

Give a little if you can. I know only 10% or 20% of your money actually gets to the causes when you donate to most the established charities, but lets face it, short of going to Africa ourselves which for most of us isn't going to happen, this is the only way we can help these children who are literally starving.

I will not pretend to downplay the suffering that is happening all over the world.

But it is not necessary to go to Africa, China, Russia, Mexico to find the children in desperate need of help.


We live in a country that is both propserous and desperately poor. We have those among us, who need our help!

Give to your local food bank! Donate clothes to a women's shelter. Donate your time to a food kitchen. Get to know the people in your church so you know who among them might be in need of your help.

Find a woman who has a hard time paying her mortgage after her husband died and give her your tax rebate. What were you going to do with it anyway, buy a big-screen TV for your living room?

Find a child who can't afford socks and help their family.

Instead of thrusting a few dollars at a homeless person without a second thought to them, buy them a meal, find out their name, and ask if you can help them.

The poor you will have with you always - and indeed we have them all around us!

Can one of you say there is not a widow at your church? Can any of you say that no one at your child's school is in need of help?

If you say you don't know, then it is another indication of the shameful state of society when we do not even know who our neighbors are, when we don't know who the people in our church are, when we don't know the people our child goes to school with.


Just think how the image of Christians would change - when the verse "They will know you are Christians by the love you have one for another" actually proves itself TRUE - if we would seek out and help others with the same fervor that some seek out military funerals to belittle and insult the families.

What if that same desire could be turned to seek out and help the families who have just lost their loved one... if we asked what we could do for them, how we could help?

What would the world think of Christians if we did what the Bible tells us to do?

 

[FaithLikeARock]

Amen!

 

[Bombila]

Careful, nomoreillusions! You're upgrading the image of Christians-on-CF with posts like that.

I personally know a fair number of local Christians who are good people who support the poor, help those in need, comfort the sick and dying, give what they can to the desperate in faraway lands, are cheerful and do not judge. They are as kind to and ready to help the same sex or unmarried couples in need in our community as anyone else. A person made poor from addictions is as worthy of help, in their minds, as anyone. They don't loudly condemn, they don't preach damnation. By their example, they say good things about Christianity. Agnostic though I am, I have no qualms about helping them with funding, baking cookies, playing music for benefits, etc.

But on CF I see too much narrow-mindedness, and a lot of condemnation of people in whose shoes they have never walked, and a lot of scriptural nit-pickery seemingly meant to enthrone personal prejudices.

Then again, I see posts like yours and am encouraged.

 

[Robbie_James_Francis]

What a fantastic OP! Someone who has read and understood the Gospel at last!

 

[Autumnleaf]

Hey now...he said "the poor" and "the lazy" - that means two distinct groups. If he said "the poor and lazy," that would imply only one group (aka, that the poor are the lazy).

I knew there had to be one thinker in the bunch.

 

[Bombila]

The 'lazy' label gets tossed around cruelly and often without basis or understanding, though, and that is why people more in touch with the poor react strongly against it.

Many poorer people, even those who appear fat or obese, suffer from various forms of malnutrition because the food they eat is cheap and poor in quality, either from lack of money to buy good food, or a poor understanding of nutrition. Some vitamin deficiencies common among people in these circumstances impact on the ability to think clearly or sequentially, cause or exacerbate depression, and reduce energy levels, and thus make it that much more difficult for the individual to get themselves out of the situation they find themselves in - it creates a downward spiral.

I've been in that situation, eating only poor and scanty food for more than six months. It is difficult to think clearly, one is depressed, even frightened. It becomes hard to perform complex tasks, even to summon enough ambition to leave the home. Someone without understanding would have labelled me 'lazy', I'm sure. I was fortunate enough to find a job, and the first three weeks were the hardest in my working life. I was exhausted every night, in bed by seven. By then I had a paycheque, and was able to buy good, nutritious food, and it took only a couple weeks to start feeling normal again, with normal energy and the ability to think properly. The experience left me with a new and sympathetic understanding of being poor - and 'lazy'.

 

[cantata]

The 'lazy' label gets tossed around cruelly and often without basis or understanding, though, and that is why people more in touch with the poor react strongly against it.

Many poorer people, even those who appear fat or obese, suffer from various forms of malnutrition because the food they eat is cheap and poor in quality, either from lack of money to buy good food, or a poor understanding of nutrition. Some vitamin deficiencies common among people in these circumstances impact on the ability to think clearly or sequentially, cause or exacerbate depression, and reduce energy levels, and thus make it that much more difficult for the individual to get themselves out of the situation they find themselves in - it creates a downward spiral.

I've been in that situation, eating only poor and scanty food for more than six months. It is difficult to think clearly, one is depressed, even frightened. It becomes hard to perform complex tasks, even to summon enough ambition to leave the home. Someone without understanding would have labelled me 'lazy', I'm sure. I was fortunate enough to find a job, and the first three weeks were the hardest in my working life. I was exhausted every night, in bed by seven. By then I had a paycheque, and was able to buy good, nutritious food, and it took only a couple weeks to start feeling normal again, with normal energy and the ability to think properly. The experience left me with a new and sympathetic understanding of being poor - and 'lazy'.

QFT.

I really hate people describing people they don't know as "lazy".

 

[Sitswithamouse]

Absolutely inspiring and true. OP

Those who attribute laziness to the needy , need to look outside their own lives and breathe in some reality.

 

[DeathMagus]

equating the poor, widows and orphans with laziness...

I had a boyfriend who thought poor people are lazy...

The 'lazy' label gets tossed around cruelly and often without basis or understanding...

I really hate people describing people they don't know as "lazy".

Those who attribute laziness to the needy , need to look outside their own lives and breathe in some reality.

No one in this thread has called poor people lazy. Why is everyone trolling for controversy?

(And this was such a nice thread, too....)