Are you a good Samaritan or a good Christian?

[hiddley]

Don't know why this occurred to me tonight. Listening to too much Stormzy for my age I think lol.
I would consider myself a good Samaritan but not a good Christian.

For e.g., I don't go to church, I don't praise the Lord, I don't pray, I don't engage in charitable works. On the other hand, if I see a homeless person on the street I will give them whatever change I have in my pocket (usually fuck all) and roll them a cigarette.

I am also the type who will stand up for the one being picked on, which usually lands me as the new central victim. But ..........

I actually think actions speak louder than words and songs of praise.

I do recognise that the Christian and other religious communities are social centres for people also, but often, they don't carry anything spiritual out of their prayer service.

I just don't usually find people to be both. They are either one or the other.

Now you're guessing it was a Christian who had your post removed. But in your 'mind' it's not a guess is it? You should see someone about these delusions.

Ok, what atheist had the cheek to report a post of mine?

'can personally guarantee you that I know of absolutely no-one, no-one who would willingly choose to beg on the streets. It is the most soul-destroying humiliating thing to ever have to do.'

I always give what I can and our dc know to as well. There's a regular in a carpark near us and we do always give him a hot drink and give home spare change. Salvation army do a lot locally as do many church based charities. So while I agree that homelessness must be totally devastating I can't agree that church goers are any less generous than anyone else.

Look, these are concrete examples I have, but I grew up in a church community. I can tell you hand on heart that there were men who beat their wives up on Saturday night who marched up for Communion on a Sunday morning. Women who were cheating who did similar. Women who clattered the heads of their children if they moved in their seats (in full view of the rest of the church). I've seen it all. I'm not particularly in awe of humankind. I'm not sure what church gives these people. It certainly doesn't change their behaviour. But people (some people) seem to revere these church-going types.

'Ah they're a good sort - they never miss Mass of a Sunday'.
Me bollix.

I never give to people begging because I don't want to fund drug or drink habits and (round here at least) homelessness and begging are not synonymous. I do give to Shelter, the Salvation Army and buy the Big Issue though. And I certainly wouldn't judge anyone on their reluctance to hand over money to someone in the street - there are a lot of charitable things you can do to help the destitute without doing that.

That's fair enough Barbarian.

I don't know much about drug addiction as thanks be to God, I've never had that affliction. I do know about alcohol dependence though and it is an utter bastard. Nobody chooses it. Believe me. Please believe me.

Do you actually think, if you think for just one minute about this, that a person decides 'Fuck this work business, I'm going to get drunk every day and sleep on the street in a sleeping bag and beg for money and I'll have the time of my life - look at all those eejits going to work'.

I can guarantee you (personally speaking) that the complete opposite is what you're thinking. You're thinking 'Please God, please help me get off the street and off this fucking drink, please let me get back to work again so I can be just like the other people'.

jonssnowswife do you think Christians shouldn't go to church then? I'm not someone who thinks you can't be a Christian without attending church but it's difficult to build and understand your faith without regular Bible reading and commentary which is what happens in church and also really important to have a community of other believers around you to hold you accountable. Without going to church it is difficult to maintain a living faith.

Also Christians that don't seek to follow Jesus' example are possibly not actual Christians?

Without going to church it is difficult to maintain a living faith

How many times does the Bible reference Jesus being in church/the temple?

My late friend was a devout christian. She was housebound before she passed and hadn't been to church in almost a year. I doubt very much that St Peter turned her away at the pearly gates as she struggled to maintain a living faith by not being able to physically get to church much.

Do you know what I noticed most when sitting on the street begging (I usually had a library book as it was too humiliating seeing the looks of disdain). What I noticed were people's shoes! Lord how I envied the days when I used to wear high heels. I never could look up at people as they were looking down at you physically and metaphorically, but shoes I saw all the time.

I actually counted one day how many people passed by before anyone would give you any money. 158 people. Can you just imagine the humiliation of that? For one fucking second?

So you think Christians shouldn't go to church (if they are physically able) and should be out doing good works in that time instead?

The best principle to live by: "do unto others…" has been hijacked by Christians but this is actually a universal principle that is inherent in human nature.
If everyone just did that the world would be a better place with no need for superstitious fairy tales to govern people's behaviour.

I don't think a church or a church community is required at all to know right from wrong. I don't go to church which is why I say in my OP that I'm not a good Christian. But, by comparison, I think I am a good and kind person mostly (though I have to work very hard on that). I know what's right and wrong. Usually the hardest path is the right one. As most of you have said, you're only human, so bound to fail. But I do try desperately hard to take the right path when it comes to how I treat others. And believe me it doesn't come naturally to me as I am very short tempered. I'm a work in progress! I'll never be a Mona Lisa though, that I can guarantee you lol.

hiddley did you not get people from charities offer you accommodation in a hostel then? Because this is what I was told happens to all the street homeless this charity came across. I was volunteering as a befriender to a man in one of the hostels who had been on the street before he was approached by them.

Agree Chrys. Problem is, some people can not envisage being in certain situations so don't know what to do.

(1) Name one person who "reveres" church-going types
(2) You've back-pedalled away somewhat from your original claims, but can you in any way justify your assertions that no church goers do good things and that you can "spot them a mile off" (which was the only basis you have offered for your original horrible claim)

deptfordgirl. No I most certainly did not. There is one charity called 'No second night out' and if someone reports you as sleeping rough ( a friend in NZ reported where I was sleeping) they come out - they just have to find you sleeping rough, so reporter has to say 'sleeps in front of McDonalds on X High Street or whatever. They came out and spent about an hour going through forms with previous addresses etc. but I hadn't been more than 6 months in any one borough (2 years required for some boroughs), so you do not qualify for any help whatsoever. Charitable or otherwise.

Polidori

1. An endorsement from a member of the clergy still holds weight.
2. I haven't back-pedalled. I've read other peoples' contributions to this thread and taken on board their own assertions that they do charitable things as part of church. But in no way will I change my mind that the 'preacher' types are the worst in the world for doing any good. They are so assured of their own precious worth as God-followers, that us mere mortals are lazy unworthy people to be prayed for, so that we can see the light.

Can you imagine falling into a big black hole? There is no ladder. There is no way out. That's what it's like becoming homeless. There is no way you can scramble your own way out. You need someone to send you a ladder down. In my case it was my siblings who sent that ladder down. I was some sight when they found me too. Eaten alive with insect bites all over my face, the great unwashed. Probably stank to high heaven too.

Yes that does sound devastating op. While I haven't been homeless I have endured many other problems though, as have many on mn. We aren't all sat here living charmed lives.

I fully support any charities that are helping homeless people.

I do think your original being able to 'spot church goers a mile off' and 'they' wouldn't give you the time of day comments are just very bizarre generalisations though.

(1) In what situation does that hold weight? Does it hold sufficient weight the the endorsee becomes "revered"?
(2) Are you still claiming that no Christians do good or do you now think that was a mistake?
(3) Do you still have faith in your almost magical ability to divine peoples' church routine just by looking at them from a distance?

Well when you see them going into a church, that's a dead give-away. When they try to lure you to their church, that's a dead give-away. When they are a Catholic priest, that's a dead give-away. When they tell you they'll say a prayer for you, that's a dead give-away. When they tell you to pray to God that you can see the light, that's a dead give-away.

Don't criticise what you know nothing about.

1. Off the top of my head, in a court and on passport applications
2. I never said they did no good. My question was whether you were a good Samaritan or a good Christian. Nowhere did I say that Christians were bad. Though I strongly feel a lot of them are hypocrites.
3. Read my post from 13.51 Apart from that, yes, you can tell sometimes by the way they speak to you. Or judge you.