your religion leads you to feed a hungry person. Why do you do it?

Question

Is it not because you will feel better about yourself,
Is this 'good works' basically selfish act.
Is not religion basically selfish people fooling themselves.

Do not answer if you cannot be contacted!
But I will forgive you if you do.

Answer 1

Forgive me? Wow, you are a legend in your own mind. No, my religious philosophy does not impel me to provide food to anyone. I do it because it is my responsibility as a member of the species. I do have, however, limitations.

Answer 2

I can't speak for anyone else. I do it because it should be done! Because the person is hungry, or cold, or lonely, and I have what they need and can give it, so I do.
There is also the "inasmuch" factor--"In as much as you have done it for the least of these, you have done it for Me" (meaning Christ). But No, I don't do it for the "feelgood factor", I do it because it should be done by someone, and I'm standing closest. There may be people who are "selfishly selfless" but they're the sort who are always looking over their shoulder waiting for the applause or the photo op (like say Bill Gates.) Those who really are generous would actually prefer no one to know.
As to religion being people fooling themselves, there's a difference between "religion" (rites and ceremonies, going through the formalities) and "belief"--living in a certain way because you know that it's right, whether you "get anything" out of it or not.
I can't help as much as I'd like to, I do what I can in my corner. The reward, if any, is neither here nor there.

Answer 3

I had to read your question a few times before I actually got the humour in it, so maybe I'm just a bit slow at catching on.
"Happiness is the gratification of a selfish desire" !! No I don't recall who said that but it certainly wasn't a religious thing.
For some reason that had me wondering if it was true?
I am atheist so if I help a fellow human out, I, like all other atheist don't do that on religious grounds, some one has already stated, it's on humanitarian grounds.
I do admit that this act of kindness does give me an 'inner glow' But I don't do it because I think I will get this feeling.
And I don't think that most religious folk do a kind act just because their particular 'Holy' book tells them they should!
There are a lot of two faced religious folk out there, there are also a lot of two faced atheists out there, I can only say in answer to your question, if I can help my fellow man, then it's not because I know I will feel gratified, that comes well after the event.
I am still (occasionally) pondering my quotation , I doubt if I will ever get it worked out.
I think this about the only time on this foum that I have had a good word to say about religious folk, strange but I dont have that 'inner glow' because of it, dont know why I don't?

Answer 4

I'm an atheist. I don't help people because some mythical being coerced me to do so.

I help feed the hungry because I think it makes the world a bit nicer of a place to live. I feel empathy towards my fellow man. There is a church nearby that periodically gets together to make lunches for the homeless. I've helped them a couple times and even bought supplies because I think it is a good cause.

You can consider all good works to be a selfish act, but that doesn't make the act a bad thing. We all help others because it either directly or indirectly helps ourselves, even if it is only to help us feel better about our place among others. Selfishness is only a bad thing when taken to an extreme that becomes counterproductive. BTW, you can be too selfless, also. If you never take anything for yourself, you eventually die. So, it is misleading to frame the question in terms of whether it is selfish or not. That doesn't really matter.

Answer 5

I'm a very lax pagan. A similar example - although erhaps not a very good one - is me buying The Big Issue each week.

I do it to help the people themselves (without giving them temptation to do drugs/drink/whatever) and because there are interesting articles in it.

However, I have given to pretenders a couple of times (WHY hold the mags if they're not allowed to sell them) and, although I feel bad for not buying it off people, I don't want more than one copy of the mag.

I'd feed a hungry person out of kindness... although you can never tell with the homeless in Liverpool, sadly!

Answer 6

What a stupid question.
Some people use religion to make themselves look better, many do actually.
But I help the opressed and poor because I feel for them, it is spontanous for me. and I have been blessed with a lot when 15
years ago people thought I would end up in jail or a drug addict. WRONG.....
People say I am too generous and many take the piss, but hey god loves me and I have looks, money, friends and everything I need. So why not give I don't understand your question. Who lost out being good?
I have no idea what you are saying, eg: I have ten loafs of bread I need to eat one or two, Im gona get another two tomorrow, I have money, why does it follow from that that some of those loafs actually dont belong to the ones around me that dont have any loafs to eat? Of course they do, is it not great I have found the loafs they are looking for?

Answer 7

Because God has forgiven me for all I have done against Him I seek to honor Him by working good to others that He also created.

James 2:15-17 (New International Reader's Version)
15 Suppose a brother or sister has no clothes or food. 16 Suppose one of you says to them, "Go. I hope everything turns out fine for you. Keep warm. Eat well." And you do nothing about what they really need. Then what good have you done?
17 It is the same with faith. If it doesn't cause us to do something, it's dead.

Answer 8

All acts have a part of selfishness in it. Maybe that means that selfishness is not only a bad thing.

When I give a random stranger an unexpected reason to smile, and he rewards me with that unexpected smile, I also feel good. Of course that's somehow selfish. It doesn't make it bad.

Answer 9

Yes ultimately I have selfish motives. I know that God will bless me if I am a giver.

But many times, God makes it inconvenient or difficult for me or the person may be smelly or unlovely in some way so that I do end up truly giving of my self in some way.

It all comes out in the end.

Answer 10

Very logical question. Before 1000s of years Hinduism in India has very much thougth about it and classified such karmas(actions)

You are right that most people help others just to satisfy themseves and sometimes they help because they think what others think of themselves if they don't etc. These are all selfish acts. But if it is for a good cause its okay , do it by all means.

The real karma(action) is the one, which one does without any personal agenda behind it. You help not to comfort yourself from the suffering by seeing other suffer. You help others because you understand others sufferings and you understand as a fellow human being its your responsibility to help. You dont' see any other cause to stop you from helping them. You do it as your duty and you do it with complete devotion to god. This action or Karma is the right Karma and in this karma you are not attached to the results of it.

Please see this question and answers to it:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AiGqD_1w5rScFTzfCOq_yHLsy6IX?qid=20070512025803AAyLrEQ&show=7#profile-info-6a17bd16100a89c89d4f61d631510efbaa