WWJD Begger

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Christopher

Puritan Board Freshman
Yesterday I drove past the corner near my house where there is usually a begger on every corner and in the middle of the street holding up there signs that offer such reasons that you should choose to see them as the resipiants of the money that YOU WORKED for. They sometimes advertise "veteran", "mother of baby boy", "pregnant", etc.
Well, yesterday I saw this one: "What Would Jesus Do. Please help. God bless."
What do you think. Would you have stopped and given. that same girl today is holding an altogether different sign today so I guess the old one did nt work well enough.
 
Christopher,

This is a tricky one, and one I struggle with. Yes, I worked to earn the money, but all things belong to God. Plus there's that (uncomfortable) Scripture "For I was hungry and you fed Me, I was sick and you comforted Me"...But, we have a lot of homeless people in Detroit, and I know enough to know that:
1. many of them aren't actually homeless, they collect welfare or disability and when they run out of money, this is how they supplement their income
2. many of them are alcoholics or drug addicts, and when you give them money, you supplement their addictions
3. I bought food for one "homeless" guy, who TURNED it down. I said, "You said you were hungry. Here's a wholesome meal." He didn't want it. He wanted cash.
4. My sister bought a meal for a "homeless" woman in a wheelchair, who proceeded to complain because my sister didn't buy her more food. (She bought her a sandwich and fries, and the woman called her cheap because she didn't get her one of the expensive sandwiches.)
5. Two days later, my sister saw the woman pushing her wheelchair!

What's the answer? I don't know. I know someone who offers to drive them to a soup kitchen or a shelter. I'm not that brave. Many of these people are mentally ill, and I'd be afraid to have them in the car with me.

I'm not helping, am I?

Mary
 
I would just keep driving!

Giving money to professional beggars just allows them to keep begging, professionally. In Austin Texas it was reported last year that these guys on street corners can bring home $500 or more cash a week without any work - other than making a cardboard sign and standing there. A news crew filmed one secretly who had a person drive by, pick up the money, take it to the bank, and return with fast food and beer. When a person came by and gave the man a meal - obviously they had thought about it and made the man a sack lunch, when the car drove off the man walked across the street to the shade and let his dog eat the lunch!

It was also reported at the same time that most of the people living "on the street", when asked, were there because they chose to be there. When offered a place to live in return for a job, they turned it down.

There are day labor jobs in most cities and other ways to get help if it is a serious situation. But most of these guys really are just lazy, professional beggars.

Looking at some of the signs, these people need to get a job in marketing!!

Phillip
 
[quote:cde3137a12][i:cde3137a12]Originally posted by pastorway[/i:cde3137a12]In Austin Texas it was reported last year that these guys on street corners can bring home $500 or more cash a week without any work - other than making a cardboard sign and standing there. Phillip [/quote:cde3137a12]

Our church is blocks away from the University of Texas. Almost every Sunday after church, there is a nice looking college age guy with a sign that asks for money. My guess is he has found a good way at getting beer money.
 
After 8 years of living and working in the downtown districts of Chicago and Atlanta you learn very quickly how to discern between the truly destitute and seeking help and those that do for a living.
You have to engage these people to discern there motive, and even then you can get burned.

Here's some hints:
If they ask for gas money but won't take the can of gas or ride to a gas station that you offer walk away.
If they won't take the food you offer but demand cash, walk away.
If a man's wife is pregnant everyday for the entire 5 years you see him on the street, definitely a pro that preys on tourists.
If the same man has been on the same corner for 5 years and still doesn't have enough money I hope you have learned his name.

To keep me from an ethical dilemma I never carry spare change, and my phrase of choice is "I don't have anything for you."

But for those truly in need, I always know where the nearest soup kitchen and shelter are and offer to take them there. But that is a very rare instance.
 
[/quote]

We have a guy out here, at the beach, who holds a sign that says, "why lie? Need a beer." He gets loads of money:lol:

-Paul [/quote]


:lol::lol: Now those guys get points for honesty.
 
I feel sorry for homeless people BIG TIME, regardless of why they might be homeless. There may be a lot of con men out there, too, and even that's sad; it must be a miserable and meaningless existence.

My take is to always err on the side of generosity. Some of you have described situations that are blatantly bogus, and those people shouldn't be given any money. But I think a lot of people use the excuse, "They just want the money for beer" as a reason to dismiss all of the undesirable and in need without so much as $5 or even praying for them as we pass them. (Not any that have replied here, but just friends I know.)

My brother in Christ once gave a homeless man $40 and the man started crying. He said, "Its simply too much; I can't accept it!" He was undone by the selfless love of this brother.

Once I gave $ to a guy and my friend said, "Hey, don't do that! He'll just buy beer!"
My reply was, "If he's going to use that $ to buy beer, then so be it! He's out here on the streets, all alone, nothing to look forward to, no hope, no friends, no dignity, no future. I don't blame him a bit for buying beer to try to numb his pain!"

Just my :wr50:

PS: On the opposite side, I too have seen those news stories where the people who say, "Will work for food" don't mean a word of it!
And I always get the guy who says, "Hey, man: I need some money for a bus ticket. I need to go see my mom who lives in (some far away city)."
Anybody else ever hear that one?
 
I admire those guys who are homeless, but who don't let it get them down. I've seen several of them in my own town up at the crack of dawn with their shopping carts, going from garbage can to garbage can looking for returnable bottles and cans. Before long, they have a large garbage bag full of them. They might feel like its a bit degrading, but I really admire their diligence. They have an admirable work ethic.

Bob
 
[quote:50cd562760]
And I always get the guy who says, "Hey, man: I need some money for a bus ticket. I need to go see my mom who lives in (some far away city)."
[/quote:50cd562760]

That's an old one! 20 years ago, when I was in 8th or 9th grade, I was going to school down in the Cass Corridor (one of the worst parts of Detroit, but it had good "Citywide" schools) and we used to hear that all the time. I remember having a 15 minute conversation with one guy who was so whacked out on something that his eyes couldn't focus - I gave him a bus pass to get to the Greyhound station with, but I don't know that he was with it enough to even get to the Greyhound station.

Looking back, I am amazed that there never seemed to be adults around when these guys would bother us. I think today the parents would be in an uproar - 13 year old girls being bothered by homeless guys. But actually, I think I really benefitted from the experience. I am a LOT braver than my suburbanite girlfriends! (Brave or foolish?) Sometime I'll tell you about the time I got mugged in Detroit and chased the guy, screaming at him the whole time. What company has the logo, "No Fear"? Well, mine is, "No common sense."

I've got a funny (TRUE) story. In college I volunteered at a soup kitchen. I got asked out on a date by one of the homeless guys!! I eventually had to stop volunteering there because he (and 1 other guy) didn't take no for an answer and didn't understand boundaries (like appropriate language).

Years later, Seinfeld had an episode where Elaine was dating a homeless guy, and I just laughed and laughed!

Mary :D
 
I had a guy approach me one day and he said, "Dude I'm not going to S**T ya, I need some beer and cigarettes can you spare a few bucks?" I told him well at least you are honest and I gave him some money, I don't know wether that right or wrong I simply appreciated his honesty.
 
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