Introduction
This paper examines the concept of charity in accordance to the ethical perspective and its impact on an individual and society as a whole. The practice of charity means the voluntary giving of help to those in need as a humanitarian act. Charity is a vast concept it could be understood as a form of practice or virtue. Thus this paper will try to understand the religious, emotional, social and economical circumstances, which leads to charity, its importance and methods by which we can support it. Further, we will try to analyse whether charity fits in the concept of Deontology or Consequentialism. Finally we’ll try to see how charity builds a good character and strong level of trust among the people.
Charity in Christianity
The
St. Paul's classical description of charity is found in the New Testament (I Cor. 13).
(And though I feed the poor with all my goods, and though I give my body, that I be burned, and have not love [agape], it profited me nothing ) [2]
St. Augustine summarised much of Christian thought about charity when he wrote : “Charity is a virtue which, when our affections are perfectly ordered, unities us to God, for by it we love him.”[3]
St. Thomas Aquinas, placed charity in the context of the other Christian virtues and specified its role as “the foundation or the root” of them all.
Further, Aquinas holds that “the habit of charity extends not only to the love of God , but also to the love of our neighbours”[4] . According to Aquinas, charity is an absolute requirement for happiness, which he holds as man's last goal.
In Christian theology charity is the greatest of the three theological virtues. Charity is held to be the ultimate perfection of the human spirit because it is said to both glorify and reflect the nature of God. Bible also says “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since charity shall cover the multitude of sins”
Perhaps the most famous passages on caring for those in need is in Jesus' parable in the sheep and the goats. He says, “Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me ...I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me”[6] .Clearly, when we care for someone in need, we do the will of Christ. Charity in Islam
Now let us move on to Islamic concept of charity. This paper sheds light on the multifaceted nature of sadaqa{voluntary charity}. In Islam wealth is viewed as a gift and test from Allah. The word for charity in Arabic is ‘sadaqa’. The root of this word indicates strength in something. That is why the word for truthfulness (as-sidq) also comes from the same root; the truthful person is someone who has an internal strength that helps him or her to stand up for what is right. In the context of charity, the meaning of strength and truthfulness
the kind of person one is. Thus Charity had two parts, one human, the other
Mercy is showing love toward those that are miserable, those that are wretched, and those that are in need of some type of help or assistance.
...ess fortunate in their time and assist with having good practices with their neighbors. As today’s Christians, we can think of one of the great commandments in the New Testament, “thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself”. (Matthew 22:39). When we care for our neighbor and help provide for the less fortunate, we display holiness as well as show our faith to the world. Matthew 25:37-40 states, “Then the righteous will answer him, Lord, when saw we thee a hungered, and fed thee? or thirst, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, verily I say unto you. In as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these ye brethren, ye have done it unto me.”
Most people feel that they should help the needy in some way or another. The problem is how to help them. This problem generally arises when there is a person sitting on the side of the road in battered clothes with a cardboard sign asking for some form of help, almost always in the form of money. Yet something makes the giver uneasy. What will they do with this money? Do they need this money? Will it really help them? The truth of the matter is, it won't. However, there are things that can be done to help the needy. Giving money to a reliable foundation will help the helpless, something that transferring money from a pocket to a man's tin can will never do.
..., not only will we acknowledge the needs of others by redeeming ourselves from sensuality, but avoid being prideful by acknowledging how unessential material wealth is in our own lives. When we do this we will break out of the the “competitive rat-race without meaning”, or the “vicious circle” (Arrupe 10), by choosing God’s love and the love for others.
...ticipate in activities that give a fillip to their urge to live and be part of a compassionate living mode. Soup kitchens, blood donation camps, voluntary services in hospices and many more such activities can be co-ordinated through students and other youngsters on a larger and wider level and with global linkage and understanding. Such an embodiment, on a global level will, without doubt drive us, peoples of the world to unite as one, setting aside our differences, be it in religion, politics, or other worldly conflicts, to master our divine purpose, the betterment of humanity and nature. The three Abrahamic faiths, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, among other religions, exemplify the qualities of compassion and love clearly reflecting these ideas in their scriptures and teachings can substantially aid this process and will ultimately lead to worldwide peace.
We are commanded by God himself to “ Love thy neighbor as thyself”. Everyone on Earth is everyone else 's neighbor, therefore commanding everyone to love even the bitterest of enemies. Take into account the parable of the good samaritan. A Jew(Henry,753) was walking down a road and was ambushed by robbers who took all his belongings and beat him half to death, leaving him on the side of the road to die. Two men who were considered amongst the most righteous in their cities passed by the dying man. However, a samaritan, who was a sworn enemy of the Jews(Henry, 753), stopped and gave the man medical attention using expensive wines and oils on the man’s wounds. The samaritan then put him on his own donkey and brought him to an inn, and left two day’s worth of pay with the innkeeper to use to take care of the man(“Good”). This samaritan had no reason to help, in fact it would have been acceptable if he simply finished the man off, for they were bitter enemies. However, the samaritan man had love in his heart and obeyed the commands of moral law even though he had no reason to and couldn’t afford to either. What we can learn from the good samaritan is that doing the right thing often corresponds with moral law, and that intervention falls within the definition of the right thing to
... men Good-Will’” (186). This last statement emphasizes his appeal to pathos in assuming that a goal of people overall is to strive toward World Peace. In saying that, readers may agree that generosity toward all is a step toward peace.
It defines rajas (passion, ego driven, active) charity, in verse 17.21, as one given with the expectation of some return, or with a desire for fruits and results, or grudgingly. It defines tamas (ignorant, dark, destructive) charity, in verse 17.22, as one given with contempt, to unworthy person(s), at a wrong place and time. In Book 17, Bhadwad Gita suggests steadiness in sattvikam dāna, or the good form of charity is better; and that tamas should be avoided.These three psychological categories are referred to as the guṇas in Hindu philosophy. The Adi Parva of the Hindu Epic Mahabharata, in Chapter 91, states that a person must first acquire wealth by honest means, then embark on charity; be hospitable to those who come to him; never inflict pain on any living being; and share a portion with others whatever he consumes. In Chapter 87 of Adi Parva, it calls sweet speech and refusal to use harsh words or wrong others even if you have been wronged, as a form of charity. In the Vana Parva, Chapter 194, the Mahabharata recommends that one must, "conquer the mean by charity, the untruthful by truth, the wicked by
Altruism originates from the french word altruisme. It also derives from the Latin word altrui. Both of these roots translate to “other”. The idea of altruism presented “Nineteenth-century thinkers with a controversial new
In Kazoh Kitamori's "The Transcendence and Immanence of the Pain of God," he argues that God is immanent and feels the pain of humans, but God is also a transcendent being that can lift our pain and relieve it. Although God may not be visible as a physical aspect of one's everyday life, God is immanent through our neighbors and that is why we, as humanity, should love our neighbors in order to love God. Kitamori states that "if we wish to hit two targets at the same time with one arrow," we must love our neighbors as ourselves and "with all our heart" (99).Kitamori includes the Lord's teachings, "that giving to the poor is the only way to serve [the Lord]," showing that selflessness and charity are all acts of genuine kindness that allow one
...esult, the more directly one sees their personal efforts impact someone else, the more happiness one can gain from the experience of giving. Sometimes generosity requires pushing past a feeling of reluctance because people all instinctively want to keep good things for themselves, but once one is over this feeling, they will feel satisfaction in knowing that they have made a difference in someone else’s life. However, if one lives without generosity but is not selfish, they can still have pleasure from other virtues.
Specifically, as it pertains to Christian ideology or its belief system that is constructed and maintained to deal with moral issues in personal experience and social relations (Association of Religion Data Archives, n.d.). The notion of social justice is evident in the Bible and aligns well with Christ’s teachings that form the foundation of the Christian faith (Edwards, p. 12, 2011). In terms of justice, the Bible is clear regarding the expectation of doing and not just talking (Edwards, p. 11, 2011): This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be that person? (I John
The reformation of the Charity Organizations didn’t grant relief themselves however they served as a resource to simplify the transaction of relief to relief applicants by: maintaining relief applicant requests, records of the aid given to them, and referring those worthy or unworthy to the proper agencies (Trattner, 1999). Their goal was to eradicate fraud and duplicity of services while also maintaining efficiency and treating poverty. The charity organization movement intended to treat poverty by enacting “friendly visitors” to look into each case and define the cause of destitution while also watching for overlapping relief. These “friendly visitors” and their investigations were the cornerstone of the Charity Organization Society’s (C.O.S) treatment; granting aid without investigation was like giving medicine without diagnosis (Trattner, 1999).
“All of morals comes down to the virtues.” (Keenan, 142) Keenan asserts that these virtues are the cardinal virtues, consisting of courage, temperance, justice, and prudence, and date back to Aristotle in Ancient Greece. The word cardinal is derived from the root, cardo, meaning hinge. Simply stated, the Christian moral life hinges on the cardinal virtues. Keenan suggests an updating of the cardinal virtues to become justice, fidelity, self-care, and prudence. He provides reasoning for the new virtue list. He defines each virtue with its social implications. For example, individuals should seek to set up society with equal justice for all persons. These descriptions help the Christian understand when the virtues are best applicable to self and/or others. Thomas Aquinas adds three theological virtues to the mix: faith, hope, and charity. Familiar from the thirteenth chapter of I Corinthians, these virtues seek to help Christian theologians through the ages maintain the integrity of the Gospel and continue to make it relevant in the modern world. Keenan recounts Bernard of Clairvaux’s beliefs that cultivating the virtues is a way to assimilate with the humanity of Jesus. (Keenan, 136) According to Aquinas, “Every human action is a moral action.” (Keenan, 142) The purpose of the virtues is to guide Christians, and when the Christian studies and applies the virtues to his life, his actions will demonstrate morality. The Bible heralds in Proverbs 3:32, “Devious people are detestable to the Lord, but the virtuous are his close