| Oct 27 @ 7:59 PM |
An unanswered question.
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ServantOfChrist2
Posts: 7,434
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In a recently closed thread, a question was asked. (It went something like this.)
"Why do Christians feel a need to publicize the good things they do?"
Luke 8:16--Jesus speaking--"No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. 17--For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open."
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| Oct 27 @ 8:32 PM |
An unanswered question. |
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iam01
Posts: 6,264
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Another question is:
Why do Christians feel a need to hide the bad things they do?
The answer to both questions is ego.
The fact SOC can not answer either question indicates his inability and unwillingness to reveal that fact.
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| Oct 27 @ 8:52 PM |
An unanswered question.
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Peabianjay
Posts: 1,790
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I find it amusing that sweeping generalizations, such as, "Why do Christians...?" are worthy of a response at all.
"Christian" embodies a huge variety of individual personalities and beliefs, like any catagorization of people. Certainly, there is a common thread, "Belief in Christ," but there it ends.
Many Christians argue that there are more requirements to be considered "Christian", for example, faith in the New Testement. But then, which version of the Bible? Will any do?
That said...many Christians, though certainly not all, feel a need to publicize (or hide) sundry behaviour for reasons quite unrelated to Christianity. They're human. Bad behaviour is punnished (by law or by peers), good behaviour is rewarded. A "true" Christian won't feel the need to publicize either based on faith ("God is all knowing.), but will likely feel the same social pressures to function in society just as much as any non-Christian.
For example...a local church had, for years, participated in a great deal of "No Strings Attached" charitable work, fully anonymous, no mention of the source of the charity. Unfortunately, they could not remain anonymous, as a result of social pressure from sceptics wondering "what they did with all that money". Anonymous didn't cut it. They had to go public.
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| Oct 27 @ 8:54 PM |
An unanswered question. |
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sail_dancer
Posts: 9,857
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SOC,
Jesus speaking:Matthew 6 (King James Version)
1Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
2Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
3But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
4That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. Seems to me that Jesus is telling us to give alms in private, otherwise you will receive earthly rewards but not the desert god's rewards.
In the bible Jesus contradicts himself many times, so its not your fault for thinking the verses you quoted are what Jesus wants. If you truly analyze Jesus' comments throughout the NT, it is obvious the contradictions are just the ideas of the authors and scribes that worked on the bible.
The authors/scribes of the verses you quoted saw the desert god as egotistical. The authors/scribes of the verses I quoted saw a god with no ego.
Which is right? ..... Who knows?
I happen to believe in a god with no ego and that ego is a major flaw in man.
Peace
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| Oct 27 @ 10:04 PM |
An unanswered question.
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ColdinWisconsin
Posts: 9,987
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Matthew 6:3
My father's motto. His insistence that one gives to those in need and helps their community.
Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.
In another words. You do your deeds quietly and do not seek out glory or acknowledgment.
Ever.
Otherwise you lesson the gift.
You honestly do.
Do you really need to stand there and grin while a hungry child eats? Seriously?
If so...you are most certainly in more need than that child.
May your God help you......
*Edited to add...sorry Sail, I see you quoted the same section I did! 
"No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. 17--For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open."
My understanding is this verse is discussing that if you feel you have something to hide..you have done something wrong. This is about our deeds and actions being found out. This verse has nothing to do with charity and some peoples inherent need to be acknowledged for each little thing they do. Like it's an extra instead of a basic human responsibility. 
Giving to the Needy Matthew
6:1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
[Edited on 10/27/2009 10:12 PM]
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| Oct 27 @ 10:43 PM |
An unanswered question. |
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alivenwell351
Posts: 3,006
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The 4 wealthiest people I know give away more each your to righteous (generic!!) causes, scholarship funds, and charities etc than I ever made a year in my prime. And few know about it because they don't seek publicity, they NEVER do any "hey look at me'' kind of thing, and they are proof of something that not nearly enough people realize...That most of those evil, selfish, tax dodging wealthy folks so many despise are far and away the most generous people on the planet.
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| Oct 27 @ 10:49 PM |
An unanswered question.
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ServantOfChrist2
Posts: 7,434
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Hi Sail.
Thank you for the truly amiable tone of your response.
Yes, I do agree with the rationale you use. The human ego is certainly gratified + pleased when it is stroked a bit in public. (By the praise it gains through being recognized for being responsible for having done good things.)
A few times Christ makes mention of His love of a humble spirit. So clearly, He doesn't want us becoming full of ourselves.
But I believe that through examination of the more-complete published works of Jesus Christ, we can see that His love for brotherly, (or sisterly), love, (as illustrated through compassionate deeds), takes precedence over His disdain for pride.
I believe that He is telling us to perform works of compassion where possible. But at the same time, we are not to be primarily eager in receiving praise for the things we do.
I understand that there is a conflict here. But in several other places, the ego, or self, is discussed separate from work.
We are to keep our ego in check. But not at the cost of allowing charitable opportunities to pass by unperformed. He is not against us receiving praise for our efforts.
Are we to abstain from doing good things simply because other people will see our actions?
Certainly not.
If the person gets a little credit for doing something kind, they should not allow themselves to become haughty. But they are not to avoid doing good works merely because such an action can lead to sin.
They are 2 separate issues.
#1. The good deeds are not to be allowed to result in #2. The fat head. The big ego.
The individual is to control their ego. It is a temptation to be resisted.
But we are not to avoid being given the temptation. We are to deal with it.
Each of us is to resist the temptation of becoming complacent. We are to resist the temptation of excessive self-praise.
But we shouldn't be so weak-willed that we need to avoid doing the things that lead to that temptation.
What a reason that would be for never doing good things. "Oh, I was afraid that other people would learn of the good-things I did, so I didn't do anything at all! I didn't want people to think I was trying to be a good person."
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| Oct 27 @ 10:58 PM |
An unanswered question. |
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ServantOfChrist2
Posts: 7,434
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Many acts of kindness and most charitable acts serve as examples for other people to learn from and immitate.
Not everyone is gifted at devising methods of performing all charitable acts.
If all such acts were performed in secret, would imitation be likely?
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| Oct 27 @ 10:59 PM |
An unanswered question.
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MrPaul
Posts: 1,603
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The 4 wealthiest people I know give away more each your to righteous (generic!!) causes, scholarship funds, and charities etc than I ever made a year in my prime. And few know about it because they don't seek publicity, they NEVER do any "hey look at me'' kind of thing, and they are proof of something that not nearly enough people realize...That most of those evil, selfish, tax dodging wealthy folks so many despise are far and away the most generous people on the planet. Alive  Awesome
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| Oct 28 @ 12:11 AM |
An unanswered question. |
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kjac
Posts: 8,163
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Don't talk about it, be about it.~Busta Rhymes
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| Oct 28 @ 12:14 AM |
An unanswered question.
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Angel54214
Posts: 18,169
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SOC & CIW are AWSOME!!! 
Almsgiving was a Jewish tradition once per year just before Pentacost. It wasn't about the rich, it was about all that could give something as a charity to the poor and needy. A healthy robust man that could build a strong wagon with wheels of iron, could donate it to a man that was too old to work. A man that owned his own orchards could give an abundance of his crops to a family that lost their own due to a fire or a botanical disease. A man that was a carpenter could deliver a full season of wood to keep the frail warm in the harsh cold winter. A leather merchant could give footwear to those of the callused. The list in endless...
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| Oct 28 @ 2:57 AM |
An unanswered question. |
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CPUfan
Posts: 7,983
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PJ "Christian" embodies a huge variety of individual personalities and beliefs, like any catagorization of people. Certainly, there is a common thread, "Belief in Christ," but there it ends.
SOC says there are a few false doctrines around. It seems these doctrines claim to speak on behalf of all Christians.  But as you point out PJ, they don't...
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| Oct 28 @ 6:39 AM |
An unanswered question.
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sail_dancer
Posts: 9,857
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SOC,
I believe that He is telling us to perform works of compassion where possible. But at the same time, we are not to be primarily eager in receiving praise for the things we do. My point is more than that.
Charity should be something that the donor expects not to profit from. Religions boast of their charitable contributions in the hope of attracting converts. This has nothing to do about ego. It has to do with profiting from those that are less fortunate.
Many businesses use charitable contributions to boost their profits. They will initiate programs where a certain amount will be donated from the sale of their product to certain charities. What they don't tell you is that the profit they make on the increased sales of that product is expected to exceed the total profits they would have made without the program. It is also a way to get people who would not usually try their product to do just that.
Should companies and religions receive tax exemptions on charity that is designed to increase their profits and/or their membership?
Boasting or advertizing "good works" is only necessary when there is an underlying reason to do so.
You posted:Many acts of kindness and most charitable acts serve as examples for other people to learn from and immitate.
Not everyone is gifted at devising methods of performing all charitable acts.
If all such acts were performed in secret, would imitation be likely? Are you saying that people cannot learn from charitable conributions made anonymously?
I'm not saying that a charitable organization should not reveal the statistics related to the donations it receives and where they are directed. I'm saying there is no reason to reveal the identity of the donors.
Charity designed and used to advertize and/or increase profits/membership of ANY organization (not just religious) should NOT be considered charity. It should be considered a normal businesss expense.
Peace
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| Oct 28 @ 7:28 AM |
An unanswered question. |
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LanceVarden7
Posts: 1,092
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"No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. 17--For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open." Has to do with confessing your fait, and the goodness of the Christ, not with bragging about your good works.
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| Oct 28 @ 10:28 AM |
An unanswered question.
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yashaenka
Posts: 8,235
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Well Lance I knew someone would catch this and the fact that SOC twist scripture to his liking even if he does not understand it.
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| Oct 28 @ 10:43 AM |
An unanswered question. |
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Deborah551
Posts: 1,010
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"No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. 17--For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open."
Something else just occurred to me about light and it's this; light doesn't brag or force others to look at it. It just is. If I turn on a light and leave the room, the light doesn't beg me to thank it when I return. In fact, I don't think about the light at all because it's job is suttle and unobtusive. It's only when the light refuses to shine that we notice it's out, not when it brags on itself or begs for kudos for work well done.
Luk 15:8 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find [it]?
Luk 16:8 And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. Well, Jesus said the children of the world are wiser than the children of light? Any Christian care to explain how this is possible if you christians have knowledge and wisdom of God and unbelievers don't?
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| Oct 28 @ 11:22 AM |
An unanswered question.
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LanceVarden7
Posts: 1,092
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Well Lance I knew someone would catch this and the fact that SOC twist scripture to his liking even if he does not understand it. I suppose if he is wrong about that, maybe he is also missing the mark when he calls me a false Christian.
Can't get them all.
It's a good thing he is not the one sitting on the white throne or I would be in big trouble.
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| Oct 28 @ 12:03 PM |
An unanswered question. |
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oct_cat
Posts: 1,374
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"Why do Christians feel a need to publicize the good things they do?" Why do PEOPLE in general need to publicize the good things they do?
To polish their egos! There's you're answer. It's the general population, not just a certain sect. 
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| Oct 28 @ 1:26 PM |
An unanswered question.
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sail_dancer
Posts: 9,857
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Why do PEOPLE in general need to publicize the good things they do?
To polish their egos! There's you're answer. It's the general population, not just a certain sect. Exactly!
Now ..... Why do organizations (that do not have egos) publicize their good works?
Are you saying religious groups don't use charity as bait to lure the needy into its folds?
Are you saying that because companies use charity to increase profits, it is perfectly OK for religions to use charity for its own gains (conversions)?
The question is ..... can charity be something that results in "planned" or "expected" gains for the donor? If so, can religions consider "charity" a "good work"?
Peace
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| Oct 28 @ 3:17 PM |
An unanswered question. |
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Jankia
Posts: 11,883
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Christians arent any different then the wealthy that give money except the good thats done includes far more then opening up the checkbook.
To think its an ego problem is shallow thinking when you consider the wealthy dont publicize.How then are you aware that they gave money...its publicized by someone else.
Same goes for the good any religion does.Our church doesnt include the good it does in our local paper because of ego...its included because theyre asked to.
Look at this forum and the people that have been referred to as "holier than thou" or accused of thinking they hold a higher step on the ladder by "bragging' or "boasting" about themselves.
If you really dont want to hear the good someone else does in life.
Its simple...dont ask them.
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