/christian/ - Christian Discussion and Fellowship

>>715874

>obligation

>charities

Yes and no.

Yes you should give your money to the poor, especially your superflous money.

But you shouldn't trust modern charity organisations, NOT AT ALL.

Go down your street, find someone iving in poverty and buy him something to eat.

Edit : Unless those are loca small organisation but be careful

>>715886

This. Do charity work instead of donating money.

>>715889

>You shouldn’t trust them at all

Then do some research before donating. You could send it to a charity that will simply use it to buy insecticidal nets that reduce child mortality and malaria cases.

It sounds like you’re saying the Christian thing to do is only move to save people on your street, and spend the rest of your superfluous money on yourself.

>>715889

>Go down your street, find someone iving in poverty and buy him something to eat.

they could be welfare scroungers

Most charities do not do a lot of good and waste your money. Even most mission trips evangelicals take are just self-validating vacations.

If you know good Christians who have a permanent ministry in countries that lay down their lives to save sinners, I would personally give them money. Other than that, red cross is really the only game in town TBH, even though it still sucks.

If you are a us citizen join the military and spread the gospel to service members.

NGOs funnel money into dictatorships.

Nearly all of the big ones aren't even real charities; they're just personal empires with magical tax exemption.

>>715889

>>716178

>>716189

There are sites that rank charities by their effectiveness.

https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/08/giving/how-to-choose-a-charity-wisely.html

https://www.guidestar.org/Home.aspx

http://www.give.org/

https://www.bbb.org/

https://www.charitynavigator.org/

https://www.givewell.org/

https://www.charitywatch.org/home

https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/

Also look into Effective Altruism. It's a mostly secular movement about donations and charities spreading money in the most effective ways without the charities skimming much if any off the top at all.

There is a Christian effective altruist sentiment growing but it is still in its early stages. Secular EA doesn't seem to be primarily about love for fellow man but instead it's in many cases a narcissistic feedback loop where "I gave money I deserve to feel better than you". Secular EA is pretty weird and utilitarian so take whatever you see there with a grain of salt, they affect being rationalists and extremely optimised.

Another option is microloans directly to people in need who are trying to start businesses, such as on Kiva.

Or you can donate/volunteer time and skills through CatchAFire or similar.

>>715874

Charities are satanic.

>>715874

Christians have an obligation to provide for their own as well as others. To give to some man far away, but deny the pitiful in his own country, is to be a fool.

1 Timothy 5:7-8

And these things give in charge, that they may be blameless. But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

I donate part of my income to those in need directly, or through small organisations my family is directly involved with/has been working with prior. Start small and then you will feel less and less “forced” to do so…just use both heart and brain, since it’s full of of people who take advantage of other people’s kindness even wearing the external signs of our faith in Christ.