A question comparing views on charity

[Viraja]

Hello,

Between Christianity/Hinduism/Islam (also any other viewpoint welcome) what is the view on Charity?

In Hinduism, donating charity to those with evil intentions is a sin. Next to that, is the blunder of donating to someone antagonistic to you. They say everything involves preparation, such as sowing the right seed at the right moment.

So also, accepting charity from someone unfit / evil / sinner, will get us half of their sin (so say some great stories, known as Puranas). If anyone does not know these, know these for fact.

As far as my understanding goes, charity is a big deal in Christianity. How does Christianity view charity to be - can anyone be given charity and anyone accept the same?

How about Islam? What is the view on charity in Islam, against the same factor - Give - any? Receive - any?

Thanks

 

[ADigitalArtist]

Back when I was a Christian they didn't encourage charity because they thought the biggest 'charitable thing' you could do was preach. Obviously lots of Christians can and do preform charity, only very rarely with stipulations on what kind of person can receive (with some exceptions. I've seen actively gay people turned away a few times. Again, though, rare.). Just wanted to point out that there's a significant range of opinions even within Christianity.

 

[crowfeather]

Charity is a manifestation of ego, disguised as something worthy and good.
The charitable person, or 'altruist, in modern terms, judges themselves better than those it feels charitable towards, and better placed to judge what is good for those it feels charitable towards, and thus feels justified in intervening in what is none of its business, to demonstrate how wonderful it is, etc...
Since I am nominally a taoist, this may be seen as the taoist position of non-interference, and detached respect for the way things are.

 

[sun rise]

Charity can be from ego-motivation or from higher motivation.

The Bible says it poetically:
But when thou doest alms, let not thy
left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

Charity, Zakat, in Islam is one of the fundamental principles of Islamic belief. Quran 2:264 echoes a Biblical verse in part: O you who have believed, do not invalidate your charities with reminders or injury as does one who spends his wealth [only] to be seen by the people and does not believe in Allah and the Last Day. His example is like that of a [large] smooth stone upon which is dust and is hit by a downpour that leaves it bare. They are unable [to keep] anything of what they have earned. And Allah does not guide the disbelieving people.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Hello,

Between Christianity/Hinduism/Islam (also any other viewpoint welcome) what is the view on Charity?

In Hinduism, donating charity to those with evil intentions is a sin. Next to that, is the blunder of donating to someone antagonistic to you. They say everything involves preparation, such as sowing the right seed at the right moment.

So also, accepting charity from someone unfit / evil / sinner, will get us half of their sin (so say some great stories, known as Puranas). If anyone does not know these, know these for fact.

As far as my understanding goes, charity is a big deal in Christianity. How does Christianity view charity to be - can anyone be given charity and anyone accept the same?

How about Islam? What is the view on charity in Islam, against the same factor - Give - any? Receive - any?

Thanks

Christianity (the Church) views charity as giving without reservation. There are many prison ministries and other ways to volunteer and give charity as the sin/action of transgression does not define that person as a child of christ. If anything, giving charity brings one to christ since the sins of the person who is given the charity, if they came to god, would be cleaned. So, charity is a gift to bring people to christ.

I agree that charity has no reservations. If I give money to a homeless person and I know they will use it for crime, that should not stop me from giving them money. The point is the giving not in their goals. I am not god and I don't know if they will do what I assume they may do. It's out of my hands. So the charity is in the giving.

There is no other criteria of what is good charity other than it's the giving and intent rather than the reservation and benefit.

 

[rusra02]

Charity or giving to those in need has always been a hallmark of true Christianity. Such giving is motivated by the same generous spirit our Creator shows. It is so important that 1 John 3:17 states: "Whoever has this world’s means for supporting life and beholds his brother having need and yet shuts the door of his tender compassions upon him, in what way does the love of God remain in him?”
A fuller discussion of true Christian charity can be found here.

 

[arthra]

Hello,
Between Christianity/Hinduism/Islam (also any other viewpoint welcome) what is the view on Charity?
In Hinduism, donating charity to those with evil intentions is a sin. Next to that, is the blunder of donating to someone antagonistic to you. They say everything involves preparation, such as sowing the right seed at the right moment.
So also, accepting charity from someone unfit / evil / sinner, will get us half of their sin (so say some great stories, known as Puranas). If anyone does not know these, know these for fact.
As far as my understanding goes, charity is a big deal in Christianity. How does Christianity view charity to be - can anyone be given charity and anyone accept the same?
How about Islam? What is the view on charity in Islam, against the same factor - Give - any? Receive - any? Thanks

Thanks for your post and interesting topic Viraja!

I will be most happy to share with you a few selections on the topic of Charity from Baha'i sources..

The Pen of Admonition exhorteth the friends and enjoineth on them charity, pity, wisdom, and gentleness. The Oppressed One is this day a prisoner; His allies are the hosts of good deeds and virtues; not ranks, and hosts, and guns, and cannons.* One holy action maketh the world of earth highest paradise.

(Abdu'l-Baha, A Traveller's Narrative, p. 45)

Glad-tidings unto ye for this abundant blessing, sufficient bounties, wide mercy, glorious appearances; therefore, be united in hearts and spirits, strive so that ye may obtain the great favors, attain to the overflowing chalice, perform charity (good deeds), gain the spirit of life, attracted by the fragrance and depend on the Lord of Signs.

(Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v1, p. 66)

Baha'u'llah has however prescribed in His "Most Holy Book" or Kitab-i-Aqdas certain provisions against mendicancy or begging as a profession:

162. It is unlawful to beg, and it is forbidden to give to
him who beggeth. # 147

In a Tablet 'Abdu'l-Bahá expounds the meaning of this
verse. He states that "mendicancy is forbidden and that giving
charity to people who take up begging as their profession is also
prohibited". He further points out in that same Tablet:

"The object is to uproot mendicancy altogether. However, if a person is
incapable of earning a living, is stricken by dire poverty or becometh
helpless, then it is incumbent on the wealthy or the Deputies to
provide him with a monthly allowance for his subsistence... By
'Deputies' is meant the representatives of the people, that is to say
the members of the House of Justice."
The prohibition against giving charity to people who
beg does not preclude individuals and Spiritual Assemblies
from extending financial assistance to the poor and needy or
from providing them with opportunities to acquire such
skills as would enable them to earn a livelihood (see note
56).

~ Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 235

We Baha'is are also interested in ways to reduce the extremes of wealth and poverty...

1872. A New Universal Attitude Needs to be Fostered -- Based on Spiritual Verities

"The inordinate disparity between rich and poor, a source of acute suffering, keeps the world in a state of instability, virtually on the brink of war. Few societies have dealt effectively with this situation. The solution calls for the combined application of spiritual, moral and practical approaches. A fresh look at the problem is required, entailing consultation with experts from a wide spectrum of disciplines, devoid of economic and ideological polemics, and involving the people directly affected in the decisions that must urgently be made. It is an issue that is bound up not only with the necessity for eliminating extremes of wealth and poverty but also with those spiritual verities the understanding of which can produce a new universal attitude. Fostering such an attitude is itself a major part of the solution."

(The Universal House of Justice: The Promise of World Peace, pp. 10-11, Haifa, 1985)

(Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 550)

 

[LukeS]

Hello,

Between Christianity/Hinduism/Islam (also any other viewpoint welcome) what is the view on Charity?

In Hinduism, donating charity to those with evil intentions is a sin. Next to that, is the blunder of donating to someone antagonistic to you. They say everything involves preparation, such as sowing the right seed at the right moment.

So also, accepting charity from someone unfit / evil / sinner, will get us half of their sin (so say some great stories, known as Puranas). If anyone does not know these, know these for fact.

As far as my understanding goes, charity is a big deal in Christianity. How does Christianity view charity to be - can anyone be given charity and anyone accept the same?

How about Islam? What is the view on charity in Islam, against the same factor - Give - any? Receive - any?

Thanks

In islam actions are by intentions, charity must be to please God or it misses the mark. Also all good deeds are charity, even a smile, or even feeding yourself. Charity is called "sadaqa" which comes from the root sidq meaning truth. I view this as life enhancing, because truth about reality is more "enhanced" or more "attractive" if the conditions of good deeds surround us. Even if starving to death is a truth, being fed is more true. So the proposition "I exist" can be affirmed or denied, its maybe a neutral objective fact but certainly subjectively its freely engaged with to varying degrees. Charity therefore is life affirming, humane and dignifying.

 

[metis]

Back when I was a Christian they didn't encourage charity because they thought the biggest 'charitable thing' you could do was preach.

The above was also true in the fundamentalist Protestant church I grew up in, but it's certainly far from true with my wife's Catholic church.

 

[sayak83]

Hello,

Between Christianity/Hinduism/Islam (also any other viewpoint welcome) what is the view on Charity?

In Hinduism, donating charity to those with evil intentions is a sin. Next to that, is the blunder of donating to someone antagonistic to you. They say everything involves preparation, such as sowing the right seed at the right moment.

So also, accepting charity from someone unfit / evil / sinner, will get us half of their sin (so say some great stories, known as Puranas). If anyone does not know these, know these for fact.

As far as my understanding goes, charity is a big deal in Christianity. How does Christianity view charity to be - can anyone be given charity and anyone accept the same?

How about Islam? What is the view on charity in Islam, against the same factor - Give - any? Receive - any?

Thanks

I am pretty sure that this transfer of karma should not be taken literally. But of course bad consequences will follow if you help or fund, or get aid from a person with evil intentions. If a businessman takes money from a criminal organization to fund his business, that will have bad consequences and will be bad karma. Or if you sponsor a family member's drug addiction, that too has evil consequences.

However no person is fully good and fully bad. Even a person with questionable profession may genuinely wish to donate for the good of the community. In such cases, not allowing him to do so is wrong and will have bad consequences. The intentions matter, and discerning them is important.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

As for Heathenry, views differ as there's no hard and fast rules about these things or anything. The best our religion does is give guidelines and advice about how to live your life, but what you do is up to you as a free person.

Hospitality is generally seen as a good virtue to have. Most Heathens tend to agree that helping your local community is a good thing, as many are more tribal in thought. I think this is a good thing, too.

When it comes to stuff like helping the poor, opinions will vary on how that should be done. Many Heathens will support self-reliance where that's possible but there's nothing wrong with asking for help where truly needed. But you should be wise in how you go about doing it. Some people can't be helped by a simple handout.

As for me, when it comes to the poor, I view economic power disparities as a structural problem that private charity cannot fix. It can help many individuals but it won't change the underlying system that created the problem in the first place. In many ways, it appears to uphold the system as a temporary salve. I view modern mass capitalism as a degenerate enslaving system in need of replacing. It prevents the majority from achieving true self-actualization and creates a false elite based on the petty accumulation of wealth, as opposed to an elite based on the accumulation of wisdom, which is available to all in the first place. So I support revolutionary change over mere charity in the long run. Most mainstream religions are content with upholding the status quo. I am not.

Heathenry values the freedom of individuals, so I cannot feel any other way about it.

 

[whirlingmerc]

Hello,

Between Christianity/Hinduism/Islam (also any other viewpoint welcome) what is the view on Charity?

In Hinduism, donating charity to those with evil intentions is a sin. Next to that, is the blunder of donating to someone antagonistic to you. They say everything involves preparation, such as sowing the right seed at the right moment.

So also, accepting charity from someone unfit / evil / sinner, will get us half of their sin (so say some great stories, known as Puranas). If anyone does not know these, know these for fact.

As far as my understanding goes, charity is a big deal in Christianity. How does Christianity view charity to be - can anyone be given charity and anyone accept the same?

How about Islam? What is the view on charity in Islam, against the same factor - Give - any? Receive - any?

Thanks

If charity means love, as in the old english use, the Old Testament ends with a book focusing on strong and weak love. But mechanical giving without love is not charity

Major points about loves, both strong and cold, close the Old Testame…

 

[whirlingmerc]

Jesus said love your enemies
I wonder what other religions would agree or disagree

 

[metis]

Jesus said love your enemies
I wonder what other religions would agree or disagree

Buddhism, Jainism, and Hinduism for starters.

BTW, do you believe in non-violence? What is your reaction towards a group likes ISIS when they kill innocent men, women, and especially children-- are we still supposed to love them then? However, my position is "hate the sin, not the sinner"-- but my impulsive reaction towards the killing of innocents is hate, and I admit it.