posted
As a veteran of working in emergency rooms I have come to understand some things that may be useful to you. At the least this information should relieve you of some guilt. The Democratic Party is fond of describing itself as the party of the “less-fortunate” in our society. Such a designation implies that poor people are not responsible for their own plight in life but are just unlucky. Please let me help you clear up this misunderstanding.
It is true that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The reasons for this are not so much that the rich plunder the poor. The rich keep getting richer because they keep doing the things that made them rich, and the poor keep getting poorer because they keep doing the things that made them poor. For example, poor people do not finish their education. The girls get pregnant as soon as possible and as many times as possible. A huge proportion of poor people spend most of their discretionary income on drugs, alcohol, junk food, and the lottery. Go visit a homeless shelter some time. You will not find unfortunate people out of work through no fault of their own. You will find hundreds of people whose main goals in life are to get high, get government checks, and get handouts. Most have relatives who have given up on them. The overwhelming majority of the “homeless” would be no better off if they were given a $500,000 house. It would be a crack house in 48 hours or less. These folks are no more “unfortunate” than the alcoholic who continues to fall down on the sidewalk night after night, using his “disability” check for more alcohol.
So get over your guilt about being successful at what you do. You did those things that make people successful. You passed up instant gratification, saved your money, finished high school, and delayed having children until you could afford them. Show me a homeless person and I will show you someone with a positive drug and alcohol screen. There is a lot of mental illness out there walking the streets, but most of them are substance abusers as well. Once you know this you begin to understand why our country is in such a mess. We are rewarding people for making poor life choices and continuing self-destructive behavior. Our government is subsidizing drug abuse, early pregnancies, and school dropouts. We are allowing almost all black males to grow up in single parent homes, seeking their father figure in gangs. It is it any wonder that the 13% of the US population that is black accounts for 49% of all violent crime and occupies the majority of jail cells in America? This 13% includes all the black women and children, not just black males. In other words, you have good reasons to cross the street when you see a black male coming your way. This is not racism. It is fact.
Compassion is an important attribute for anyone. However, be careful when you “help” people. Often, the money you give “poor” people just goes for more self-destructive behavior. Much of this problem began with LBJ and the Great Society. At that time only about 35 % of black women had children without a husband. But once it was common knowledge that all you had to do to get out from under the control of your mother and set up your own pad was to get pregnant, a whole new underclass was born. They are eligible for Medicaid, welfare, food stamps, and low rent apartments just because they quit school and got knocked up. Hollywood glorifies single motherhood, rather than recognizing it as a leading cause of the destruction of our country.
This underclass is growing at an astronomical rate, because they have only 14-15 years between generations, while Caucasians have 25+ years between generations. The average adult black male will impregnate 25-30 women and more than 90% of all black children are now born to single mothers. So when you contribute to the “food bank”, the “homeless”, or the “less-fortunate” ask specific questions about what the money will be used for. Most of the moms who load up on groceries at the food bank will have more money for drugs and alcohol and cigarettes. I do not think that poverty can be cured by giving money and food to poor people. Our country has wasted billions of dollars in the “War on Poverty”, creating more poverty. If your money does not go towards helping someone change his self-destructive behavior, then you may as well buy yourself another flat screen TV. Your tax dollars are already funding this underclass at the expense of your own social security, which you worked for.
Where should, does, or did the church fit into all of this?
posted
I do not consider myself poor, by any means, but I find your "advise" very offensive and definetly non-Christian in its attitude toward the poor. There are far too many generalizations lumping all the poor into one vast dunghill of humanity.
Almost all of us are one day away from poverty and homelessness. If we will not humble ourselves God is able to do it for us. He can remove our income by allowing illness to cause us to lose our job while we incur astronomical medical bills. Should God give you opportunity to repent and brings you to the point where you must beg in order to cure your attitude toward the poor then you will find that the poor will be more willing to give to help you than the wealthy. The wealthy share your attitude and will look upon your circumstances as though you squandered your means. But the poor have walked in your shoes and will have compassion on you.
It was Christ who honored the poorest of the poor. Among all the wealthy givers at the temple He valued the gift of the widow's 2 mites above all that had been placed in the offering that day. You see, in God's eyes it is not the amount we give but the sacrifice in giving.
And, regarding your statement that the rich do not become wealthy by exploiting the poor...well, that is simply a lie. There are very few righteous people who are wealthy because God has blessed them. Consider the passage in James 5:1-7 which is talking about the last days upon this earth. What did the rich do to cause the poor to cry out to God?
While some of what you say is true you must consider the whole truth. An honest man would never lie awake in bed thinking of ways to make a fast buck. His plan is to work hard and make an honest living. He loans money asking nothing in return while his rich counterpart charges the highest interest rate allowed, takes on penalties for late payments, extends credit to pay debt then charges for being over-extended calling it over-draft protection--as though it were benevolent in nature. These evil men lie awake in the beds at night dreaming up way to steal from you and me. Their goal is not to be warm and comfortable but rather to be richer than the next guy. All their work is marked with greed.
When the African man refused to work in the diamond mines because of the lack of incentive evil men created it. They convinced the government to tax every man--payable in British pounds. Where was the black man to get British pounds but by working in the mines. And, if they failed to pay the tax then they went to jail and guess where they worked? In the mines.
An actual case: The CEO of a large corporation earns $14 million a year in salary, bonuses, incentives, stock-options, and perquisites. (Don't know what perquisites are? Well, its a fancy device for giving the rich more without incurring taxes. Some of the perquisites include: $38k for home security per year, limousine, private jet, chauffer, etc.)
This same company uses creative strategies to prevent paying any health benefits to their employees. They consider anything less than 35 hours per week as part-time and part-timers don't get benefits. But they hire so much help that they don't need to schedule anyone more than 34 hours per week. Some people get only 8 hours per week.
And what drives all this? It's the greed of the stock-holders. They want their dividends and rising stock values. They applaud layoffs if it pads their pocketbooks. The CEO works for them and answers to them.
All this evil tends to make the average guy think he must be crooked in order to survive. But Jesus predicted that because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. Yes, many will disregard their neighbor because we are learning to be selfish through our own want. We don't know what it means to love our neighbor as our self.
No, I disagree with your advice and refuse to accept it. I think you are simply trying to justify your own penuriousness.
posted
Dear virginian, I know very much whereof you speak! We are definitely learning the hard way that one must be "led of the spirit" when dealing with real, practical needs.
Jesus didn't heal everyone everywhere, even though from time to time he healed everyone who came to him in a certain place, and he didn't multiply bread for every crowd. He spoke a great deal about stewardship, even mentioning the "undeserving" in the story of the "talents".
We've found that the Spirit speaks to us each and every time someone asks us for help, or when we see a need, if we pause a moment and ask for guidance. Oftentimes I have a leading, and turn to my husband and present the need as neutrally as possible and he confirms what I think. This often means that, to the needy person, we may seem capricious. But God knows what they really need (and whether what they are telling us is really what they want the money/food/ride for!).
The REAL issue is that only God knows what each person needs, and "do gooders" both in the government and in the church have done a HUGE amount of harm.
Does anyone think it is a good thing that the men of Southern Cone Africa are better off, dying from AIDS because of a cheap grace gospel that released them from the moral strictures of their traditional religion, but didn't hold them to a high standard of discipleship? Does anyone think families in Latin America are better off because "the gospel has been preached, and money strewn about", when the men have completely given up their responsibility for their family in the wake of us preaching to them the "gospel of education as the answer to all life's needs"?
No, it is better for us to recognize that "money corrupteth and irresponsibly given money corrupteth absolutely".
My response to your final question, "Where does the church fit...?" is that we must be committed to making sure our help really helps, and that we hold people accountable to biblical norms, step by step. We don't want to be close-fisted, but neither to be irresponsible. As with all things, there is a paradox and a balance, and only by the Spirit dare we do anything at all!
posted
Ty for the replies--especially the second one.
Jeff in Richmond, how do you reconcile your politically correct opinions with "if anyone will not work--niether should he eat"?
Btw, you had no business reading bad motives into what I wrote. You're forgiven, though. ;-) I have had the opportunity to help several but that's between me and God.
Open rebuke is better than fake love or something like that. Has anyone here ever had any success with jarring someone from a victim mentality? It is not easy because the almighty state is ready to confer that title on about anyone who will hold out their hand and whine.
I think I know where I fit in--where does the church fit in? Who's doing it right?
posted
Well, Virginian, it is that you simply did not rightly present the facts. Perhaps you do not know them. So let's indeed broaden our thinking and get the bigger picture. We'll start by looking at some of your ascertions.
1) "Show me a homeless person and I will show you someone with a positive drug and alcohol screen."
These vices are prevalent among the rich as well, and especially the "Stars." Let's see. Most recently; Vic, Britney, Paris, Little-miss-whats-her-name, and Larry-whats-his-name? What about Rock-n-Roll stars and their King, Elvis? It is not a homeless thing though it may result in homelessness. Did you know that children are among the fastest growing population of homeless? More than 500,000 are under the age of 15.
With the Real Estate bust many more people who would not be considered poor are loosing their homes.
2) "For example, poor people do not finish their education."
Not a "poor" thing either. What about the two billionaires of late who dropped out of college to start MySpace? A great number of the wealthiest men in the world never finished school or did very poorly. Let me just list of few "poor" drop-outs.
Bill Gates - Richest man in world dropped out of school.
Larry Ellison - Oracle fame dropped out of school
Li Ka-Shing - Asia's richest man worth 18.5 billion dropped out
Roman Abramovich - Russia's richest man
Paul Allen - also Microsoft
Michael Dell - Dell computers
Amancio Ortega - Spain's richest man
Kirk Kerkorian - high school dropout
YC Wang - never even stepped foot into a high school
Steve Jobs - Apple Computer
Ralph Lauren - clothing
Richard Branson - Virgin companies never finished high school
And so many more... However, I concede that dropouts typically get paid less. But are they "poor?" And, are all educated people wealthy, or NOT poor? Bankruptcy has skyrocketed among the retired population--those over 65.
If the general tone of your post had been different this could have been an observation. But given the context it too appears to be a general condemnation of anyone poor. Have you ever considered that it costs a lot of money to obtain an education? And for some the prospect of getting a job does not present itself to them. They have been beaten down so long that they have little hope if any. This contributes to their successful recruitment by dealers and gangs. They want to belong to something. Everyone needs to feel needed. And, they don't fit into the business world. It is foreign to them. They want to live the American Dream but it is passing them by. So they turn to other ways to get that "easy money" everyone is after.
3) "The girls [of the poor] get pregnant as soon as possible and as many times as possible."
Perhaps they haven't the money to get abortions or pay for contraceptives like their wealthier counterparts who also engage in sexual activities "as soon as possible and as many times as possible."
What about the recent custody battle over the child of the wealthy mom who died of a drug overdose. Seems know one knew who the father was. Not a "poor" thing either.
4) "A huge proportion of poor people spend most of their discretionary income on drugs, alcohol, junk food, and the lottery."
This is not limited to the poor who I bet spend a great deal less on these discretionary items than their wealthier counterparts.
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I personally know an auto mechanic most would consider poor. But he is rich in faith. He has fixed so many cars for those less fortunate (women mostly) that I am sure he himself has suffered great loss. But is he to be put-down for his generous, compassionate heart?
So you see, to someone else you appear to be dumping on the poor. There are many reasons people become poor. And, there are sometimes justifications for men who do not work. I remember when I first lost a job. I was fired and it really affected me. For two weeks I suffered anxiety attacks and basically could not function normally. What if those who loved me had strictly followed the Biblical principle that anyone who doesn't work should not eat. What would have been my condition if no one had had pity on me and help me back on my feet? (BTW, you are misapplying that scripture.)
Now, let's test your heart. If a man inherits enough money to last him through-out his life would you apply the same principle to him as you wish to apply to the poor man? Would you deny him food because he refuses to work? Think about it! If you don't apply it equally to all but adjust your principle based on wealth then you are partial and your actions are not motivated by principle.
If you want an example of how we as Christians should treat the poor, the wayward, the burdensome then simply look to the Savior. What if he had refused to help us? What if he cut off our food because we wouldn't work? What if he turned a cold shoulder to all who caused their own suffering and grief? Aren't you glad, for your sake and mine, he had pity on us? Do you think he looks upon us with pleasure when we allow our hearts to grow cold and refuse to have compassion on those who suffer at their own hands?
If you are successful then stop and think about your support group. Who are those who helped you get where you are today? And, Yes, Jesus is your biggest supporter. Don't ever think proudly that you built yourself up. God gives the talents and then patiently works with you to improve them.
So did God bless you, assuming you are rich and not poor, so you would become selfish or to allow you to bless others and overcome your selfishness? I assure you it is the later. God is interested in saving all and does not work to hinder his desires.
I think Laurie's post is much more balanced. I found yours, Virginian, to be that of a hatemonger because you are trying to incite others to hatred or prejudice. It seems you distinguish people by their material wealth condemning the actions of the poor while overlooking the same actions in those who have means. You are demonstrating your partiality. Wouldn't you rather surrender all of your prejudices to receive Christ's spirit?
Jas 2:5,6 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?
posted
Well, we have been trying to think through a lot of the issues with assisting the poor.
I came across a quote from someone who has worked among the broken-hearted in India. "Beware of solving problems without conveying [God's] love."
This was in regards to finding the balance of preaching the gospel and ministering to practical needs. "Rice Christianity" and "Heartless Evangelicalism" are alike an abomination!
Some things we try to do: 1. Whenever possible, we "pay the bill" rather than giving cash. It has happened more than once that I have given money for a specific need, only to have the person come back and say, "Can you give me more money for that, I gave that to my {mother/boyfriend/friend} and it's gone!" If the person throws a fit for "not trusting them" I just say, "You have not yet earned my trust" or "It's possible that you will be taken advantage of." I used to be afraid of this kind of frankness, but with the underclass it seems to be necessary to say that trust isn't given, its earned.
2. We ask people to write down a budget if money seems to be an ongoing problem, and say, "I can't give you more until I see that you have a plan for it."
3. We try to distinguish needs caused by crisis versus needs caused by poor management. It is frustrating to see one's money go into a cesspit.
4. We try to encourage people to recognize that often Sin and Pride are the problem, not a money shortage.
5. Without harshly judging people, we try to point out ways their life is not according to God's laws, therefore they cannot legitimately expect His blessings. We preach God's mercy, but at the same time point at his justice. For example, we have a pair in our circle of influence who live together without benefit of marriage under odd circumstances. We do not exclude them from help, but point out that there is a problem of "the appearance of evil" and lack of commitment, both of which keep them from having what they need. This calls for wisdom, of course, because we don't want to be "Job's comforters" but we try to focus on one issue that seems problematic, and recommend changes.
6. We keep in mind that there is very little true poverty in America. The Bible calls us to care for the 'orphan and the widow', not for the shiftless and the "entitled". This requires wisdom, too, that we must somewhat acknowledge as you said, "if a man won't work, he won't eat". God's plan for families is that they be productive, and care for one another. An ongoing practice of expecting government agencies or church people to pay the bills is a problem!
7. We offer to take in people with apparently legitimate needs. We are supposed to "practice hospitality", we do not have to give handouts. Most of the time, they refuse because of pride and unwillingness to live God's way. But if we have offered "food, clothes...therewith to be content", we have done all God requires of us.
In reading up on the early church, I learned that the problem of getting "offerings to the widows" in the book of Acts had more to do with bringing them a portion of the love feast (and therefore "The Lord's Supper), when they were believers unable to join the congregation, rather than cash gifts. It was a spiritual thing, for each family was supposed to be caring for their own family members, but the whole church was to bless one another with "the Lord's Supper".
Our progress has been mainly a learning curve recently. No one has dramatically overcome the victim mentality. But we have had clear opportunities to present the claims of Christ upon their lives, and have seen some gratitude and some change in behavior. This is progress compared to the thankless experiences of the past.
Above all, we must pray and guard our hearts, and remember, "He who lends to the poor lends to the Lord", yet to not do anything that would result in bitterness. This, too, requires wisdom and balance. We try to be creative and think about how we can help the person without enabling sin or dependency.
Your advice seems well seasoned. Something I learned working with runaway children is that you can carry gift cards to give out rather than cash. They can be for food, clothing, sundries, etc. This is most convenient when you are not able to accompany the person to make the purchase--as is the case with the organization I am involved with. At least you can be certain that unless they sell the gift card they will not be using the monies to buy cigarettes, wine, or beer.
Speaking of balancing our giving with the gospel message, I think that benevolent giving is the gospel message. I never got an opportunity to preach a sermon or teach a lesson or truly speak of God's love to a couple who lived near our church. But prompted by the love of God I saw their need and paid to have their electricity turned on in the winter time. Later we both moved away and it wasn't until 7 years later that I learned that they (both) were baptised into the church. I believe that God used this experience to open the door to their hearts. Truly, in so many cases we try to preach the gospel but we don't meet the immediate need which would enable them to hear. If they can see Christ in us, if our lives are conformed to his likeness, then every kind act, every pitiful look and compassionate word is a sermon more powerful than any ever preached from the pulpit.
With that said, does it then become easier to "preach a sermon" to the poor than to the rich? Perhaps the rich are neglected because they appear to be doing fine and feel no need. Perhaps we should invite them to join us in helping the poor. Perhaps that is the sermon for them.
BTW, I noticed you used the word "underclass" in your first example of "Things we try to do." Is that an old prejudice creeping in? Are there really first, second, and perhaps third class citizens? Or, in this case, are we who have part of the "overclass" or "superior class"? Can you explain?
posted
Jeff in Richmond, why do you keep reading vile motives into my messages? Do you expect the worst from everyone? Do cease with the guilt manipulation and false accusations.
The people in America whom you regard as poor are actually rich when compared to the rest of the world, as a rule. It is so that there are exceptions to general rules. The exceptions don't change the rules. Your list of drop-outs -- several from universities -- proves little to me.
Is this proverb the general rule or an exception: Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. Proverbs 10:4? Inheritance doesn't change one's obligation to work, either. A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children. Proverbs 13:22.
That aside, the greater question is: Should churches reward perpetual laziness as the government of the USA does?
posted
I would certainly offer a caution against the view that one race is more inclined to evil than another. I doubt that that can be validated from Scripture. All, everywhere need to bow before the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the WORLD.
Somewhere, there is a balance between those who need a hand and not a mere hand-out. It is difficult to discern, true. I know I have been burned more than a few times. Jesus did advise us to lend and not expect a return... so I really did not get burned after all.
I was talking on the phone recently to one Dan Beaty. He was making the observation that the money formerly donated to institutional churches was now going elsewhere. This was OK by him but he added that he could see no signs of it in Columbus, Ohio. He was puzzled.
Virginian, you and others are likely aware that the Constitution of the US makes no provision for welfare or even education. What was in the framers' minds? Who did they think was going to take care of such things?
posted
Hi, D I would venture to say that the framers thought the family and its immediate neighbors would care for one another, as had been done in all of previous history. I was reading in "33 questions about American History you aren't supposed to ask" the other day that the framers of the Constitution had great concern that all government be as local as possible, as those "on location" would always better know what the needs are and less able to "create an empire" which dominates and abuses. Of course, they also believed self-government was not possible with an un-regenerate people. It isn't a perfect system, but by and large there is no system that has improved on the family! And second best is knowing your neighbor, and loving them as yourself. I think the original church in Jerusalem did make a difference.
It is sad to think that our giving won't be noticed. But I assure you, the neighbor we have given thousands of dollars to so that she can get her kids back from foster care notices!
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