Question for followers of any religion

[mawilson 2,133]

So then why aren't they all already in mental institutions by now?

How do you know they aren't? Have you examined all the bums for mental illnesses?

[Deputy Purple 1,294]

As for who is a neighbor, for me personally I follow the view presented by Jesus in the parable of the Good Samaritan ... He showed that everyone is your neighbor ...

That parable was also about rendering aid not giving cash to someone.

As a certified EFR (Emergency First Responder) if I happen across someone in need of assistance I will render said assistance until professionals arrive. Further I will spend time & money to keep my EFR Certification up-to-date be re-certifying every 2 years.

If I see a car broken-down on the side of the road I will stop to render assistance but I will not dip into my finances to repair their vehicle. Change a tire, maybe even give a lift to a service station sure. I'll even let you use my Cell Phone to call friends or family after all isn't that who we should look to in times of need?

[chri'stina 190]

That parable was also about rendering aid not giving cash to someone.

As a certified EFR (Emergency First Responder) if I happen across someone in need of assistance I will render said assistance until professionals arrive. Further I will spend time & money to keep my EFR Certification up-to-date be re-certifying every 2 years.

If I see a car broken-down on the side of the road I will stop to render assistance but I will not dip into my finances to repair their vehicle. Change a tire, maybe even give a lift to a service station sure. I'll even let you use my Cell Phone to call friends or family after all isn't that who we should look to in times of need?

In the parable, the Samaritan actually took the man to an inn and paid his expenses to stay there and eat there, while telling the inn keepers to keep record of his expenses and he would pay all of it the next time he passed through.

In the spring, my sister and a friend were driving back to where they live after visiting us here in FL. They still had 3 or more hours before they would reach home when their vehicle started acting up. They were able to get off at a rest area and by then it was making a really loud banging noise. The problem was no oil left in the vehicle. My friend had gotten an oil change done on the vehicle before that so it wasn't just an issue of ignoring oil. It was leaking out. They didn't know what to do, and then an older couple at the rest stop asked what was wrong. They told them, and the old couple(who also had another relative with them) said they would drive up to the next exit, buy them oil somewhere, and then come back to the rest stop to give it to them. My sister/friend were shocked at the kindness. Then the couple refused to take the money for the oil and wanted to do it just to be nice. It's people like that who go the extra mile that make the world a better place.

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

Would a trapeze artist do all stunts? Or does he make decisions based on whether there is a net to catch him? The nanny state sucks!

[Obama 2012 1,714]

You look for certainty when you'll find none. You cannot possibly know the situations or circumstances that might lead to your brother, sister, or neighbor in dire need of help. If they come asking you for that help, I suppose you could spend the time making sure they aren't conning you, or you could treat them with dignity by offering to help them in any way you could.

Sometimes treating someone with dignitity is turning them away and letting them find the path on their own.

As I said though, it's not about turnnig people away, it's about helping who you can, when you can. Sometimes you're too busy helping those in your inner-circle, you cannot help one outside of it.

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

Sometimes treating someone with dignitity is turning them away and letting them find the path on their own.

As I said though, it's not about turnnig people away, it's about helping who you can, when you can. Sometimes you're too busy helping those in your inner-circle, you cannot help one outside of it.

There definately is a diff. from someone sitting on the couch all day and someone that looks at job hunting as a job.

[twowls 217]

Here is a Biblical riddle:

How many Philistine foreskins did David buy his first wife with?

100 or 200?

2 Samuel 3:14:

And David sent messengers to Ishbosheth Saul's son, saying, Deliver me my wife Michal, which I espoused to me for an hundred foreskins of the Philistines.

1 Samuel 18:27

Wherefore David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men; and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full tale to the king, that he might be the king's son in law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife.

You don't believe in the God of the Bible or similar monotheistic systems so you're pointing out ways in which the source material is weak or contradictory. There's no argument there, unless you're in a room full of tea partiers or something. The Bible has been revised many, many times and it is now a great jumble of ideas and intentions at this point.

I wasn't defending the Bible as a source of unassailable truth and consistency when I broke down the two passages you offered. I do defend the Bible as an interesting document with some useful insights.

I think you're wasting your time being anti-Bible. It's possible to glean potential wisdom from lots of sources without buying the entire cow.

[twowls 217]

Nature has a way of running its course. There's always someone there to help and people out there looking for others to help.

The problem always comes when others are forced to help other people.

If no one is there to help, then perhaps one was not meant to be help. It's the way of life. It's a circle that isn't always "right" in everyone's eyes, but it is what it is.

Circle of life! Let things run their course!

This is all a runaround in service of the fact you don't feel connected to those with the least. If you had a mentally-ill brother on the streets, or had dealt with a death-grip addiction yourself, you'd change your tune. Or for god's sake, I hope you would. You are not different from those that sleep without a roof. I don't know where your compassion part got lost, but it costs so very, very little to find it. Your unwillingness to venture a cursory search is on you.

[ready4ONE 5,400]

You don't believe in the God of the Bible or similar monotheistic systems so you're pointing out ways in which the source material is weak or contradictory. There's no argument there, unless you're in a room full of tea partiers or something. The Bible has been revised many, many times and it is now a great jumble of ideas and intentions at this point.

I wasn't defending the Bible as a source of unassailable truth and consistency when I broke down the two passages you offered. I do defend the Bible as an interesting document with some useful insights.

I think you're wasting your time being anti-Bible. It's possible to glean potential wisdom from lots of sources without buying the entire cow.

But how many Philistine foreskins did David buy his wife with? Answer the riddle man!

I believe I am pro-logic, more than anti-Bible. But the Bible and other 'source material' are roots of all religions, and when they are exposed for exactly what you say, interesting, offering potentially useful insights, or sources of potential wisdom, but hardly what they originally claimed to be unassailable words of truth from *insert God of choice here* then the wheels start to leave the bus, the shine leaves the apple, and belief becomes a matter of 'faith' without reason.

[twowls 217]

But how many Philistine foreskins did David buy his wife with? Answer the riddle man!

I believe I am pro-logic, more than anti-Bible. But the Bible and other 'source material' are roots of all religions, and when they are exposed for exactly what you say, interesting, offering potentially useful insights, or sources of potential wisdom, but hardly what they originally claimed to be unassailable words of truth from *insert God of choice here* then the wheels start to leave the bus, the shine leaves the apple, and belief becomes a matter of 'faith' without reason.

Sure. And I'm not religious and you're not going to get any arguments from me. I just think the "Look! Contradictions!" part is played. And that there are books out there with cool stuff worth contemplating, even with a bit of respect. No real connection between respecting old good words and buying the doctrine, at least not for me. Basically I think you're limiting your library, and I believe in libraries and interesting words. You probably do too.

[Danno 1,228]

But how many Philistine foreskins did David buy his wife with? Answer the riddle man!

I believe I am pro-logic, more than anti-Bible. But the Bible and other 'source material' are roots of all religions, and when they are exposed for exactly what you say, interesting, offering potentially useful insights, or sources of potential wisdom, but hardly what they originally claimed to be unassailable words of truth from *insert God of choice here* then the wheels start to leave the bus, the shine leaves the apple, and belief becomes a matter of 'faith' without reason.

This gem is for you my friend.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKrTK_WUiCo&feature=bulletin

[ready4ONE 5,400]

Kirk Cameron? Good God man!

[Obama 2012 1,714]

Circle of life! Let things run their course!

This is all a runaround in service of the fact you don't feel connected to those with the least. If you had a mentally-ill brother on the streets, or had dealt with a death-grip addiction yourself, you'd change your tune. Or for god's sake, I hope you would. You are not different from those that sleep without a roof. I don't know where your compassion part got lost, but it costs so very, very little to find it. Your unwillingness to venture a cursory search is on you.

perhaps if you'd read my others posts before jumping the gun on your bandwagon, you'd see that I said that the difference is inside one's personal circle and then outside the personal circle.

Expecting someone to help a random stranger is a completely different idealism. Sometimes just taking care of you and yours is enough and should be enough for the most part.

You can not like the fact that i'm not 'compassionate' enough to care about joe blow walking down the street, but I'm sorry, I really don't. If you do, then good for you. That is your way of life and how you are personally. That is how you are built in your compassion for the world. Not everyone is though and that's fine too.

It's real simple at the end of the day. I take care of myself and those close to me and I don't ask for anything from anyone. Therefore as I have zero expectation for help from anyone, then no one should 'expect' there to be help or aid coming from me.

[Deputy Purple 1,294]

It's real simple at the end of the day. I take care of myself and those close to me and I don't ask for anything from anyone. Therefore as I have zero expectation for help from anyone, then no one should 'expect' there to be help or aid coming from me.

Agreed 100%, if everyone would think like this then the Government wouldn't need to sponsor so many entitlement programs.

How are we the Greatest Country in the World and yet our elderly are dying alone in nursing homes, our mentally ill are wondering the streets or locked-up and everyone asks "Where is the Government?" Shame on us, we should be there for our family first and then our friends.

My Mother chose to live on the streets for the last decade of her life, I tried more than once to help her but she wouldn't cooperate. Was she mentally ill, probably but we couldn't get a diagnosis as she'd never stay around long enough and as long as she wasn't a danger to herself or others we couldn't get her evaluated.

It's just too easy in the US to let the Government take care of them for us. I hope when I get old I'm always welcome to be around my family.

[twowls 217]

perhaps if you'd read my others posts before jumping the gun on your bandwagon, you'd see that I said that the difference is inside one's personal circle and then outside the personal circle.

Expecting someone to help a random stranger is a completely different idealism. Sometimes just taking care of you and yours is enough and should be enough for the most part.

You can not like the fact that i'm not 'compassionate' enough to care about joe blow walking down the street, but I'm sorry, I really don't. If you do, then good for you. That is your way of life and how you are personally. That is how you are built in your compassion for the world. Not everyone is though and that's fine too.

It's real simple at the end of the day. I take care of myself and those close to me and I don't ask for anything from anyone. Therefore as I have zero expectation for help from anyone, then no one should 'expect' there to be help or aid coming from me.

I know, it's just that you first tried to dress it up as some kind of cosmic non-participation agreement. Nature running its course; people left unaided are maybe just meant to suffer alone this go-round... That's just an awkward little dance with rather scary and unsupportable implications.

Maybe there is a Lord of the Flies type way to consider humanity's course, but only if you view the entire experiment like a slightly mean kid watching ants do battle for your vague amusement. I prefer you say what you have here: I don't care; I've worked out an equation wherein if I never want help, I also don't hand it out.