213 lines
10 KiB
Plaintext
213 lines
10 KiB
Plaintext
DONATIONS
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World Scripture
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DONATIONS
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For those who do not pursue a religious vocation, the offering is most often a
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donation of money and material possessions to honor God and support the
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community of the faithful. The liberal donor puts the wealth and honor of God
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and God's representatives ahead of his own needs; through his donation he
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offers what he holds most dear. As a standard for the faithful giver, the Bible
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recommends a tithe, or ten percent of one's earnings. Through such gifts the
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believer is promised a place in heaven.
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Contributions to the faith are not always distinguished from Charity, pp.
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987-92, to the less fortunate. In the Qur'an, the duty to give alms covers both
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meanings interchangeably, though Islam sometimes distinguishes zakat, the
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obligatory tithing to the religious authorities, from sadaqa, meaning
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alms-giving to the less fortunate above the legal requirement. In Islamic and
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Christian societies, mosques and churches typically devote most of the funds
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contributed for the faith to charitable purposes: to feed, clothe, and tend to
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the needs of the poor, infirm, widows, orphans, and homeless.
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On the other hand, religious offerings differ from charity given directly to
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the poor in that they are meant to show devotion to God or to those who
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represent Truth in the highest degree. Thus, some of the passages in the latter
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part of this section address the questions of how and to whom donations should
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be given. For an offering to have the highest spiritual merit, both the donor
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and the recipient should be worthy. The donor should give with a pure mind and
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without expecting any reward or benefit from his gift. As to the recipient, he
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should be worthy: in Buddhist terms he should be a suitable "field of merit"
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where the donations that are sown may bear abundant fruit.
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Every sacrifice is a boat to heaven.
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1.Hinduism. Satapatha Brahmana 4.2.5.10
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He who gives liberally goes straight to the gods;
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on the high ridge of heaven he stands exalted.
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2.Hinduism. Rig Veda 1.125.5
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You will not attain piety until you expend of what you love; and whatever thing
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you expend, God knows of it.
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3.Islam. Qur'an 3.92
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All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of
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the trees, is the Lord's; it is holy to the Lord.
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4.Judaism and Christianity. Leviticus 27.30
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As water surely will wash away blood, so the giving of food to homeless or
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virtuous saints will certainly destroy the sins incidental to a householder's
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life.
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5.Jainism. Samantabadhra, Ratnakarandasravakacara 114
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Verily, misers go not to the celestial realms. Fools do not indeed praise
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liberality. The wise man rejoices in giving and thereby becomes happy
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thereafter.
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6.Buddhism. Dhammapada 177
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We should resolve to offer not only one tenth but three tenths of our earnings
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for the building of the Kingdom of God. One tenth is for your country, one
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tenth is for the people of the world, and one tenth is for the Kingdom of
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Heaven.
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7.Unification Church. Sun Myung Moon, 4-15-61
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And [Jesus] sat down opposite the treasury [of the Temple], and watched the
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multitude putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums.
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And a poor widow came, and put in two copper coins, which make a penny. And he
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called his disciples to him and said to them, "Truly, I say to you, this poor
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widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For
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they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put
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in everything she had, her whole living."
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8.Christianity. Bible, Mark 12.41-44
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The word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, "Is it a time for you
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yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this temple lies in ruins?
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Now therefore thus says the Lord of Hosts: 'Consider how you have fared. You
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have sown much, and harvested little; you eat, but you never have enough; you
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drink, but you never have your fill; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm;
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and he who earns wages earns wages to put them in a bag with holes.... Go up to
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the hills, and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it
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and that I may appear in my glory', says the Lord."
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9.Judaism and Christianity. Haggai 1.3-8
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Weeds are the bane of fields, lust is the bane of mankind. Hence what is given
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to those without lust yields abundant fruit.
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Weeds are the bane of fields, hatred is the bane of mankind. Hence what is
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given to those rid of hatred yields abundant fruit.
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Weeds are the bane of fields, delusion is the bane of mankind. Hence what is
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given to those rid of delusion yields abundant fruit.
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Weeds are the bane of fields, craving is the bane of mankind. Hence what is
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given to those rid of craving yields abundant fruit.
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10.Buddhism. Dhammapada 356-59
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The likeness of those who spend their wealth in God's way is as the likeness of
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a grain which grows seven ears, in every ear a hundred grains. God gives
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increase manifold to whom He will. God is All-embracing, All- knowing.
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Those who spend their wealth for the cause of God and afterward make not
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reproach and injury to follow that which they have spent; their reward is with
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their Lord, and there shall no fear come upon them, neither shall they grieve.
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11.Islam. Qur'an 2.261-62
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When you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is
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doing, so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret
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will reward you.
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12.Christianity. Matthew 6.3-4
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O you who believe, spend of the good things which you have earned, and of that
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which We bring forth from the earth for you, and seek not the bad with intent
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to spend it in charity when you would not take it for yourselves save with
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disdain; and know that God is Absolute Owner of Praise...
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Whatever alms you spend, or vow you vow, lo! God knows it. Wrongdoers have no
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helpers.
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If you publish your almsgiving, it is well, but if you hide it and give it to
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the poor, it will be better for you, and will atone for some of your ill-deeds.
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God is Informed of what you do....
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And whatever good thing you spend, it is for yourselves, when you spend it not
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save in search of God's countenance; and whatever good thing you spend, it will
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be repaid to you in full, and you will not be wronged.
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[Alms are] for the poor who are straitened for the cause of God, who cannot
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travel in the land [for trade]. The unthinking man accounts them wealthy
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because of their restraint. You shall know them by their mark: They do not beg
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of men with importunity. And whatever good thing you spend, lo! God knows it.
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Those who spend their wealth by night and day, by stealth and openly, verily
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their reward is with their Lord, and there shall no fear come upon them,
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neither shall they grieve.
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13.Islam. Qur'an 2.267-74
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A gift is a gift of integrity
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when it is given at the right place and time to the proper person,
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To one who cannot be expected to return the gift--
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and given merely because it should be given.
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But what is given to get a gift in return,
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or for the sake of some result,
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Or unwillingly,
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That is a gift in the sphere of passion.
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A gift is called slothful when it is given
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not at the right time and place,
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Nor to a worthy person,
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nor with proper ceremony, but with contempt.
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14.Hinduism. Bhagavad Gita 17.20-22
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He who receives a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a prophet's
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reward, and he who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will
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receive a righteous man's reward. And whoever gives to one of these little ones
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even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he
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shall not lose his reward.
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15.Christianity. Matthew 10.41-42
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Those who build shrines of stone,
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Of sandalwood or aloes,
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Of brick and tiles, or clay;
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Or those who, in the wilds,
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Built Buddha-shrines of earth;
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Even children who, in play,
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Gathered sand for a Buddha's stupa;
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Such men and beings as these
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Have all attained to Buddhahood.
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16.Buddhism. Lotus Sutra 2
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Just as much seed sown in a sterile field will not yield abundant fruit nor
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please the husbandman, even so, bountiful giving bestowed upon the wicked does
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not yield abundant fruit, nor delight the donor. And just as when scanty seed
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is sown in good ground the harvest gladdens the farmer when there is plenty of
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rain, even so when paid to the righteous, the virtuous, a deed, though it be
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slight, becomes merit fraught with great return.
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17.Buddhism. Petavatthu ii.69-71
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Qur'an 3.92: Cf. Qur'an 108.1-2, p. 866; 47.38, p. 937. Leviticus 27.30: The
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custom of giving a tithe, or ten percent of one's income, is derived from this
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verse. Mark 12.41-44: Cf. 2 Corinthians 9.6-11, p. 836. Haggai 1.3-8: This was
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the attitude of the Pilgrims, who when they arrived in America, first built the
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church and school before providing for their own homes. Dhammapada 356-59: The
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notion that the saints are a field of merit is behind the metaphor in these
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verses. Cf. Digha Nikaya ii.88, p. 372. Qur'an 2.267-74: These and Qur'an
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2.261-62 (above) are verses selected from a long discussion of donations
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(zakat). Verse 273 condemns indiscriminate acts of charity, and defines the
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proper beneficiaries as those doing volunteer service, religious teaching and
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ministry, those in exile, and those persecuted for their faith. Lotus Sutra 2:
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Cf. Hadith of Ibn Majah, p. 1015. Petavatthu ii.69-71: Many of the stories in
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this book deal with the spirits of the departed, "hungry ghosts" who fail to
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find satisfaction from the food offerings made by their kinfolk. They return to
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their kin and explain to them that they would be far more satisfied were they
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to make offerings to the Sangha in their name. Cf. Khuddaka Patha, Tirokudda
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Sutta, p. 374.
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