[scouter]

I generally try to give to those who ask, without assuming the worst about them. I don't always do it, and perhaps not even most of the time. But I do frequently. I've asked myself the question many times if I'm just enabling them.

But then I realize that Jesus is their judge, not me. I have to act according to the facts in front of me. If I'm being scammed, then that's on them, not on me. And in that case, they're still poor... only in a spiritual sense, and they are really in danger of losing their soul. So I say a prayer for them, too. Either way, I'm giving them something they can't get themselves, whether it be money, or spiritual aid.

And so I do it judiciously. I don't forget that my wife and kids have the first claim on my money. If I'm meeting my obligations to them, then I can give something to a stranger who appears to need it. If they need lunch... well, I'm fat enough to go without lunch today.

I don't remember Jesus ever telling us to ask the beggar what he's going to use the money for before we give it to him.

[lacrew]

Good Points.

But some panhandlers are outright frauds. As in walk a few streets over and hop in their late model minivan to drive home at the end of the day.

And I saw a fascinating documentary on heroin addicts in Denver a few months ago. They would panhandle all day for drug money. One girl even stuck her belly out and put ‘pregnant and homeless’ on the sign. Several had a dog with them, as it increased their daily haul (something I have witnessed in person many times). Were these people homeless? - Yes, most heroin addicts eventually get to that point. Is giving them money charity? or enabling?

The documentary implied that the majority of panhandlers in Denver were addicts - and heroin addiction often results in death - so you may be enabling a very self destructive behavior. Whose to judge? I don’t know.

Two homeless people once approached me as I left a gas station. They said they needed money for food. I went back in and bought some sandwiches and tried to give it to them. They got very combative and started shouting at me and each other...but they certainly did not want the sandwich.

Its an age old problem. Our local homeless shelter doesn’t let people in if they are drunk or stoned...so they go into the woods nearby and live in camps. When conditions get bad enough, they go to the shelter. But being sober is not one of their goals.