Why do Christians do such a BAD JOB in helping the poor?

Question

Helping the poor and the needy are suppose to be Christians primary duty . Than why are we doing such a bad job at it.
According to the world wide sensus there are over 2 billion Christians living in the world.

According to the netaid over 1 billion people live below poverty line.
Suppose if 1 christian put aside 1 dollar per day that will be 2 billion per day in excess money to help these people. Than why are we doing such a bad bad job in ERADICATING poverty?

Are we lazy? ignorant? don't care? what are the excuses now?

My answer to those who ask:
I have given over US$50,000 of personal money to ministries that turned out to be buying mansions and rolls royce for their personal gain.

Now i am rolling up my own sleve and go to devestated areas struck by natural disasters.
I roll up my own sleve and gather willing and sincere christian friends to help feed the orphans in my areas and set up w/ net group of friends in third world country to feed the children there.

Answer 1

Maybe we are incompetent.
Our family of 3 gives $1200 a year to various charities. I observe that during the last 10 years the plight of the poor world wide has deteriorated.
There are many causes to poverty but the main cause is ignorance. If somehow we could combat that evil, poverty would be a thing of the past.

Answer 2

Yours is a two fold question. First, CAN poverty be eradicated? Second, why have Christians not been able to do it?

I do not believe poverty can be eradicated by virtue of what "poverty" means. It is a very relative term, depending on the area you live. For example, a very poor person in the US has material wealth to rival the middle class in most other countries. Most poor Americans have a TV, a car, a washing machine, etc. The poverty line in the US is something like $14k a year, which is more than some whole families make in other parts of the world. Also, the US has spent TRILLIONS since 1929 to eliminate poverty, and still it persists. The net effect is that there will always be some better off than others. Having been poor myself, I know it is not a permenent state for the able bodied. When it boils down, it is the individual who gets sick and tired of being sick and tired tha tdrags themself out of poverty, not someone else providing a handout.

Now, what can Christians do about it? That I would leave to the concience of the individual. In my case, through my church, I support a food bank, medical teams in poor parts of the world, and a handicapped ministry. In all, Christian charities, and especially Amercian charities, have been more generous than just about anyone else. More hospitals, orphanages, food programs, drug rehabs, prison outreaches, street people outreachs, and destitute support organizations have been stared and created in the name of Christ than in any other name. But as Jesus himself said, the poor you will always have with you. I think that is because there will always be people who have less than others.

Answer 3

Not all Christians do a bad job,,,not all atheists or other religions do a good job either....Jesus said, there would always be poor among us. Some of the Governments in third world countries,,,have such corrupt leadership,,,they keep their people poor..lack of rain so they can't grow food...lack of education....lots of reasons for being poor. The world does what it can for the most part. You can't go into a country and help the people if the government doesn't want you there. Don't blame the Christians..

Answer 4

Umm correction our primary duty is to be like Christ!! So please stand corrected. Next were are supposed to be helpers one to another, thus it is everyone's job to help everyone! However you can not help someone that doesn't wanna be helped we can raise all the money in the world to help but at the end of the day someone is still going to be poor. Not using that as an excuse don't worry about all the 2 billion Christians in the world just make sure that you are doing your part and that when it is all over, God will say "Well Done! Thy good and faithful servant!"

Answer 5

1 - Capitalism does not only help the rich. Capitalism in a free market (i.e. one in which the government does not artificially create winners and losers) is a self-propagating system in which personal greed leads to an increase in the quality of life for all economic classes. If you look at American capitalism in its prime, the poorest levels of society in the US still lived like kings compared to the rest of world. Capitalism enriches the wealthy, employs the middle class, and sustains the poor. 2 - You mention Ponzi schemes. You realize those are illegal, right? So it really is not a criticism of capitalism - a Ponzi scheme can take all of your money in any economic system. What you are probably criticizing are speculators who can clean out a 401K. Keep in mind, however, that your investments are your responsibility. No one forces you to put your retirement into a specific account. If you balance your portfolio in low risk, recession-proof investments, those greedy speculators won't touch it. I have been averaging a 20% on my investments throughout this economic crisis (2008-2011), and it is because I put my money in stocks (like utilities) that traditionally go up in a recession. 3 - What's stopping you from becoming an employer yourself? If they have all the power, why don't you take some for yourself? All you have to do is get an MBA from a state university and you can be one of the upper 10% of wage earners in less than 10 years from your graduation. That is the beauty of capitalism. You don't even have to build a better mousetrap. In a free economy, hard work in the right areas will allow you to get ahead. 4 - Social Security. The problem is that the federal government borrows 40 cents on every dollar they spend. At our current spending, every three years the federal government goes deeper in debt by an amount equal to all the cash money in circulation on the entire planet. In approximately 30 years, the United States will owe an amount equal to all the currency in circulation (both digital transactions and cash). Those spending levels are unsustainable. The US population does not make enough money to provide the revenue that the government needs to cover its current debt. You could tax the wealthiest citizens at 100% of their income, and it would only fund the federal government for one month. So who is going to pay for that retirement plan of yours? 5 - Why is government debt a problem? Well, to cover its debts, the government sells treasury bonds. The more bonds it sells, the higher the value. The higher the value, the higher the interest rates. The higher the interest rates, the less risk employers are able to take while still turning a profit. Less risk means higher unemployment, which means more government spending, etc. Not only that, more deficit spending devalues the currency, which leads to higher levels of inflation. And, as if that weren't enough, when the government creates demand without lowering interest rates, companies respond by raising prices, not by increasing production. In other words, even more inflation. 6 - That cycle is now affecting most of the socialist economies in Europe, and it will be hitting us soon. Socialism artificially lowers the value of essential goods and services, raises interest rates, and creates price hikes that are unsustainable. No socialist economy can function indefinitely - they are all destined to collapse in upon themselves, usually as soon as the apparent value of their treasury bonds outpaces the real value. In other words, they literally run out of other people's money, and leave the economy with out-of-control inflation and high unemployment. Countries in that position are usually relegated to second world status, where the rich live like our middle class, and there is no actual middle class. Well, there is a whole lot more that I could say about this, but hopefully this is enough to give you some things to think about.

Answer 6

Actually, helping the poor and needy was never supposed to be Christian's primary duty. Jesus never said, "Go and help the poor and needy." Rather, He said, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20)

The biggest problem in the world is not poverty, hunger, or homelessness. It is sin. It is a disease that one hundred percent of people suffer from. The only cure is through Jesus Christ. Deal with sin first, and do the rest either concurrently or consecutively.

Answer 7

Nice assumption.

Sometime, go to a few stores a look at the charities for orphans, poor people, and others who need help. A whole lot of them are Christian ran. Also, I don't see many other groups besides Christians going to other countries and risking their lives to touch the people there and give them some help.

Don't use a small fraction of a group of people to judge them all.

Answer 8

Tey spend 1 dollar on the poor and two dollars congratulating each other, thats why.

btw : Eradicating poverty is not about sending heaps of money to the poor countries. Sending food is not the long term answer either. The only real solution is in the form of good education and access to resource that makes the people self supporting........oh and cutting out those that take a cut between my pocket and theirs.

Answer 9

I admit I am lazy and not giving, and extremely selfish, and the Lord knows my heart. You are a 100 percent right that we could all give to a charity, but my dear that Charity's president is buying $500 Gucci loafers, and $1000 Pratesi and Yves Delorme sheets. By the way, if you NEVER heard of those sheets--get used to it. The affluent can afford your hard earned dollar.

If you see the poor give it to them. If you mail or send it good chance it is going to a CEO.

Answer 10

I hear you, but we have to remember that these census' where one claims a religion, doesn't mean that they are. We have those that call themselves Christians by the word only. They have no clue what Christianity is. Just because they say they are doesn't make it so. I think of it as practical atheism.

Also, take into account that many times a person gives, but the distributors are not always honest.