Mr Spinkles
Mr
I'm going to have to apologize in advance for how sloppy this post is. I'm having trouble organizing my thoughts clearly on this one.
I've been thinking lately....
But, perhaps it would be best if I described what I used to think. Years ago, I considered Jesus' teaching that people should give/do good works secretly. After all, Jesus says, those who do good works in public and are praised for them on Earth have already received their reward, but those who do good works in secret will be repaid by God in heaven. This lead me to think two things:
1) It seems very noble for a person to do good works without expecting any kind of reward or praise for doing them
2) Of course, we (or mainly Christians, I suppose) expect to be rewarded in heaven for doing good works secretly, there's simply no getting around this...so it seems secret good works are just as selfish (in principle) as public good works. The only difference is, God dishes out way better rewards than people do.
But I've been thinking...is this really realistic? I mean, people like to be praised for doing good things....and most of us like to praise people for doing good things. Furthermore, when we see other people doing good works publicly--like the celebrity who donates a large sum of money to some charity--it encourages others to give. If people are praised by others for giving, they will give more, just as a child will want to behave if he/she is praised by his/her parents for being good.
I kind of see the difference between Giving in Secret and Giving in Public as similar to the difference between Communism and Capitalism. Communism is a great, noble idea...people work hard for the good of the community, and get what they need in return. The problem with communism is there is no mechanism to encourage people to truly work their hardest and produce the best goods/services. The hardworking laborer with two kids in a communist system gets the same pay as the lazy laborer with two kids. With capitalism, on the other hand, people are encouraged to work hard and be successful because they will be rewarded with money and status if they do so. Capitalism accepts that we are humans and we are greedy, and harnesses that greed to create a harder-working workforce, better products, and more satisfied consumers. Communism may be noble, but Capitalism works.
The idea that people should Give in Secret seems to have the same problems as Communism: yes, it does seem very noble for people to give and do good things without expecting any kind of reward (in this life, anyway). However, the mechanism to encourage people to give if they give in secret is poor, at best. Basically, preachers have to convince the populace that a Deity will reward them in the afterlife if they give generously. But let's face it: people simply don't give as generously if there isn't some kind of recognition or praise for it from their peers. The possibility of reward in the afterlife just isn't as appealing as certain reward in this life.
People want to be praised. They want the new hospital wing to be named after them. They want a little button that says "I donated blood!" and they want their peers to respect and admire them for being generous. People are only human, after all.
So why not capitalize on this desire for praise, just as Capitalism capitalizes on our desire for money? Why not give in public, and gratiously accept any praise one receives? Why not have a culture in which giving is the "in" thing to do, where people who give generously are made into celebrities and praised and admired for giving? That would be more justified, I should think, than making celebrities out of athletes, actors, and White House interns.
I must say, "love thy neighbor" was pretty good Jesus, but I'm going to have to side with the Pharisees on this one. Give in public! :jam:
I've been thinking lately....
But, perhaps it would be best if I described what I used to think. Years ago, I considered Jesus' teaching that people should give/do good works secretly. After all, Jesus says, those who do good works in public and are praised for them on Earth have already received their reward, but those who do good works in secret will be repaid by God in heaven. This lead me to think two things:
1) It seems very noble for a person to do good works without expecting any kind of reward or praise for doing them
2) Of course, we (or mainly Christians, I suppose) expect to be rewarded in heaven for doing good works secretly, there's simply no getting around this...so it seems secret good works are just as selfish (in principle) as public good works. The only difference is, God dishes out way better rewards than people do.
But I've been thinking...is this really realistic? I mean, people like to be praised for doing good things....and most of us like to praise people for doing good things. Furthermore, when we see other people doing good works publicly--like the celebrity who donates a large sum of money to some charity--it encourages others to give. If people are praised by others for giving, they will give more, just as a child will want to behave if he/she is praised by his/her parents for being good.
I kind of see the difference between Giving in Secret and Giving in Public as similar to the difference between Communism and Capitalism. Communism is a great, noble idea...people work hard for the good of the community, and get what they need in return. The problem with communism is there is no mechanism to encourage people to truly work their hardest and produce the best goods/services. The hardworking laborer with two kids in a communist system gets the same pay as the lazy laborer with two kids. With capitalism, on the other hand, people are encouraged to work hard and be successful because they will be rewarded with money and status if they do so. Capitalism accepts that we are humans and we are greedy, and harnesses that greed to create a harder-working workforce, better products, and more satisfied consumers. Communism may be noble, but Capitalism works.
The idea that people should Give in Secret seems to have the same problems as Communism: yes, it does seem very noble for people to give and do good things without expecting any kind of reward (in this life, anyway). However, the mechanism to encourage people to give if they give in secret is poor, at best. Basically, preachers have to convince the populace that a Deity will reward them in the afterlife if they give generously. But let's face it: people simply don't give as generously if there isn't some kind of recognition or praise for it from their peers. The possibility of reward in the afterlife just isn't as appealing as certain reward in this life.
People want to be praised. They want the new hospital wing to be named after them. They want a little button that says "I donated blood!" and they want their peers to respect and admire them for being generous. People are only human, after all.
So why not capitalize on this desire for praise, just as Capitalism capitalizes on our desire for money? Why not give in public, and gratiously accept any praise one receives? Why not have a culture in which giving is the "in" thing to do, where people who give generously are made into celebrities and praised and admired for giving? That would be more justified, I should think, than making celebrities out of athletes, actors, and White House interns.
I must say, "love thy neighbor" was pretty good Jesus, but I'm going to have to side with the Pharisees on this one. Give in public! :jam: