Comparative Religion

Final Essay

Rev. Craig M. Holderbaum

Charity

What you gained from this course.

It is very difficult to say what I gained from this course. That is because I will continue to use the course as an inspiration and resource for many years to come. I have gained not just an awareness of other religions but also an understanding and appreciation of how they are all connected. Just the information in the course material is enough to serve as a basis for preparing my sermons. But, the direction to so many other resources is incredible.

What you liked best in this course.

I would have to say that the links are what I consider the best part of the course. Being directed to other websites and more information really broadens the impact of this course.

What you liked least about this course.

This may sound silly but what I really wish that I had was a printed copy of the entire course. Yes, I can do that but I would be willing to pay for a copy of the course that I could carry with me and read at my leisure without having a computer handy.

How you think these discourses could be improved.

This is the best presentation of an online course that I have ever experienced. I do not believe that I would suggest any change.

Any other comments.

A 500-word paper is not deserving of the work that you have done in preparing this course. So, I decided to use your course as a guide toward investigating my own passion, charity. Following is what your course inspired me to do. The paper has served as the basis for a sermon and is being used by a number of our church members to understand the relatedness of the three major Western religions.

Would you be interested in taking other courses from Rev. Kythera Ann?

Courses, seminars, books. Whatever you have, if it is anywhere near as good as this course, I am interested.

Rev. Craig M. Holderbaum

Charity - A Comparison of the Laws and Practices

'faith and hope are the shield and suit of armor of the Christian soldier. But, charity is the sword.'

Introduction

During the course of this class, we have studied the many similarities and differences of the three major Western religions, Judaism, Islam and Christianity. It is not surprising that because of their common Abrahamic origin the similarities are much more numerous than the differences. The fundamental fiber of these religions, before they are altered because of predominant lifestyles or embellished because of adopted rituals, is essentially the same. They are all monotheistic in that there is one omnipresent, omniscient, all-powerful deity. They all believe that Man must ultimately answer to this deity and the teachings that have been given to Man through its spokespersons. And, they all believe that as each person is a creation, if not extension of this deity, we should all be each others keeper. It is on this last tenet of the three religions that I will focus. Judaism, Islam and Christianity all include laws, practices and exhortations concerning charity. I hope to present accurately both the canonical view of charity as expressed in the sacred teachings of these religions, then observe how these mandates are practiced in the present day. In my summary, I will consider the perseverance or deterioration of the “hard laws� and present my opinion on why the practices have taken the paths that they have.

Definition

Before discussing each of the religions, it is absolutely necessary that I provide a working definition for the word charity. This need is not driven by any personal desire, but by the lack of an equivalent word in the Judaic or Islamic vocabulary. The Oxford English Dictionary Online defines charity as:

1. Christian love: a word representing caritas of the Vulgate, as a frequent rendering of agape in N.T. Greek. With various applications: as:

2. Man’s love of God and his neighbour, commanded as the fulfilling of the Law

3. The Christian love of our fellow men; Christian benignity of disposition God's love to man. (By early writers often identified with the Holy Spirit.)

4. expressing itself in Christ-like conduct: one of the ‘three Christian graces’, fully described by St. Paul, 1 Cor. xiii.

5. Without any special Christian associations: Love, kindness, affection, natural affection: now esp. with some notion of generous or spontaneous goodness.

6. Benevolence to one's neighbours, especially to the poor.

The first definition explains why, when searching through the King James Version of the Bible, you will not find the word charity even once in the Old Testament. During the writing of the New Testament, Christian writers used the Greek word agape, or familial love, to express charity. In early translations of the New Testament, agape was sometimes written as the Latin dilectio (to esteem highly, love) and at other times written as caritas (dearness, love founded on esteem). Agape was never translated as amor (passionate love). In the later translations, dilectio and caritas lost much of their distinction and charity is used only when it contextually fit within definition 1c above. Throughout my presentation, I will be using the word charity as presented in the second and third definitions.

In Paul's first epistle to the Corinthians (13:13) he says "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." Of these three pillars of the Christian faith, only charity requires giving of oneself. Certainly, Faith and Hope are the shield and suit of armor of the Christian soldier. But, Charity is the sword. Charity compels itself. The feeling of charity causes charitable deeds. Because of this, charity is not just that wonderful feeling of love and caring that is shared between a man and God and his fellow men. It is also the activities that are motivated, the giving, helping and sharing, by the feeling.

I was once in a department store when I saw a necklace, not an expensive one, that I was sure that my daughter would like. On a whim, I bought it for her and gave it to her when she came home from school later that day. I was right; the smile on her face said everything. I was happy that I was able to bring a little joy into her life by a simple, spontaneous, thoughtful gesture. She wore the necklace twenty-four hours a day for almost a week. Then she came to me and asked if it would hurt my feelings if she gave the necklace to a friend as a present. She explained that she did not have enough money to get what she wanted to because of the 'meager' allowance that she received. And, she felt that the necklace was the perfect present for her friend. I must confess that I almost cried. But it was not because my feelings were hurt; it was because I knew just how much the necklace meant to her and what she must be feeling to be able to give it away. I explained to her that, in the first place, I did not buy her the necklace expecting to get anything other than to see her enjoy it.

When I gave it to her, I no longer owned it. Secondly, I told her of just how proud I was of her that she should care that much about her friend. I explained that when I gave her the necklace, it had made two people happy. If she felt good about giving it to her friend, then the necklace had just brought happiness six times. She thought about that for a second and said "I understand the two of us being happy when you gave it to me. And I understand that will happen again when I give it to my friend. But that's just four times. Where did five come from."� I told her that number five was me knowing that I had a little something to do with her friend and number six was knowing that she had the kind of love that would let her give up the necklace. The reason that I mention this incident is because it shows the three basic characteristics of charity,

First, charity must be a willing, almost spontaneous, gesture, one that is not coerced. Secondly, charity should be anonymous. That is, it is not important that the giver know the recipient. Nor is it important that the recipient know the benefactor. All that is important is that something good was done. Lastly, charity does not place expectations on the use of the gift. It allows, even promotes, the independence of the recipient. One or all of these characteristics must be present in any charitable act. As I discuss each of the religion's view of charity, these three characteristics will expose themselves again and again.

Tzedaka - Charity in Judaism

As mentioned earlier, there is no occurrence of the word charity in the modern translations of the Old Testament. That is because charity has a Latin root derived from the Greek word agape. In the Talmud, the sacred law of Judaism, you will find the word tzedaka or tzedakah. This word, though it represents charity translates more meaningfully as righteousness, justice or fairness. A comparison of verses from the same books of the Torah and the Old Testament reveal this. In Mishlei 21:3 we read Doing tzedaka and justice is preferable to HaShem (God) than a sacrifice.' The equivalent text in Proverbs reads 'To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.' In this example, tzedaka is replaced with judgment. The judgment referred to here is wise decision making or fairness. Another example can be found in Yeshaya 1:27 which says 'Zion will be redeemed through justice, and those who return to her through tzedaka.' Looking at the King James version in Isaiah the text reads 'Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness. Here tzedaka is replaced with righteousness. This last translation probably more accurately carries the meaning of tzedaka in Judaism. Righteousness, in Judaic writings, implies the responsibility to 'do right' by your fellow man. In modern Christianity, righteousness is more often used to describe an act the is right in the eyes of God. This simple difference sets the tone for Judaic charity.

Tzedaka encompasses all facets of a persons life. Of the 613 commandments in the Talmud, the vast majority of them concern tzedaka, man's righteous interaction with his fellow man. It ranges from the very structured practice of tithing to the business ethics of loaning and on to the personal behavior of how to treat a bondservant. So important is tzedaka that it is one of only three ways to obtain forgiveness for sins, the other two being repentance and prayer. The great medieval Jewish scholar Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, also known as Maimonides and Rambam, categorized and listed the many acts of tzedaka under the following headings listed from the least desirable to the most meritorious. The categories are:

1. Giving begrudgingly

2. Giving less that you should, but giving it cheerfully.

3. Giving after being asked

4. Giving before being asked

5. Giving when you do not know the recipient's identity, but the recipient knows your identity

6. Giving when you know the recipient's identity, but the recipient doesn't know your identity

7. Giving when neither party knows the other's identity

8. Enabling the recipient to become self-reliant

Reviewing these categories, we clearly see the role of the three characteristics of charity emerge. Following is the same list of categories with characteristic designators attached; (W) for willingness and spontaneity, (A) for anonymity, and (I) for independence. A backslash (/) in front of a characteristic stands for a reduced amount of that characteristic. And a double-backslash indicates an absence of that characteristic.

1. Giving begrudgingly (//W)

2. Giving less that you should, but giving it cheerfully. (W, /I)

3. Giving after being asked (/W, /A)

4. Giving before being asked (W)

5. Giving when you do not know the recipient's identity, but the recipient knows your identity (W, /A)

6. Giving when you know the recipient's identity, but the recipient doesn't know your identity (W, /A)

7. Giving when neither party knows the other's identity (W, A)

8. Enabling the recipient to become self-reliant (I)

If you mention tzedaka in a conversation with a Jew, the first thing that will come to their mind is the collection and dispensation of tithes. This is understandable since it represents the greatest reservoir of money and assistance available for social programs. Equally understandable is how this manifestation of tzedaka established itself as the main source of charity. Recognizing that for much of its history, the Judaic people were one without a country, the church served as the government. Evidence of this is the existence of judges within the Rabbinical ranks. This duty is normally relegated to the political structure. And, as Jews in many countries lived as second class citizens, they had limited, if any, access to governmentally administered social services. It is only natural that the church should assume and maintain the role of providing these services.

An interesting facet of tzedaka is that it not only provides guidelines for the benefactors, it has guidelines for the recipients. Foremost among these is that any person must do there best to stay out of a situation where they require tzedaka. Specifically, a person should take any job that he can get to avoid becoming a public charge, even if he believes that it is below his dignity. However, if a person is truly needy and has no source of income, then it is a transgression to refuse it, particularly when it may affect the person's health or life. Causing oneself to suffer by refusing tzedaka is tantamount to shedding one's own blood. If a person comes to you who you know has limited means, you can show tzedaka by selling him something at a reduced price, perhaps even at less than your cost. This form of tzedaka is charitable in two ways. Besides the obvious financial benefit given to the person in need, you have also shown charity toward his dignity.

With an understanding of how pervasive tzedaka is in the life of a Judaic believer, how it manifests itself in forms from a simple smile to monetary gifts, it is obvious that charity is indeed a cornerstone of this religion. 'Jewish charity does not belong in the list of oxymorons with “military intelligence' and 'jumbo shrimp.' Jewish charity is synonymous with leading a good Judaic life every minute of every day.

Zakat and Sadaqah - Islamic Charity

That there is a striking similarity between charity as it is practiced under Judaism and how it is administered under Islam is not surprising when one considers their common roots in Abrahamic law. However, there is a strictness in the rules governing charity under Islam that far exceed the guidelines under Judaism. This may be, in part, because of the relationship between religious and political leaders in Islamic countries, and the fact that Muslims had countries at all. Even in present day Iran, there is debate as to the amount of power that the Mullahs, the cleric leaders, have over the civil leaders. As more liberal thinking Mullahs and non-Mullahs move into positions of political power, the traditional influence of the church in the day-to-day lives of Muslims is being questioned. Along with the revisiting of the validity of the clerics’ power is a questioning of how traditional religious practices fit into the lives of a people striving to catch up to the rest of the world in other sectors.

The obligatory giving of a calculated amount to the church is called Zakat. So important is this duty that it is the third pillar of Islam. Unlike tzedaka which can gain you forgiveness and consequently entry to Heaven, not participating in zakat can get you banished from Heaven. Facing that kind of punishment, few, if any, Muslims do not participate. Zakat is no less than an income tax for the church with forms available on various websites. Zakat is calculated by each individual on the wealth accumulated for the year less a deductible amount for each dependent. Essentially, it amounts to roughly 2.5% of one's capital.

The principle behind zakat is a simple one. Muslims believe that all things belong to Allah and that man was placed here as a caretaker or trustee of this property. Zakat means both 'purification' and 'growth.' Setting aside a portion of one’s wealth is supposed to purify the rest. It also is supposed the purify the caretaker's heart from selfishness and greed. For the recipient, zakat is supposed to purify his heart from envy and jealousy and foster a warm feeling for the contributors. This redistribution of wealth is meant to free society from class warfare, from ill feelings and distrust and from corruption' (Khan, 2000). Paying taxes to a government does not reduce or eliminate a person's need to pay zakat. This last point has created some concern among Muslims in Western countries. As an example, Sweden's income tax typically is in the 50% range. In return, Swedes pay nothing for education or hospitalization, and even housing is heavily subsidized. With all of these social services provided by the government, it is no wonder that Muslims there wonder to what use their zakat is being put.

Much closer to what we consider charity is the practice of sadaqah. In most of the writings that I reviewed, sadaqah is referred to as an extension of zakat. That is, sadaqah is a monetary donation above that required by zakat. However, there is a wonderful explanation of sadaqah in the Sunnah, a companion book to the Qur’an that is a compendium of discussions between Mohammed and his Companions (disciples). When questioned about sadaqah:

“The Prophet (pbuh) said: 'Charity is a necessary obligation for every Muslim.' When asked, 'What if a person has nothing?' The Prophet replied: 'He should work with his own hands for his benefit and then give something out of such earnings in charity.' The Companions then asked: 'What if he is not able to work?' The Prophet said: 'He should help poor and needy persons.' The Companions further asked: 'What if he cannot do even that?' The Prophet said: 'He should urge others to do good.' The Companions then asked: 'What if he lacks that also?' The Prophet said: 'He should check himself from doing evil. That is also charity.' (Khan, 2000)

This explanation is much closer to the definition of charity of which we are familiar. In the first place, it is voluntary, not obligatory. Secondly, the emphasis on money diminishes proportionately with the resources of the giver. And finally, it more directly addresses active participation between individuals.

Christian Charity

Although tithing was promoted in the early Christian as a form of charity, this practice has slowly disappeared. Indeed, the Eastern Orthodox Church, when it split from the Catholic Church, dropped tithing altogether. In exhorting its followers to lead more Christ-like lives, the Christian religion has as an example the greatest act of charity as a guide. What greater act of charity is there than that done by God upon allowing his Son to come to Earth, suffer at the hands of Man, and then absorb and absolve the sins of his tormentors?

Paul the Apostle spoke endlessly and repeatedly of the importance of charity. In his first letter to the Corinthians, probably the most moving passages describing the importance and power of charity, he says:

'Though I speak with the tongues of men and of the angels, and have not charity, I am as a sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,'Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.'

There is nothing that I can add to this passage except to stress the importance at the time of being able to speak in tongues, or prophesy or to be a bearer of knowledge. Having even one of these facilities identified you as a chosen individual that had been touched by the Holy Spirit. But Paul puts all of these behind being a charitable and merciful person. St. Augustine, the great proponent of Christianity in the Roman era summarized charity when he said Charity is a virtue which, when our affections are perfectly ordered, unites us to God, for by it we love Hi And St. Thomas described charity as “the foundation or root of all Christian virtues.

Christian charity manifests itself in many ways. The number of benevolent organizations supported by Christian charity is innumerable. The participation of the Seventh Day Adventists in disaster relief is well documented. The missionary work of the Jehovah Witnesses and the Latter Day Saints are very important acts of charity. The trademark of Christian charity is not the giving of money as much as it is in the giving of self. This belief makes it very simple and inexcusable to be a charitable person, to follow in the path of Christ. When one only need give an ear and a heart to a friend who is going through troubling times or spend some time reading for a bed-ridden neighbor, charity comes easily. This is not to diminish the virtue of charity. Indeed, it enhances it. Charity is, after all, the embracing of another in God's love with whatever we have to give, even if it is just our time.

Summary

In this day and age when there seems to be so much strife in the world, when neighbors are killing each other in the name of religion, when children are shooting each other over words said, and when man's greatest concerns seem to all be material, it is hard to believe that charity has any room in our lives. But, it does live on and it thrives in the hearts of many people in many religions. Brotherly love, caring for each other, wanting to help strangers still happens. Neither the alienation brought on by a population jammed together in over-crowded towns trying to preserve its privacy nor the fixation with personal appearance perpetrated by cosmetics and diet advertisers seems to be able to squelch the acts of charity that happen everyday. Perhaps, it can be explained in Darwinian terms of the almost biological urge for specie survival. Or maybe it is what Des Carte referred to as a 'fundamental aspect.' Or maybe, and this is what I believe, we can look in the text that is at the root of the three modern religions and find and answer. Maybe we truly are “created in His image and charity is His love shining through us.

Bibliography

Oxford English Dictionary Online

http://www.apollolibrary.com:2086/cgi/entry/00036949?query_type=word&queryword=charity&sort_type=alpha&edition=2e&first=1&max_to_show=10&search_id=J6zr-Oz1apb-29

Eliezer C. Abramson. Tzedaka - The Mitzvah of Charity. [Online]. Available: http://hometown.aol.com/LazerA/tzedaka.htm

Tracey R Rich. Tzedakah: Charity. [Online]. Available: http://www.jewfaq.org

Akhtar Khan. Zakat, Sadaqah and Zakat-ul-Fitr. [Online]. Available: http://users.erols.com/mccmd/zakat1.htm

S.Abul A'la Al-Maududi, The Meaning of the Qur'an, vol. VIII p4-10.

Sayyid Qutb, In the Shade of the Qur'an, part 18 p2451-2455

The Bible Gateway. [Online]. Available: http//bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/bible

Encyclopedia Britannica. [Online]. Available: http://www.britannica.com/seo/c/charity

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