Which is more important: giving material help or prayers

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Masada

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I came across this verse:

A Parody

I was hungry, and you formed a humaninatarian group to discuss
my hunger.
I was (name removed by moderator)risoned, and you crept off to your chapel and prayed for
my release.
I was naked, and in your mind you debated the morality of my
appearance.
I was sick,and you knelt and thanked God for your health.
I was homeless, and you preached to me of the spiritual shelter
of the love of God.
I was lonely, and you left me alone to pray for me.
You seem so holy, so close to God. But I am still very hungry — and lonely — and cold…

Questions:
Isn’t this an indictment of the Traditional Christian religion of piety and orthodoxy?
Is it more important to give material help than pray?
 
No, it’s not an indictment of Christianity. It is an indictment of those individual Christians who adopt an “either/or” instead of a “both” attitude and choose one while neglecting the other.

It’s also an indictment of those who think government programs should replace individual charity and, in my opinion, even those who give large sums of money to charity but avoid any personal contact with the needy.

Although “we” can do what “I” cannot do alone, it fits, albeit to a lesser degree, those who have to have a committee for everything rather than just doing some things on their own.

My :twocents:.
 
I also came across an argument like this one:
If we apply straight charity to the ‘needy and the poor’, are we not promoting dependency and poverty instead of teaching them ‘how to fish’?
 
Masada said:
I also came across an argument like this one:
If we apply straight charity to the ‘needy and the poor’, are we not promoting dependency and poverty instead of teaching them ‘how to fish’?
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Again, you’re stating an either/or premise when it should be both and severely restricting the definition of charity. For instance, I take a down-and-outer fishing and give him a sandwich to tide him over until he catches something. Both acts are charitable. Doing either one does not preclude also doing the other.

H. L. Hunt, when criticized for his refusal to make charitable donations from his millions, said something to the effect that the greatest charitable work he could do was to invest his money and provide meaningful employment to thousands of people.
 
We are called to do both and circumstances can determine which is most important.

Also, a corporal work of charity is a prayer.
 
Back in the 60’s my wife and I had friends who were very active with the corporal works of mercy. At that time there was a spirit lurking about that held that such acts of Charity were a form of prayer. Our friends neglected their prayer lives and within two to three years burnt out, went astray, and left the Church. They did not leave to join another church but became totally separated from any religion.

My Mom on the farm taught us to depend on God for every thing, but to hoe like the dickens anyway, like it depended on us. It is a false choice to neglect either one. We do what we can with both forms of care for others.

That being said there are those among our own elected government who seem to be very Christian, who pray, who spend lots of time jawing, but can’t seem to get off the dime when it comes to actually doing something to help.
 
If one is truly caring, that person does both within his or her ability. But don’t forget the widow’s mite and her reward. I hope this makes each of us think. Including myself…
Deacon Ed B
 
Material help is pointless without prayer.

Prayer is meaningless without action.

Can’t separate the two.

I’m not sure what the point of author is, but it seems disparaging of those who faith.

After all, where is the version that says,
  • I was hungry for God, and you gave me only bread.
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I was imprisioned in sin and spiritual wounds, and you denied me the comfort and aid of your *prayers
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*I was naked and in shame before God, and you gave me only rags, not the clothing of God’s Grace
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I was sick, and you denied me the comfort of knowing God has a plan for my suffering
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I was homeless without a Church community, and you didn’t invite me into your parish
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I was lonely, and you didn’t introduce me to the one Person who will always be with me.
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You cared for my physical body that would perish and neglected my eternal soul that lives forever. *
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See? It’s a false dicotomy. It’s not either/or, it’s both–but doing it the right way–meeting physical needs, so we can meet spiritual needs.

Mother Teresa would not felt indicted by the poem you found. I think she would have shook her head.
 
The old Jesuit dictum: “Work as though everything depends on you. Pray as though everything depends on God.”

Matthew
 
Masada said:
If we apply straight charity to the ‘needy and the poor’, are we not promoting dependency and poverty instead of teaching them ‘how to fish’?
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Some people are so messed up that no amount of fish lessons would help them. So just give and be thankful that you are not in their situation, yet. 🙂
 
leonie said:
Material help is pointless without prayer.
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And prayers are pointless either way. In reality prayers only work to raise morale. And morale is pointless for people in dire need of help.
 
AgnosTheist said:
And prayers are pointless either way. In reality prayers only work to raise morale. And morale is pointless for people in dire need of help.
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Do you have any evidence for your assertion or is this just your speculation?
 
stinkcat_14 said:
Do you have any evidence for your assertion or is this just your speculation?
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Based on the fact that prayers dont do wonders. The odds are even between people who pray and people who dont. Equal chances between people who pray 5x a day and people who pray 5x a month.
 
AgnosTheist said:
Based on the fact that prayers dont do wonders. The odds are even between people who pray and people who dont. Equal chances between people who pray 5x a day and people who pray 5x a month.
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Any evidence for this so called “fact”? Can you provide us a link to a refereed study that proves your allegation?
 
stinkcat_14 said:
Any evidence for this so called “fact”? Can you provide us a link to a refereed study that proves your allegation?
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Oh this fact is all based on the absence of objective evidences on the allegation that prayers work wonders.

Odds and chances work equally for everybody.

And logically, God will not alter his divine plan for a single individual who prays.

And so no matter at what angle you look at it…(physically, spiritually, logically) the actual deed has more value than prayers. afterall jesus’ parable of the good samaritan was about the guy who actually stopped and did something. no prayers involved.
 
stinkcat_14 said:
Here is one objective study on the effectiveness of prayer.

godandscience.org/apologetics/smj1.html
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Like I said, Prayers are good only for raising morale. That means less stress. Less stress means higher chances of getting well from an illness.

Prayers has its uses.

But for the robbery-victim in Jesus’ parable, what is needed there is action, not prayers. Likewise in a million other circumstances. Like hunger. No amount of prayer will drop a food on the child’s plate.

And next time, please use an unbiased source. Thank you. 🙂
 
Don’t worry where or what your prayers will do for you in this life. Worry where they will lead you in the next life.
Deacon Ed B
 
I agree with the other posters: false dichotomy. The correct answer is “both are important.”

I will, however, leave you with this provocative tidbit:

St. Therese of Lisieux (sometimes called the “Little Flower”) is the patroness of world missions.

She died at the age of 24, having never left her convent.

That is the power of efficacious prayer. :signofcross:
 
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