[Paleopsych] charity

[Michael Christopher]

>>If a welfare check came with a work requirement,
would that be a desirable influence on behavior? If
someone gets help from private individuals or
faith-based groups, he has to dance to their tune just
as much as he would have to dance to the government's
tune to get help from it.<<

--I don't think anyone rejects the idea of people
doing temp work to earn welfare, except people who are
categorically against welfare. It's hard for many
people to get or keep a job, for whatever reasons, and
day work is one way to get people to work, knowing
they won't be fired or jerked around in order to feed
themselves.

I'm sure Christian churches will be totally
even-handed in their treatment of the poor and
homeless who come to them when government safety nets
fail, whether they accept Jesus or reject
Christianity. 

It would be a fun experiment, getting two people to
approach a church for help, one adapting well to
Christian beliefs and the other questioning
Christianity and advocating some other faith or
atheism, politely but without budging on dogma. I'm
sure they'd both be treated with equal kindness and
charity. Surely the Christian drive to end welfare and
make churches the leading economic and social safety
net isn't just a cynical ploy to get converts. If it
is, we'll soon know. The influx of needy people will
quickly reveal the prejudices and deeper fears of
those who consider themselves devout. And it just
might inspire pagan, humanist and science-based groups
to start their own charity programs, as a way of
connecting people to groups who are compatible and can
provide temporary work. 

If it is impossible for liberals to take control of
government safety nets (which may not be easy to save,
either way), liberals will then have to focus on
community building, educational and social projects,
privately funded charity and the illumination of a
social conscience. There, they will excel.

Michael





		
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