(February 27, 2018 at 5:31 pm)wallym Wrote:(February 27, 2018 at 4:49 pm)Catholic_Lady Wrote: This is definitely some interesting food for thought. I find myself very much like you, actually. We give to charity every month and help out here and there, and of course, always do what we can for friends and family, etc. But I certainly haven't given everything.
I think at worst though, this would make us neutral. Not evil.
When you read the ole camel through the eye of a needle bit, and Jesus is all 'give up all your stuff, and follow me', do you think he really meant 'Give 15% and go to church on sundays for an hour"? Or do you think that was a necessary interpretation by the church, because taking him at his word would result in a church with about 8 people?
Is having excess while others are dying from having none not being evil based on geographical distance? If your neighbor was starving to death, and you had more than enough food, it'd be evil not to help them, I assume? But if it's a kid in Africa, same situation, people can rationalize themselves as neutral or even good in the same situation.
I'd hate to have a conscience and have to grapple with that.
To put the camel saying it into context, Jesus was talking about being rich. And "going through the eye of a needle" was a pain, but not impossible. People had to do it all the time.
I'm not saying greed isn't a major sin, because it is. But I don't think any of this means it's sinful to not give away all of our money, especially when we have to take care of our own needs and that of our families/children's. According to the bible, we should all give *at least* 10% once our own basic needs are met. If you're rich and buying useless stuff, or otherwise hoarding excessive amounts of money, you do have the moral obligation to give more.
If your neighbor is starving and you have extra food, of course you are morally obligated to help. And I imagine any decent person would. As for hungry people in other parts of the world, same rule applies, except you'd need to give through charities in that case, rather than directly.
"Of course, everyone will claim they respect someone who tries to speak the truth, but in reality, this is a rare quality. Most respect those who speak truths they agree with, and their respect for the speaking only extends as far as their realm of personal agreement. It is less common, almost to the point of becoming a saintly virtue, that someone truly respects and loves the truth seeker, even when their conclusions differ wildly."
-walsh
-walsh
