Please give me $1,000

Nahhh... He means Cheques! :P

(Nota Bene: Checks are Cheques and Cheques are Checks. The two words mean the same thing, but both are "right".)
 
DV I rarely get into these discussions any more because of havining such a sensitive heart but I recall something and its either a proverb or an old wise saying type of thing. It goes something like give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime. I am more apt to go and get things and give them to people then just money. I tend to agree with most of the gang probably because I see soo much and am affected by soo many who feel they deserve to be given things without any effort whatsoever. Honestly I would love to not have to work for things but in the long run the greater sense of accomplishment of gaining something on my own far outways the money behind it. ( I know I know I didn't answer this how you wanted me to respond but it is my honest feeling on the matter...... so even though I am a very strong Christian in belief and such I probably would not give you $1000 just cause you said please.)

Blessings,"Angel"
 
Last edited by a moderator:
It seems this thread is causing some problems.

Let me explain that the majority of people that have responded have understood that, while it was delivered tongue in cheek, there is indeed, a sincere question at the heart of the thread.

Here are the verses in question:

Matthew 5:39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. 41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. 43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.
Click to expand...

Is this one of those times when the verses are simply allegorical? It sounds pretty straight forward to me.

If I'm missing something, please set me straight.
 
I mean Cheques, the very Canadian way to spell it. Check would be to me to look something over, ie check it over.

As for, are those versus open to interpretation? They are open to interpretation to your personal circumstances. If you are asked to give up your old life to do something new, what does that mean to you?

I think the answer to that question lies somewhere on the it depends on the moment line.

If you take a look at two people, one who is married, has a family and a mortgage to pay for and the second person is a young adult, out of high school, no marriage, no mortgage. The only similarity between the two is that they belong to the US army reserves. If the US army calls them to duty in Afghanistan tomorrow which of the two has to give up more to do the same job of serving their country?

Its not a perfect example, but its close. Both are willing. But the person with nothing, less responsibilities gives up less to follow. Same is true with following Jesus. The choice to follow Jesus means to give up your old life. This is easier done by those who are poor and have no or little responsibility. Those who have power, wealth, responsibilities, see these as part of their "kingdoms" and requirements for life, thus harder for them to give up. Thus, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle then a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Now, $5 may not seem like a lot to any of us here, but seriuosly, most people shrug off panhandlers asking for change or give them a few coins. When was the last time you dug into your pocket and gave one all the money you had on you, whether it was a quarter, a dollar, a 5, 10 or 20 spot? It should be rather easy for any of us, christian or not, because we have certainty of where our next dollar is coming from.
 
Dark Virtue said:
Don't make me smite thee on thine right cheek!
Click to expand...

Smite on, brudda! MUAHHAHAHA, BRING IT! *dodges* You can't hit da Soup!


Anywho, so... I believe that when Jesus said that when you slapped someone back you basically claimed that you were their equal. Not sure though.
 
Gods_Peon said:
I mean Cheques, the very Canadian way to spell it. Check would be to me to look something over, ie check it over.

As for, are those versus open to interpretation? They are open to interpretation to your personal circumstances. If you are asked to give up your old life to do something new, what does that mean to you?

I think the answer to that question lies somewhere on the it depends on the moment line.

If you take a look at two people, one who is married, has a family and a mortgage to pay for and the second person is a young adult, out of high school, no marriage, no mortgage. The only similarity between the two is that they belong to the US army reserves. If the US army calls them to duty in Afghanistan tomorrow which of the two has to give up more to do the same job of serving their country?

Its not a perfect example, but its close. Both are willing. But the person with nothing, less responsibilities gives up less to follow. Same is true with following Jesus. The choice to follow Jesus means to give up your old life. This is easier done by those who are poor and have no or little responsibility. Those who have power, wealth, responsibilities, see these as part of their "kingdoms" and requirements for life, thus harder for them to give up. Thus, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle then a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Now, $5 may not seem like a lot to any of us here, but seriuosly, most people shrug off panhandlers asking for change or give them a few coins. When was the last time you dug into your pocket and gave one all the money you had on you, whether it was a quarter, a dollar, a 5, 10 or 20 spot? It should be rather easy for any of us, christian or not, because we have certainty of where our next dollar is coming from.
Click to expand...

So...according to the verses I posted, what should be the Christian response to a panhandler asking for money?
 
The "eye of a needle" thing isn't as impossible as it may seem... in those days the small door next to the gate in a city's walls was called the "eye of the needle". To get through, you had to take off the camels baggage, the saddle-thing that you'd use on camels, and get it down on it's knees and scoot it in.
 
So...according to the verses I posted, what should be the Christian response to a panhandler asking for money?
Click to expand...

Help him out, clean him up, give him a tooth-brushing, let him shave, give him a little bit to start off with, and help him find a job.
 
That sounds great, so why don't more Christians actually DO that?

If Christians actually did that, there wouldn't be any homeless people on the street for weeks at a time, would there?
 
Because as much as we would like for people to make correct decisions regarding their lives, it is not always the case.

We cannot force people to change their way of life.

Gen
 
Genesis1315 said:
Because as much as we would like for people to make correct decisions regarding their lives, it is not always the case.

We cannot force people to change their way of life.

Gen
Click to expand...

That has absolutely nothing to do with the discussion though. We're not talking about forcing your beliefs on others, we're talking about helping, lending aid. I hope you don't think they're the same thing.
 
Actually, I was referring to changing a way of life. We can give money to a person and help them get a job etc, but if they do not want that, then it does not matter how much money we give or how many times we give a job or anything like that. Here is a specific example to further show what I was talking about. Say there is there is a person who is an alcoholic and is homeless. Now, someone (religion not withstanding) helps him to get a job, house, etc. If he chooses to continue being an alcoholic, and spend all of his money on alcohol, where will he end up?

Yes, we can encourage others to make responsible choices and ultimately hope that he does, but that does not mean that he will. So, we can give money, but I think there is more to give than just money, and I think followup would also probably be a good thing to add to the mixture.

Gen
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top