On 12/18/13, 7:15 PM, Tim wrote:
On Wednesday, December 18, 2013 6:57:23 AM UTC-6, F.O.A.D. wrote:
On 12/17/13, 10:40 PM, Tim wrote:

On Tuesday, December 17, 2013 6:53:35 AM UTC-6, F.O.A.D. wrote:

On 12/17/13, 7:09 AM, Tim wrote:



On Monday, December 16, 2013 10:49:09 AM UTC-6, F.O.A.D. wrote:



The rich give to help the rich:











Hey Harry. Surely you're a charitable man. Instead of gripe about "the rich" why don't you tell us what YOU give and WHO it helps?











We give to nonsectarian organizations that help families and individuals



in need of shelter, clothing, food, and medical attention.





"We give nonsectarian organizations?"



How about getting close and personal? Like, pay somebody's back utility bill so they don't get their gas shut off, or buy somebody a cheap but dependable beater car so they can make it to their new job. Donate a few truckloads of firewood so a family because they can't financially fill a propane tank? How about fix the under pinning on a widows trailer so her pipes don't freeze? Or, send some people some emergency bucks because of a sudden health catastrophe, or work really close with local disaster relief when a tornado comes through...



You ought to try something like that. It beats trying to satisfy a conscience by throwing a few shekels into a bottomless pit so you can pay somebody else to deal with "the poooooor"





So, Tim, what do you tell a family to which you�ve given food because

their food stamps were cut because your political party thought it was

more important to protect the tax cuts of the rich and subsidies for Big

Oil?

Really? is that what I'm supposed to do? Give night classes on politics and how it doesn't work?

When a person is about to get their lights turned off in the winter because they've run out of unemployment benefits, they couldn't care less who's running the govt.



Are you familiar with Maimonides and the Eight Levels of Charity he

outlined?

I've never heard of the guy.




The highest level, he wrote, is to give someone a gift or loan or go

into business with him or find him a job so that he no longer has to

depend on others.



Do you do that or give to a charity that does that?
We do.

Betcha get a tax write-off too!

Did you ever buy someone a car so they could have transportation to a new job so they could get off the dole (or what was left of it)

I have.

The second highest level is to help those who need it without knowing

who the recipient is and without the recipient knowing who you are,

because this is considered charity solely for the sake of heaven. That�s

how we give . . .anonymously.

"solely for the sake of heaven?" gimme a break.

"Anonymously?" So you don't want people to know that you give to charities that cream big percentages off the top for "administrative costs??




Oh, wait, I forgot. You don�t pay attention to the Pope because you�re

not a Papist and I assume that means you wouldn�t pay attention to

Maimonides because he was a Jew. Right?



Like I've said, I've never heard of him, but I have heard of Antonio Gramsci. I think you and the Pope have too.

But, wait. You claim to pay attention to Jesus . . . but he was a Jew.

On that you are correct.


Religion� it�s *so* confusing.

Not unless you want it to be.



I'm surprised that you have not heard of Maimonides. He was an important
"thinker" and "writer" on many subjects in medieval times, and his
writings are still influential today. And yes, I am familiar with
Gramsci. Many of us "liberal arts types" studied modern European history.

You might find the Eight Levels of Charity interesting enough to make
you regret the remarks you made about them. The sort of anonymous giving
Maimonides described predates your fear of administrative excesses.
Here's a reference with a simplified explanation:

http://www.chabad.org/library/articl...of-Charity.htm

You won't burn in hell, will you, for reading something on a Hasidic
site? You probably don't see many Lubavitchers out there where you live.
Just don't tell anyone at your church if you look at the site.

Sorry to push this Jewish stuff at you. I grew up in a city dominated by
Roman and Eastern Catholics and Jews, so naturally I hung out with
mostly Catholic and Jewish kids. We didn't encounter many Baptist kids
in New Haven. Do the Baptists still try to convert Jews? That must be
funny to observe.





--
Religion: together we can find the cure.