Last year Warren Buffett made headlines when he changed his will to distribute his wealth through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Buffett cited different reasons for this decision, among them that the Gates Foundation already had the infrastructure in place to “productively” distribute the funds in a manner that was in accord with his wish.
In the same manner, by giving through a reputable charity, you’re letting those who have the means and facilities to distribute in a fair manner, do so efficiently and productively.
Sure, you can go down the street passing out money, but it’s not the most efficient way of distributing the wealth. It forces you into a position of judgment to deem someone as impoverished or needy; plus you have to account for human dignity, which is diminished on the side of the receiver.
On top of it all, it’s very easy to let personal pride step in and distort the nature of your good work.
For these reasons, we encourage our congregation to be generous in their giving through the programs we have in place. All reputable charities maintain databases and have accounting systems that ensure money is distributed in a productive manner.
Caring for those who cannot otherwise take care of themselves is the cornerstone of all good religion. In fact, how a religion addresses the problems of poverty and alleviating human suffering should serve as a measure to the holiness of that faith.
As Saint John writes in his letter, “for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.” (1John 4:20 New Revised Standard Version). And tangible manifestations of that love are most prominently expressed in our giving.
FATHER VAZKEN MOVSESIAN
Armenian Church Youth Ministries
In His Shoes Mission
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