The Multitude that Jesus fed were not the poor, but people who were standing around all day listening to Him. Yes, he did tell others to feed the hungry etc. but he personally did not. If indeed he could multiply the bread and fishes then He could have made it possible for there to be no poor, but have them go fishing and get some money like Peter was told to do. Jesus mission did not seem to be to take care of the poor but to encourage other people to do so. His main message seems to be Love one another!
Depends on how one looks at it. Some people want to know how a person got to be poor in the first place, would helping them be by giving and teaching them to fish or just hand them a fish. Some people are poor because they depend on others to take care of them, some have circumstances in their lives that can’t be helped and really need help.
I grew up dirt poor in the depression and lived on boiled potatoes and burnt flower gravy. Some days it was just coffee and a dill pickle. Many times we ate just oatmeal.
A lot depends on a person’s circumstance. I believe in helping the poor, but I also did some volunteering and some of the people who came in for food could have been doing better on their own and complained. I have been behind people with food stamps in the grocery lines and they bought more expensive food than we would dream of buying, then paid for their cigrettes etc. with their own money.
Another good example of why I left.
When I was Catholic, I was always taught that possessions and money meant nothing to god or Jesus or St. Peter, etc… I was also taught that the poor are more likely to go to heaven since they suffered so much on earth. I was also taught that if I didn’t help the poor, I’d have to at least explain myself and my selfish actions to somebody on the afterlife hierarchy. Money is a human creation, not god’s. This was only about 20 years ago.
My father religiously :rolleyes: gave each week to the church. One day in the ‘80s, we got a sermon/homily about good ol’ tithing. Our local church said they needed 10% of the household income to be considered a worthy tithe. Worthy tithe??
After that, Dad only gave anonymously after that speech. He basically thought that the jerks running the church don’t deserve to know how much he gives and that god will know, that’s all that matters.
I’m quite surprised that anyone would buy into prosperity gospel. But it proves what I say all along, that no one who calls themselves Christian ever read one bible. Since Jesus is basically the main character in the NT and at this particular church from the OP, I would only expect them to laugh at the idea. They are rich giving to the rich and subsequently disobeying their creator and son’s “teachings”.
At least they put money first, over their faith, which is at least logical and necessary.