It is easy to see most beggars as scam artists, especially when we all have stories like those being shared on this thread. It is hard to see them as children of God, even if they are scammers.
I want to make it clear I am not trying to lay a guilt trip on anyone. The decision to give to a beggar has to be made by each and every person and neither I nor anyone else can tell you what you should do.
However. For all of the scam stories that you have, have you never heard of a sincere begger, someone who needs help? Have you ever thought that those people who intend to use your gift to by cigarettes or booze may just need one kind person to start them on the road to change?
We all (and I include myself here) have reasons not to give to people on the street. When I find those reasons, I have to remind myself of a character in a story who was walking along a road when he came on a man who had been beaten by robbers and left to die. Several people, all of whom had good reasons not to stop to help, kept on walking and avoided the injured man. It took a foreigner, an outsider, to stop and render aid and save the injured man’s life. The story of his compassion will remain with us forever.
I think we sometimes need to channel the Samaritan man when we meet those children of God who have, for whatever reason, fallen on hard times. We need to be true neighbors.
Peace
Tim
) - actually when she first approached me I thought she was homeless. I chatted with her while I was waiting for the bus, and there was a man panhandling on the corner. She said that she wouldn’t give him any money - she said that she had gone over to see if he needed help getting to a shelter or soup kitchen and he refused. She said that there’s no helping people like that. I don’t know, but if a former homeless person won’t give money to panhandlers… well, it makes you think anyways. 
