"Clueless pushovers?" Not necessarily. More like "misguided victims of their own guilt."
as you clutch your pocketbook to your bosom,
You forgot the part about stealing Tiny Tim's crutch to sell for firewood and kicking the old lady out of her wheelchair just for laughs ...
justifying a selfishness
Is it "selfish" to want to keep that which is mine? Is it selfish to deny sustenance to those that haven't earned it? Is it selfish to give a man a fish when he needs to learn to fish for himself? Then I wear the title with pride.
Then there's the matter of "justifying." I needn't justify my actions to you or anyone else. The money is mine, not the panhandlers'. How I dispose of it is entirely my own decision and no one else's -- regardless of how vastly superior their moral fiber.
you would not even part with a pittance.
So are you to be admired for having the self-described decency to actually part with a pittance? If it is so trivial, how can you be said to be generous in your giving? It means nothing to you so is of no consequence, yet you trumpet your gift as though it were infinite largesse.
Spare me the guilt trip. I could walk by bums all day long with cnotes dripping from my vest pockets and not feel bad. But then, I'm not holier than thou.
It may be true that you do not have to justify your actions to any person, but you will give an account of what you do with your money:
"For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written: 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’” So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God." Romans 12:10-12
the money is mine...
Two things are certain. One day every penny of our precious money will be distributed to others, and they will do with it as they please. Second, we will answer for the selfishness of our hearts, and how we responded to Jesus' command:
"Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you." Matthew 5:42
And,
"Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? But now as for what is inside you — be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you." Luke 11:39-41
Spare me the guilt trip. I could walk by bums all day long with cnotes dripping from my vest pockets and not feel bad.
I would not want to enter into judgment having lived with such an attitude, for in the above passage Jesus very next words consist of a dire warning:
“Woe to you Pharisees..."