First, thank you for answering my question; I would say that your answers are true and well explained. There is one thing and that is my church or religion would never give welfare handouts to anyone in financial need, I know because I tried once to get some help for a friend who is really in need and he’s been given the cold shoulder. Your doctrine of giving to those in your church who are in need seems great, but shouldn’t the money go to ministries to further God’s kingdom?
One Response to “First, thank you for answering my question; I would say that…”
Gabriel Duarte
2010-09-27 07:34:04
Hi Larry. Thanks for your kind words. Though I tried to allude to it in my last response, I think I didn't explain the Mormon approach to welfare very well. The Mormon welfare program is very different than government welfare, for example, in that it tries to avoid giving out handouts. We feel that handouts humiliate and destroy self respect. That's why, for example, the Perpetual Education Fund I mentioned provides loans, not grants, to students in the developing world. These students are expected to pay back the money they receive once they complete their education and get better jobs, thus allowing them to maintain their self respect and help others benefit from the same program. The same goes for a Mormon that looses his job and needs some financial help. He is typically expected to help out in a church storehouse, thrift store, or farm in exchange for the financial aid so he can maintain his self respect.
Mormon Helping Hands volunteers have been major contributors in relief efforts to help people whose lives have been devastated by natural disasters.
Of course, there are instances where this approach doesn't work. For example, when the church sent aid after the earthquake in Haiti or after the recent floods in Pakistan, the urgent need for help was more important than any other philosophical concern. Nevertheless, whenever possible, it is best that those receiving help be allowed to maintain their dignity.
The LDS Church has spent over one billion dollars in the last 25 years on humanitarian projects, but that amount is small compared to the amount spent on "ministries," as you call them. Of course, from the Mormon perspective, ecclesiastical ministries are a form of humanitarian work, so the lines perhaps get blurred at times. There are over 50,000 volunteer Mormon missionaries, and the Church builds a new chapel somewhere in the world every working day.
The LDS Church has spent over one billion dollars in the last 25 years on humanitarian projects, but that amount is small compared to the amount spent on "ministries," as you call them. Of course, from the Mormon perspective, ecclesiastical ministries are a form of humanitarian work, so the lines perhaps get blurred at times. There are over 50,000 volunteer Mormon missionaries, and the Church builds a new chapel somewhere in the world every working day.