Helping the Poor

[Meh_Gerbil]

I've blown through a bunch of arguments on the political discussion board about the right and wrong of abortion. I'm against abortion because I consider it, in most instances, murder for the sake of convenience. Don't let my view offend you -- push it aside because for the sake of this post it is merely a launching point for the real topic of this thread.

You see, if abortion in most instances is just murder for the sake of keeping one's lifestyle without bothering with a dependent then I have to wonder if my affluent lifestyle -- at the expense of not helping starving children around the world is on par with abortion. In both instances greed is costing innocent lives.

I've protected myself with tons of excuses:
1: Governments are to blame.
2: I already pay taxes, isn't that helping?
3: These people aren't my responsibility.
4: I earn my money.
5: etc.

My question is then this: Is abortion for the sake of convenience any different morally than my greed which keeps all my money while a child starves? I've been arguing against abortion -- but how much blood is on my mitts?

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While you wrestle with that question, I'd be interested in any SOLID Christian charities that allow one to sponser a child in an impoverished nation. If anyone has researched this, I might just pick a kid up and sponser the lil' guy. I'm not sure I want to get to the other side of this life with a nice car, home, and leather bound books on my bookshelf while people starve all over the world. I think that would look really, really bad. :blush:

[elysian]

Gerbil, you have a good point. We are called to assist the poor in our communities (and where ever there is need) and there are many ways we can do that. From donating to REPUTABLE charities, to giving to local food pantries and homeless shelters and rehabilitation programs, to helping to provide safe and affordable quality housing for families, these are all things we can help do.

Personally I think as a society we have gone the wrong direction in placing the responsibility to care for the poor upon the government. (this is not to say that government cannot intervene, but should not be the primary provider of relief) The material needs of the poor (may) be provided for but little else- aid often consists of herding the poor into crime and drug-ridden projects and consigning them to inferior schools with little to no chance for a real education, and grooming people for a life of dependency is not charity but a form of cruel enslavement. (An aside to this- how much more could we give to charities if we were not under the burden of confiscatory taxes? Often people refrain from charitable giving because of their tax burden.)

How should we aid the poor? I believe the goal should always be to give them the tools and the support to become productive members of society. Granted there are those who truly are dependent: children, the mentally and physically disabled and the elderly, and they should be cared for- preferably by their families, but government should be able to provide a "safety net" in those instances where families cannot meet their needs. However there are usually underlying conditions to poverty that must be addressed such as:

Poor education/lack of employment skills - which can be mitigated through job training

Mental illness and/or drug and alcohol addiction- which can be mitigated through treatment and rehabilitation which needs to have a strong accountability element

The aim of any charitable giving should be to help people through crisis situations, and bring them closer to independence. For instance it is good and right to provide food and shelter for the homeless and to donate to food pantries, but that is simply crisis intervention. From that point forward, efforts should be made to help the person with few or no job skills get the necessary training and to find employment, efforts should be made to help the addict get clean so that they may be able to have a meaningful vocation and provide for themselves.

I agree that there are people in areas who will need long term assistance and intervention, and there will always be crisis situations. This is where Christian people are called to help meet the needs. And we as sinners, despite our best efforts will fall short- but we are called to do what we are able.

As to the subject of abortion- the only way that the numbers will be significantly reduced is if we prevent as many crisis pregnancies as possible- through education (especially stressing abstinence) and the correct use of contraception, and that we have effective ways of helping those in crisis pregnancies. This means that if one believes that human life begins at conception one must put one's beliefs in action- providing safe places for expectant mothers, health care and options to help both mothers who choose to give their children for adoption and mothers who choose to keep their children. Legislation and making abortion harder to get is not the complete answer- though making it more and more socially unacceptable is helpful, as well as is supporting women in crisis pregnancies, for their health and well being and their children's.

Gerbil, I don't have all the answers and I certainly can't fill every hungry person's empty belly, clothe every naked child or provide medicine for every sick person. But I am called to do what I can for those around me, and to provide those needs from my abundance, even though I am not a person of means. I do have more than others. There are ways I can help and share. This is what all Christians are called to do.