Don't Give Panhandlers Even One Thin Dime.

[Johny Joe Hold]

When you walk the streets of big cities, inevitably, you will pass by people sitting on the sidewalk with a hat in front of them asking for money. Don't.

The reason we want to give them money is a selfish one. We want to feel better about ourselves--we don't want to be unkind.

The truth is the opposite. When we give that person money, we are doing them harm. We are taking away their natural incentive to acheive, to get a job and be successful.

Jesus does not want us to harm the panhandlers by making them useless members of society. Do what Jesus would do, walk on by.

http://humanepursuits.com/giving-to-ease-your-conscience/

[Attila's Wife]

Re: Don't Give Panhandlers Even One Thin Dime.

Mr Mayor, sir, I have always struggled to make sense of the parable of the good Samaritan, which seems to contradict your excellent advice. Now I wonder if I simply misunderstood the message. Let's have a look at Luke 10:30-37:

30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.


Now Jesus doesn't tell us anything about this man, though my guess would be that he was a poor Jew - I mean, if all they took was his clothes, I guess he had no money and nothing else worth stealing?



31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.


Priest in this context would be a rabbi, I guess?



32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.


Another Jew.



33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,


And yet another one, but a "compassionate Jew", if that is not an oxymoron?



34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.


Now this sounds good, but you have to wonder about the motives of a man who takes another man to a hotel.



35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.


Two pence? That's even less than a dime!



36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?


Well who knows? This is a trick question, because we aren't told where he lived! We don't know if he was from Jerusalem, just visiting Jericho, or if he was on his way home to Jericho after visiting Jerusalem. And we don't know where the priest, the Levite or the Samaritan lived either.



37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.


Now here's the crunch. Which one was "He that shewed mercy on him"? Surely not the guy who poured wine into his wounds - ouch! If the robbed man was so poor that he had nothing worth stealing, wouldn't the merciful thing have been to have left him to die?


I suspect that was setting us an intelligence test here, one which, up to now, I have failed. Thank you, Brother Mayor, for pointing me in the right direction.


YiC
AW

[Zechariah Smyth]

Re: Don't Give Panhandlers Even One Thin Dime.

Attila's Wife, that is one of the best replies I have seen from a Forum Member, especially considering you are a woman. Well done.



If more people would simply take the time to read the Bible, verse by verse, even the parts they think they are familiar with, the true beauty and justice of God would be revealed.

YiC,

Zech

[Johny Joe Hold]

Re: Don't Give Panhandlers Even One Thin Dime.

Mr Mayor, sir, I have always struggled to make sense of the parable of the good Samaritan, which seems to contradict your excellent advice. Now I wonder if I simply misunderstood the message. Let's have a look at Luke 10:30-37:

30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.


Now Jesus doesn't tell us anything about this man, though my guess would be that he was a poor Jew - I mean, if all they took was his clothes, I guess he had no money and nothing else worth stealing?


I suspect that was setting us an intelligence test here, one which, up to now, I have failed. Thank you, Brother Mayor, for pointing me in the right direction.


YiC
AW

I think you are well on your way toward understanding the parable, Sister.

I'm not a theologian, but what I see in this parable is an man on a business trip, trying to better himself, that got robbed. In such a case, it might be all right to provide some help. In my opinion, it should be a loan.

This is different than your typical panhandler who has no intention of looking for job.

[James Hutchins]

Re: Don't Give Panhandlers Even One Thin Dime.

I know for a fact, if you give a panhandler a dime, they will not give unto Jesus His share. Nor will they pay you back.

A few years ago, I was getting an alignment done on the '79 Whale tail. While I was waiting, I struck up a conversation with a fellow holding a sign "Jesus Loves You'. Knowing He does, I chatted. At the end of the talk, the fellow asked if I'd loan him some money. Being a trusting Christian, I gave him quarter.
Sipping a latte in the dealers customer service area, I saw the fellow go into a liquor store. Outraged, I went back out side and asked what was in the bag. A pint of some stuff called 'Early Times'. I asked the other gentlemen he was with if he shared Gods Gifts© with them. They all glared and said 'no'!
A few months later, I was back in town, to get a replacement steering wheel. It t seems I twisted my old one up. I saw the same fellow and thought it would be a good time to get my quarter back. He acted like he did not know what I was talking about. I grabbed his cup and took all the change that was in it. I plan to turn it over to the Church Tithing committee next time I remember.


I learned first hand, how incredibly accurate the Bible is.

• People that covet money are all dishonest
• None of them ever share their good fortune.
• They all want to joo Jesus
• They all smell

[Johny Joe Hold]

Re: Don't Give Panhandlers Even One Thin Dime.

Thank you, Brother James, for sharing that wonderful story. There is a lesson in it for all of us.

Tithing is not a burden, but a joy. We need to be certain panhandlers share in that wonderful experience.

I noticed that in the Good Samaritan parable there are several things given the injured roadside man, but no mention is made of the 10% owed the church. I take it the experience, ultimately, was like yours. The Good Samaritan was happy to do it once, but was never sure after that the injured man used his good fortune to tithe or put himself on the path to success in business.

We can conclude both you and the Good Samaritan would not give to a panhandler again.

[Ex-soccer player]

Re: Don't Give Panhandlers Even One Thin Dime.

When you walk the streets of big cities, inevitably, you will pass by people sitting on the sidewalk with a hat in front of them asking for money.

Jesus would get hopping mad and kick the hat away.

Sometimes I give the the bums a chance and teach them how to make a living in a honorable way. I hand him a rag and ask him to shine my shoes. When he has finished his work to my satisfaction, he will receive his pay. But I won't give money, I leave the rag to him! That way, I help him to start his own little business. "Help the poor to help themselves" is the motto!

[Baxter Gladwell III]

Re: Don't Give Panhandlers Even One Thin Dime.

When you give in to a vagrant's attempt to tug at your heartstrings, you are not only ENABLING habits developed due to a CULTURE OF DEPENDANCY, you are REMOVING ANY INCENTIVE to pull at one's own BOOTSTRAP.

It's basic ECONOMICS. Handouts to the poor are SOCIALISM and undermines the very fabric of the Free Enterprise System which has made our country GREAT! Sure, you go down to Cuba, and there is nobody begging in the street. BUT WHERE IS THE INCENTIVE TO SUCCEED?

If we are to remain a CHRISTIAN NATION, we should model ourselves after early Christian communities - an honest day's pay for an honest day's work. If you don't want to work, you don't get to eat.

2 Thessalonians 3:10-12
10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
11 For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.
12 Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.

[Mary Etheldreda]

Re: Don't Give Panhandlers Even One Thin Dime.

Well said, Mr. Mayor. If we are to be the hands and feet of Jesus, we need to not be shy about sharing the Good News. I have found that when coming across a beggar on the street, when I open my Holy Bible and share with them the uplifting story Jesus told about the Widow and the Mite, I have their attention:

And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.
And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.
And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:
For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.
Luke 21:1-4

We then look at the change they have in their coffee cups or hats or bows or whatever they have. We talk about the goodness of the LORD and how He will bless them according to their faith (Luke 6:38). It's that look of genuine hopelessness in their eyes I see when I take the money from them that makes it especially rewarding. Oh, some struggle, which is always so silly because they're weak with hunger while I am in excellent physical shape. But most part with it willingly (I don't count yelling and cursing). It is so rewarding knowing that after they experience true and deep giving, I know the LORD will bless them with the experience of abundance! Even if they don't see that abundance until they die, it will still have been worth it.

[Godfly]

Re: Don't Give Panhandlers Even One Thin Dime.

If you really want to help the homeless don't give them a dime, hit them with a sock full of nickels.

[Prayer Warrior]

Re: Don't Give Panhandlers Even One Thin Dime.

Showtime did a documentary about this. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reversa...une_(2005_film) They gave a homeless person $100,000 to see what would happen. Would he turn his life around? Would he use the money to get emplacement? The answer is an unsurprising NO!

Here's a quote from the wikipedia article

The following weeks find Ted frequenting at the local bar, his spending averaging $10,000 a week. He then purchases a $35,000 Dodge Ram and another truck for one of his recently acquired girlfriends, rents an apartment and buys furniture. The filmmakers then request that he meet with a financial planner. Ted meets with him, but firmly announces to him that he has no intentions of working and does not wish to plan ahead as he is only concerned with today. Ted states his belief that the financial planner is only after his money and rips up his card.

His sisters repeatedly try to convince Ted to seek employment, although he still believes he is "set for life". By this time, Ted has become resentful to the film producers for giving him the money. The film then ends telling the viewer that, six months after finding the money, Ted refuses to disclose his latest bank balance; however, his sisters fear that it is less than $5,000.

On a December 1, 2006 airing of The Oprah Winfrey Show entitled: "Are You Ready For a Windfall?", Ted and Wayne Powers were on the program to promote the documentary and speak on their account of the experiment. When asked by Oprah how much of the $100,000 he still had, Ted replied "none." Ted also mentioned that he is homeless again

Can you believe that? Buying luxury vehicles for himself and his girlfriend too? Believing he is "set for life"? Refusing to meet with a financial planner? Are you seeing the pattern here? The reason these people are homeless isn't because they've lacked opportunities. They have had the same opportunities as the rest of us. The reason they are poor is because they squander the money and refuse to plan ahead.

The reason these people are homeless is because they have no idea how to manage money, and they have no desire to learn how to. Next time you're considering throwing money to a homeless person, just remember Ted, and how he squandered his money. He's not the only instance of this either.

This is why Jesus has made it clear time and time again that He is firmly in favor of a regressive tax. Jesus knows that poor people will squander every dime they have, and that even the wasteful big government with Obama in office can manage money more efficiently than poor people can. Poor people will simply waste the money. Rich people on the other hand know how to manage money. The richer they are the more they know. Therefore the more money they should be given to them so they can increase the wealth even further. This is economics made so simple that even a child could understand it, but not Obama and not homeless people.

[Attila's Wife]

Re: Don't Give Panhandlers Even One Thin Dime.

Do panhandlers even pay taxes on the money they collect? I bet they don't! According to Romans 13:7 we are all obliged to pay what we owe (subject to the appropriate deductions for expenses and tithing, of course).

[Mother Of Seven]

Re: Don't Give Panhandlers Even One Thin Dime.

Many years ago before I met my husband and before I found the Lord, I went for a holiday to deepest darkest Africa. There were lots of beggars. I found out from the local white people that beggar parents would break the limbs of their babies and bind those limbs so that they would never heal (eg: binding the ankle to the front of the thigh). That would make them better beggars for life. I suppose that is enterprising (if you regard panhandling as a profession) but I doubt that sweet Jesus would approve.

Then we came across a beggar and something seemed not quite right. It was the end of the day and most of the office workers had gone home. So we saw the beggar packing up. He appeared quite contorted and hopped around the corner, where he stood up straight, emptied his begging bowl into his pockets and went home. It seemed that it was regarded there as a legitimate career!

[Cranky Old Man]

Re: Don't Give Panhandlers Even One Thin Dime.

Attila's Wife, that is one of the best replies I have seen from a Forum Member, especially considering you are a woman.

No doubt her husband assisted her with that great post.

[Wandering Minstrel]

Re: Don't Give Panhandlers Even One Thin Dime.

Let me tell ye somethin' bout homeless fellers
A great deal of their ilk be great storytellers
A've 'eard many an engaging yarn, 'tis true
'Bout all the hardships and whatnot that they've been through
How life is tough now that they be on the street
They've no place to stay and no food to eat
Yet, in these tales they never be the blame
A million dif'rnt beginnins and middles, but every endin's the same
Whether they be standin' with a hat or a tin cup in hand
'Tis shillins and doubloons that these louts will demand
So ye best be weary when dealin' with a lazy slob
'cuz separatin' fools from their money be their only job!