Note: this is me being all religious-y. This is why I help homeless people. This is why I don't try to evaluate if they really need the help, I just do it. I'll let God worry about whether or not the person is trying to take advantage of me. Did you know that 20-25% of homeless people suffer from mental illnesses, whereas the percentage of occurance in the rest of the population is 6?
Why am I telling you this? Because I had a debate with a few people about the merits of giving generously, freely and cheerfully. According to the Bible, "Each man (person) should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly, or under compulsion.” In my experience, a lot of people don't think the homeless deserve to be helped. I feel that is an ignorant approach to a very real problem.
Which leads me to something else that I read which inspired this post:
“Christians love one another. They never fail to help widows; they save orphans from those who would hurt them. If a man has something, he gives freely to the man who has nothing. If they see a stranger, Christians take him home and are happy, as though he were a real brother. They don't consider themselves brothers in the usual sense, but brothers instead through the Spirit of God. And if they hear that one of them is in jail, or persecuted for professing the name of their redeemer, they all give him what he needs. If it is possible, they bail him out. If one of them is poor and there isn't enough food to go around, they fast several days to give him the food he needs. This is really a new kind of person. There is something divine in them." From a report given by a pagan official, Aristides, to the Emperor Hadrian (117-138 AD), who was seeking justification to outlaw Christianity
