[fidelis]

Ebenezer Scrooge would be right at home on this thread. From Charles Dickens, “A Christmas Carol”:

"At this festive season of the year, Mr Scrooge, ... it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the Poor and destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time. Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts, sir."
Scrooge-"Are there no prisons?"
"Plenty of prisons..."
Scrooge-"And the Union workhouses. Are they still in operation?"
"Both very busy, sir..."
"Those who are badly off must go there."
"Many can't go there; and many would rather die."
Scrooge- "If they would rather die, they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population!"

[antceecee]

Sorry, who has emulated Scrooge on this thread? Sincerely…explain.

[MurphsLaw]

And really, the homily was not too incriminating, just a hinting...

If you want a real hard core standard to be a "Christian"
one that we all- or most all - fail at spectacularly - well check this charitable ideal out...

I read this from CS Lewis and think of my turn in Matt 25... and I'm like ..oh #$=*!!!

I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give.
I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare.
In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc,
is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own,
we are probably giving away too little.
If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us,
I should say they are too small.
There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do
because our charitable expenditure excludes them.