Should We Donate to Winos and Junkies?

[illinoisguy]

No, according to this blogger, Pastor Jason Kaspar, Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, LaGrange, Texas:

"The last, indiscriminate charity can be directly harmful to the beggar. I once ran across a woman who reported an example as normative in her giving. 'This man, an obvious alcoholic, had a really detailed story. His story was so good, that I gave him $20. I know he was gonna buy booze. But, it was a great story. I’ll always give to a good storyteller.'

"That kind of giving is harmful charity. The beggar is absolutely causing themselves harm by the gift. Your gift in this case is no different than a bat across the face. When we give, knowing the gift is likely to cause, increase, or encourage self-harming behaviors, the gift is evil. . . . A person who can work, but won’t, deserves no charity. They are not just stealing from their benefactors. They are also stealing from those among us and outside our gathering in genuine need."

Charity, Charitability, Government, and the Needy

Vehicular charity, government as charity, and indiscriminate charity are paths that can lead to giving that doesn’t benefit our neighbor.

whatdoesthismean.blog

I agree with this. Instead of working, winos and junkies terrorize the neighborhoods that they take over, with their loud cursing, trespassing, public urination, stealing, setting fires, etc. Most of them are not homeless - they pretend to be homeless as a fund-raising device, to get money for their liquor, heroin and cocaine. Some Christians seem to think that giving money to the winos and junkies is the highest form of Christian service and charity, but I don't understand why.

 

[abcaines]

There's a corner near the Costco here in town where traffic lines up and panhandlers love to ply their begging. Recently, the city put up a sign with a picture of a hand with a slash through it. It says, "Keep the change. Give to charities."

 

[ALAYMAN]

We used to get folks looking for charity at our church fairly regularly but rarely since the pandemic. Panhandling on the other hand has skyrocketed in the area. I believe there’s a correlation. It’s more lucrative to hustle on the corner, and in that scenario ya don’t have to listen to the Christian stuff when you’re getting cars to hand dough out the window quickly before the light turns green again.

 

[aleshanee]

matthew 5:42 ..(which i noticed was missing from that article)... tells us to - "give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away."

it does not say to first check and be sure what he is going to use the money for... then give it to him only if you agree or you think it;s ok..... God commands us to give.... that is on us to obey God.... but what the person who asked us for help does with that help we give, is on them....

that being said i never hand out cash to anybody... because for one, i don;t carry cash around.... ...but i have picked up food for homeless people and taken it back to them... . gone into the pharmacy to pick up meds for them... and we witness to them at the same time and make every attempt to get them into church or into the rescue mission downtown where church services are held.....

most of the ones we have helped are mentally ill and have been kicked out onto the street by families who can;t deal with them.... others are entire families who were put out of rental houses they could no longer afford..... some are single men fresh out of prison.. they are the ones most liekly to be scamming or up to no good.... but they are not that hard to identify as such...

yes there are scammers out there... and i have preached a few warning level sermonettes to people i thought were panhandling for profit... but if a person really is hungry and says they need food - they won;t turn down the offer to bring them something to eat.... the scammers usualy will refuse ..and will walk away disgusted coz they didn;t get money...

i do understand the concern behind the article... and in some ways i agree with it.... . but i have heard too many "christians" say too many times they won;t give to the homeless or needy because they can;t be certain what they give will be used the right way..... and they cite articles just like that one in the op and quote statements made by charities who would always rather handle that money themselves.... if that same christian actually gives to that charity then fine... but in most cases i have noticed people using that "concern" to simply get out of giving anything at all....

 

[AverageJoe]

There's a corner near the Costco here in town where traffic lines up and panhandlers love to ply their begging. Recently, the city put up a sign with a picture of a hand with a slash through it. It says, "Keep the change. Give to charities."

Our area is starting to get tough on panhandlers. They did an expose on several of them, following them back to their haunts, and they lived in a better home than most Tennesseans. I don't give to panhandlers. I stopped doing this when I was in my early 20s. I always give to city missions, churches that do community outreach, and other such organizations.