Ever since I first read the fourth chapter of Mosiah, I have always tried to give money to anybody asking for it (within reason, of course).
Now, the city of Denver wants people to pump parking meters with money, which will then be given to homeless causes, rather than to give the money directly to the homeless.
To quote Grumpy in Snow White, “I’m agin’ it.”
First, let’s revisit what King Benjamin says:
16 And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.
17 Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—
18 But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.
19 For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?
20 And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of your sins. And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Nay; he has poured out his Spirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with joy, and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy.
21 And now, if God, who has created you, on whom you are dependent for your lives and for all that ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing that ye shall receive, O then, how ye ought to impart of the substance that ye have one to another.
22 And if ye judge the man who putteth up his petition to you for your substance that he perish not, and condemn him, how much more just will be your condemnation for withholding your substance, which doth not belong to you but to God, to whom also your life belongeth; and yet ye put up no petition, nor repent of the thing which thou hast done.
23 I say unto you, wo be unto that man, for his substance shall perish with him; and now, I say these things unto those who are rich as pertaining to the things of this world.
King Benjamin’s message, along with other Standard Work teachings, seems very clear to me: we are expected to give to the poor personally. We are expected not to judge their circumstances but simply to give if asked.
Obviously, there are cases when you cannot give. It is not prudent to give a beggar a $50 bill if that is all you have and you need the money. It is not prudent to pull out a wad of cash in a bad neighborhood so you can give a beggar $1 (and perhaps be mugged yourself). It’s not wise to hand out money outside liquor stores and/or crack houses.
But, it seems to me, a clear understanding of the scriptures would indicate that if I am walking along 5th Avenue in New York and a panhandler asks me for some money, I am expected to give him some change. If I am driving around Miami, where I live, and a homeless guy comes to my window, I almost always give him some change. Whether he uses that money wisely is his problem, not mine. My responsibility is to give to those who ask (again, within reason).
Please note: I am not condemning those who decide not to give. I am simply sharing my interpretation of the scriptures.
It seems to me that there are lessons to be learned by personal giving. By the way, this is one of the reasons I generally oppose government-sponsored welfare programs and support church or other one-on-one charitable solutions. One of the clear lessons from the scriptures, it seems to me, is that we become better people by giving directly to those who are in need. Anything that gets in the way of our giving directly also gets in the way of our personal progression.
It seems to me that most things about the Gospel involve direct one-on-one contact. Jesus probably could have issued general directives that all blind and leprous people in Israel and the Americas be healed. But he didn’t do this. He visited people individually as a model for us. We are meant to do what he did: visit the sick and the poor and the widows and help them individually. That is what home/visiting teaching and other charitable work is all about. It helps us by helping others.
So, I say to the city of Denver: away with your parking meter homeless plan! Let’s get back to individual giving. Jesus said the poor will always be with us, and they are. They are accountable for their lives and their decisions. We are responsible for finding a way to give directly to them when asked.