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.

 

[illinoisguy]

Some years ago there was a discussion of this issue published in Christianity Today. Here are some responses:

"One reason we should not give handouts is that some people area begging for money to support irresponsible behavior. Some want money for alcohol or drugs. Some beg because they are lazy. Love is acting in the best interest of others. Providing money so someone can continue immoral, destructive behavior is simply not a loving act." - Ron Sider, President of Evangelicals For Social Action and author of "Rich Christians In An Age of Hunger."

"Experience has taught me that almost all of the folks standing on corners, sitting at the exits and entrances of freeway ramps, panhandling in public, or even coming to churches to connect with the person in charge of benevolence are not truly homeless or impoverished.

"My father, Carl Bales, helped develop a news expose in Des Moines, Iowa, that showed that many panhandlers were making as much as $300 per day. The story also tracked the panhandlers as they spent the money on alcohol and drugs.

"I know by name more than 400 people experiencing homelessness in Pasadena, and more than 1000 people by name on the street of Skid Row, and I have never seen one of these truly homeless people panhandling on a street corner.

"I do know folks who panhandle all day, earn about $300, then walk to their car and drive to an apartment or home." - Andy Bales, chief executive, Union Rescue Mission. Los Angeles, California.

 

[Baptist Renegade]

You should not give alcohol to alcoholics or drugs to dope addicts but I have been in areas with a proliferation of homeless people with their hands out and I went into a McDonalds and got a bag full of cheeseburgers that I handed out to the panhandlers. If someone is hungry and I have the ability, I will feed them. If they need a jacket or blanket and I have something available, I will help them. I do not give money to anyone.

Then again, I was on Beale Street in Memphis several years ago and listening to some street musicians plying their trade and doing a really good job and dropped about $10 in their tip bucket. The lead singer says "Thanks man! I need to get drunk later on!" As far as I was concerned, I was showing appreciation for the music that I was enjoying and it was his business what he did with it!

 

[AverageJoe]

With many of those in our area panhandling and being proved NOT to be in need, we stopped giving funds. We donate to the homeless shelters/missions and organizations that we know will help the real homeless people in our area.

 

[Bob Jones VI]

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....

This is my philosophy, almost verbatim. I'd rather get to heaven and God say "Ah, you're that guy who gave a dollar to 359 homeless people" in contrast to getting there and Jesus saying "I was standing on a street corner once and had a cardboard sign and you looked the other way.

So, I give a dollar. Plus we give regularly to a local ministry that helps homeless and people in need. The guy who runs that says never give money to people with cardboard signs.