Ignoring Homeless People = Sin?

Lisa

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Weird... I worked in a really nice shopping district that was full of panhandlers. One of my friends had a conversation with one of the men and he said he doesn't leave until he makes at least $100 a day! Another guy wears a nasal tube that isn't even hooked onto anything.... there's too many resources where I live for me to believe that's the only way they can get an income. I've seen the same guys for years. If anyone needs help it's single women with children which I never see out begging. It's a lot harder for them to get into homeless shelters
And that's the real difference isn't it Violette? The people never out begging barely making it. But the ones begging, there seems to be a lot of articles about how that's how they make their living. Horrible..but then again that just goes to prove that there are feeling, caring people out there, too bad they are getting duped a lot of times.
 
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How do I distinguish pan handlers on corners by highways from actual people in need?
The problem is you cant distinguish who needs help from who really doesnt. So shouldnt we just give because Jesus said what we do to the least we do to him and let God judge the person for how they use it? At least thats how I try to look at it because there was this one time I gave someone some money and right after they took it they walked off the corner and practically tagged someone else in to go stand on it lol.

So now instead of just giving them money, I'd buy them food or water or something and offer it to them. Some of them are thankful for that, others turn it down which to me shows they dont need as much help as they're acting.
 

Damien50

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The problem is you cant distinguish who needs help from who really doesnt. So shouldnt we just give because Jesus said what we do to the least we do to him and let God judge the person for how they use it? At least thats how I try to look at it because there was this one time I gave someone some money and right after they took it they walked off the corner and practically tagged someone else in to go stand on it lol.

So now instead of just giving them money, I'd buy them food or water or something and offer it to them. Some of them are thankful for that, others turn it down which to me shows they dont need as much help as they're acting.
I don't help the highway pan handlers but the ones outside of gas stations or just camping out somewhere are the truly needy in my opinion. If you're begging you're more than able but those just trying to survive are not. They're getting sun burn and weathering everything while these pan handlers probably have more than they ever could imagine.

I do my best to try and distinguish them and I'll answer for it to God but I'm trying to live like you and everyone else.
 

justjess

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You should always give to the homeless.. I thought that was like a basic Christian principle. It isn't up to us to determine who needs it or not. You do the right thing because it's the right thing regardless.

My parents taught me that since birth.
 

Damien50

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You should always give to the homeless.. I thought that was like a basic Christian principle. It isn't up to us to determine who needs it or not. You do the right thing because it's the right thing regardless.

My parents taught me that since birth.
How do I know they are homeless? My grass cutting clothes make me look more homeless and poor than most of them.
 

justjess

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And when I was homeless you would have had no clue. I didn't look it. Didn't make me any less homeless or struggling though. (I never begged for money just in case someone wants to go there)

Bottom line is there shouldn't be homeless people or starving people in the richest nation ever but there is. I was always taught that it was the Christian thing to do to look out for those less fortunate. My mom stopped for every single person that had their hand out because she believed you never knew if it was one of gods angels and because when she was young and very very poor people did the same for her.

I don't think it makes sense to even try to figure out if they are deserving or not, lying or not.. do what's right and let god the universe or whatever figure out the rest. You can only control yourself.
 

rainerann

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I help homeless people whenever I can. Sometimes, I don't have cash so I won't. I have a soft spot for the ones who say they are vets. There is a large number of veterans of Vietnam that are homeless so I like to help them when I can. I live in an area that has really hot summers and really cold winters. If a homeless person is panhandling and gets some money to go eat or drink, it's just like whatever. They are still going to be living on the streets without a heater or air conditioning and to me that would suck. I would never want to live that way, but some of these people do for whatever reason.

There was a local newspaper article I read about our homeless population once where the reporter was trying to get involved and offered this homeless camp different items. They explained that they liked their life the way it was. In my city, there are different homeless camps around town. They stick together and take the bus sometimes to other parts of town where they can make more money panhandling and then they go back to their camp.

That is always going to be the way they want to live. So no matter how much they make panhandling, it will never really amount to much. You can't collect rare expensive pieces of art and carry it around with you or leave it outside where it will get ruined. They will still just live in their camps without TV or electricity. I just figure if this is the way they want to live, what difference does it make to me. I don't want them to die so I will give when I have some cash, which isn't often because I have two kids and they come first.

My daughter likes to have a new pair of shoes every so often and other accessories. So if the choice is between giving money to someone who doesn't want to or buying my daughter a new pair of shoes when she is my daughter that I love and I do work to take care of her, I'm going to buy her a new pair of shoes and if I have extra left over, I will help a homeless man who wants to live on the streets.

I think that people's opinion on homelessness is going to depend on where you live. If you live in an area where there isn't a whole lot of homelessness, I think it is easy to be judgemental that people are just not interested in helping the homeless in areas where there is a larger homeless population. The situation is unique in some ways to the area that you live and I don't think it is always a sin to not help a homeless person.

If it were a sin to not always help every homeless person that you see, then I sin every day because there are at least three homeless people I see every day and I just don't make enough money to help 21 homeless people per week. However, I would do this if I made enough money to do it.
 

Damien50

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And when I was homeless you would have had no clue. I didn't look it. Didn't make me any less homeless or struggling though. (I never begged for money just in case someone wants to go there)

Bottom line is there shouldn't be homeless people or starving people in the richest nation ever but there is. I was always taught that it was the Christian thing to do to look out for those less fortunate. My mom stopped for every single person that had their hand out because she believed you never knew if it was one of gods angels and because when she was young and very very poor people did the same for her.

I don't think it makes sense to even try to figure out if they are deserving or not, lying or not.. do what's right and let god the universe or whatever figure out the rest. You can only control yourself.
I'd rather go volunteer or look under some bridges. A few bad ones have ruined it for me.
 

Damien50

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Not all or even most homeless people live under bridges..

I get that. I understand. I just can't agree.
I didn't mean to generalize with that comment lol. It's the pan handlers that are my issue. I have seen/given to people on corners but only if they weren't holding a sign.

I completely understand your position on it but honestly I'm not that generous especially when I have to be wary of where my generosity is going.

But I can't really complain and say who will feed me if I help someone that swindles because God cares for me and ensures I am provided for. Not an issue of my Christianity or Christianity but that I'm a selfish skeptical person that doesn't think every homeless person is what they appear to be
 

Aero

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Ok I don't like to repeat myself, but I feel the need. Like I said, offering a donation has nothing to do with what they do with it. If you have to think about if someone deserves it or not, than you aren't being a humble, generous Christian. You are being a "picky activist". There is a clear difference.

Jesus was the most humble man to ever walk. So the idea that he wouldn't give a loaf of bread to a fat man, or a shilling to a fraud is insane. Get over your warped views of Jesus Christ. Stop using Christianity to justify being a cynical jerk.
 

justjess

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I draw my own line. It's Just not with strangers because I really can't know their situation. That doesn't mean I'm going to make me and my own family starve on principle.

I have a few "friends" I've cut off because they come around looking for help crying they have nowhere to go and nothing to eat.. and then spend atleast a hundred a day on drugs and smoke all my cigarettes to boot. That I literally have no patience for. But that's also the kind of person you won't catch living on the streets very often.. they are to good at using people.
 

Aero

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I don't care how picky or cynical anyone wants to be. I'm not about to open up all my boundaries to everyone either. Just saying that the Christian doctrine is to be humble. When we are able to be humble we should. When we aren't we should really question why we can't and maybe start talking about those reasons honestly with each other.
 

Damien50

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Ok I don't like to repeat myself, but I feel the need. Like I said, offering a donation has nothing to do with what they do with it. If you have to think about if someone deserves it or not, than you aren't being a humble, generous Christian. You are being a "picky activist". There is a clear difference.

Jesus was the most humble man to ever walk. So the idea that he wouldn't give a loaf of bread to a fat man, or a shilling to a fraud is insane. Get over your warped views of Jesus Christ. Stop using Christianity to justify being a cynical jerk.
Is this to me?
 

Aero

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Is this to me?
I don't remember. So no probably not.

Did that sound too harsh? My bad yall. I just feel like if we are going to talk about Sin let's be clear on what the cross actually means.
 

Daciple

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Did I sin for ignoring and not help them or not?
Did I break the Jesus' commandment to love your neighbors as yourself?
Well for some reason I dont believe this actually happened to you, it may have if so forgive my skepticism, its just that I see you create many many threads most trying to subvert Christianity in a backdoor way, and then never really comment again. So yeah I doubt you saw a man and ignored him.

Regardless to the question at hand, if you are really caring to know about how the Word of God speaks concerning this:

James 2:15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

I believe we ought to help those in need, do I go to every single homeless person I see, no, but if I am given the opportunity to help I am happy to help. What I do not do is give money, I do not care how badly they say they need it, I refuse to give money ever.

In the times I have helped those begging, what I have done is come with food, then try and talk to them to know them a little bit. If they tell me of other things they may need, then I offer to get it for them. I speak with them try and be friend them, treat them like humans who just need love, need friendship, need someone to talk to. Usually they open up and tell me quite a bit about themselves and how they ended up in the situation they are in. In the neighborhood I used to live in there were quite a few homeless people in the area, and I simply brought them food, offered them friendship and prayed over them if they would let me. I gave some clothes and offered to take them to Church. Now I know them as people and they know me, if I see them again on the streets I talk to them and if I am in a position to help then Lord Willing I will try and help...

I believe this is what Christ is asking of us, not just to give them money and walk away, what Good is that truly going to profit them? Most of the homeless people I have ran into are either drug addicts or alcoholics, I am surely not about to give them money so they can waste it on more drugs or alcohol. Why should I help to support their addictions? I dont beleive Christ would want us to do such a thing. Instead speak to them find out about them show them love and compassion offer them food and clothing and whatever else one can while speaking with them. Money is usually the last thing someone on the street truly needs...
 

Etagloc

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I don't remember. So no probably not.

Did that sound too harsh? My bad yall. I just feel like if we are going to talk about Sin let's be clear on what the cross actually means.
That's pretty crazy that you would try to lecture people on Christianity.

I believe the same thing as any Christian. At least where Christ is concerned. Does the average Christian not feel a direct connection with Christ?
Nobody here is even a Satanist though. Are they? Pretty sure there aren't anyway.

Although I think some of you actually write Satanic verses and don't know it.
Well the Satanic Bible is pretty clear.
I've admitted I've dabbled in demonology, Luciferian and satanic rituals.
Lol I don't really remember the point of the Rituals in the satanic bible or books by Lavey. The cult rituals we are talking about probably have more to do with what Lavey described as "greater magic" but his theory was it is all willpower.
Yes I believe. When I do cult rituals there are clear effects that I can track down. And I have a list of countless instances of this, but I don't know how to "confirm" it. Idk what that means.
If someone upsets me enough, you can be sure that it wont matter if they believe in curses or not. They at least wont have a good night sleep.
I think if you test God and show strength and honor than you will be fine. If you test him showing arrogance, and contempt than you wont be fine.
Well I try not to astral project. But it might be too late for me. I've technically already made deals with the "demons" as you call them. But so far, they have kind of been getting shit done though. Like they haven't really been tricking me, or they aren't demons. I'm definitely being tempted by some force though. It keeps giving me small tastes of my eventual spoils of war.

I'm too deep is what I'm saying. I can't not go for the spoils. I deserve them!
Luciferians are more about bringing change, than tempting any dark forces. But because the change can't be attributed to Christ, that makes it bad. Even if I symbolically martyr myself for change in the name of Christ. People will still call me a cultist, and a fool.
I feel my demon companion. It might be the worst demon in the world, pushing it away doesn't work. It's almost like I'm forced to feed the thing, or it will unleash even worse devastation.
Personally I don't know yet about the cult stuff. Any power I've been granted is barely quantifiable.
Just read the Satanic bible. The way Lavey describes lesser and greater magic will teach you a lot.

I personally don't think of Satan as a positive Archetype, but I think the Satanists are onto something nonetheless. Greater magic comes from those archetypes. Sure the more willpower you can channel the better, but in the end it comes down to psychic instinct. And the balancing act between conscious and subconscious
Lucifer is the "Morning Star". A symbol of enlightenment for Luciferians. That might be all it actually means. Kind of anti-climactic
If I'm following right, I agree with Paranoia. Satanism isn't about a rebellion from God. There may be some sects that actually do think that way, but that isn't about what the Satan archetype is. From my experience it's just pure selfishness. God isn't in the equation it's about needs, or extreme wants. I have the power to take whatever I can, because Satan.

And I'm not totally sure what to believe about Lucifer yet. I've seen the destruction from the Lightbringer. But so what? I've seen destruction come from everywhere. Everything gets destroyed or decays, except the Sun. So maybe they are onto something there. People and institutions are so much less likely to change, or challenge authority because of religion and those damn rationalists. Some of you may be happy with the world the way it is, but I'm not.
I think there are aspects of Satanism that are useful. And popular satanism did start out as a counter-culture movement. But Lavey was way too full of himself and the "Satan" Archetype as they call it, is generally not a positive thing. To devote yourself to such a thing clearly will lead to some kind of fall. Be it physical or spiritual.
 
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Aero

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I don't like reading things I've said in the past. So I'm just going to ignore all that.

I think Daciple gets it. The drug addict on the streets still deserves some compassion. I don't see the drug addict any differently than someone who is starving. But I kind of get how some people believe these aren't really sick people. It's easy to brush it all aside, and that's something Christ wouldn't do. Which was my only point, not really a lecture.
 

floss

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satan, satanist, satanic bible, lucifer, luciferian, occult rituals, curses are not cool mmmkay?

antone lavey and crolwey are freaks and pedo...why would you follow their teachings?

sending someone curses to attacks them when they sleep is pretty low. you should be ashamed man
 

Aero

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I never cursed a soul that didn't deserve it.

Life and death are in the power of the tongue. Not my fault they don't watch their mouth
 
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