Homeless
The vast bulk of the population lives better than kings of old. Wealth has increased for the general population of Americans during the 1800s without debt and then for the rest of world. From the beginning there were opposing forces working at the same time. Most of the homeless exist because of policies which degenerate the social bonds of society.
Identifying what degenerates the masses or strengthens society is key to effecting positive change.
Homeless
Why are there so many homeless today? Why do we find more poverty and homeless in democratically controlled cities with vast systems of legal charity and social welfare?
Has the New Deal and the policies of FDR and LBJ decreased or increased poverty?
What degenerates the economy has already degenerated the masses.
If we want to solve a problem we need to identify its cause.
Homeless in the past
Israel found themselves homeless when they were kicked out of Egypt and managed to care for the needs of their society through faith, hope, and charity.
Early Christians-Jews were cast out of Rome by Claudius and the next thing we know is that Paul went into the tent making business.
When Jerusalem was destroyed, thousands left while Titus' army surrounded it.
Those people who left were stripped of all their possessions and money by the rebellious Jews who had just seized control of the city and recently had thrown James, the head of the Church at that time, from one of its walls.
Most of those people were probably Christians. They suddenly found themselves destitute and homeless because of their faith. Throughout the ages people have often become homeless through no fault of their own.
Many Americans left their homes in Europe to come to America to start with little or nothing. The lessons they learned about a strong society where private initiative rewarded itself, yet the needy were not forgotten, and sething made this nation strong.
Certainly since the awakening of the Strangers and pilgrims who eventually abandoned a common storehouse and their socialist economy and instituted capitalism was key to their freedom from want.
It was faith, hope and charity that made this nation strong, not socialist government or even democracy.
Hapless
Anyone can fall in hard times through no fault of their own. Even if they are partially or totally to blame for their difficulties, that does not mean they should not be aided or helped in some way. If people will work at solving their problems, they should be helped, aided and given a hand up.
It is our job and our duty to our fellow men to help them become free and independent souls. Many will not hear or do what needs to be done but they are the poor in spirit, the hapless without hope.
The sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was that in a time of affluence they did not strengthen the poor. There are lots of ways to help the poor but there is no better way to strengthen them than to help them help themselves and others equally. Jesus was considered and crucified because some said he was an anti government religious cult because of his stand against the Corban of the Pharisees.
== The Hopeful ==
The truth is Jesus promoted one form of government for His followers. That government He preached followed a righteous way of caring for the people based on mutual love and charity, and not covetousness nor the sword.
Few will see this and when they look at our writings they will think we must be wrong rather than admit they have gone the wrong way, the covetous way of Cain, Nimrod, Balaam and the Nicolaitans, of having one purse, greedy for gain at their neighbor's expense.
The church used to be the entire social welfare of society. Now ministers, their churches and congregations sit and eat with rulers; they apply for benefits from men who exercise authority one over the other rather than find security in love and charity.
Christ clearly said the opposite of what they are doing and with Paul and Peter, King David and Proverbs and the ten commandments agree with this basic of Christianity.
No one wants to hear their faith is a lie.
Helpful
What is real help?
We were told from the beginning not to covet our neighbors' goods yet when Christ was born there was a system of social welfare growing in the Pax Romana that was based on covetousness.
Herod instituted it in Judea with the ritual of baptism. These systems always lead to disaster and bankruptcy while weakening the poor and producing tyrants both big and small.
Where should we get our daily bread?
People have applied to governments who exercise authority one over the other and they often do not feel they are getting the help they think they deserve. They want the government to take from their neighbor and provide more benefits for them. They even work the systems of social welfare for their own benefit.
Other people do not want the help from governments that exercise authority. They find themselves on hard times and try to make it on their own, only to be harassed by the agents of the very government that they thought at one time should have helped them.
The covenants which people have made to function in the world does not allow abuse by their rulers, their government. It is apathy that allows abuse of power.
The Good Samaritan helped a man who was beat up on the side of the road when no one else would.
We have to realize that even the very elect would have been fooled by the cleverness of this system of the World except by the grace of God.
We know the religions of the World wear their eschatologies and doctrines as a badge of righteousness.
Christ preached pure religion that operated by faith, hope and charity and the perfect law of liberty.
And we know there are those who strive to come out of the system of the world and wear their separation as a badge of righteousness but do not follow the service taught by Christ nor do they cast their own bread very far upon the waters of the world.
We, if we are faithful to the words of Christ, still must be concerned with those weightier matters of law, judgment, mercy and faith spoken of by Jesus Christ.
En-samples
I sent out something on a Homeless woman charged after being pulled over and detained unfairly… [1]
Monterey Police Harassment of this Homeless woman was not just and merciful! [2]
She avoids government benefits even though she is entitled to many and tries to make it on her own. But more important in a world of zombies, she is uncovering the living people who seem to care about her rights as much as they care about their own. People who turn that care about the weightier matters into action instead of rhetoric.
They care when they see abuse and are willing to sacrifice their time and energy to defend the weak and downtrodden.
Those are kingdom tracks.
Among these pools of doers, we will find the lost sheep.
The whole system of common law jurors was for the purpose of acquitting people to avoid abuse of the letter of the law and if we will not come to the aid of lost sheep when there is abuse then why would anyone expect God to come to our aid when we are abused?
We are to love our neighbor as ourselves, even if they are homeless.
Join The living Network. Find others who want to learn what it means to care about others as much as themselves.
Other people
There are lots of people that see injustice in the world today and want to do something about it. If you want to link to their efforts, you can add those links below:
Emergency aid
legal advocacy
http://www.bryanhackettlegal.com/
http://www.attorneybusters.com/our-home-page.html
http://www.attorneybusters.com/ReplyBriefCFC.html
Stories and Misc http://friendsofeva.org/