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The corresponding Qur'an verse (because they're all faces of the same coin): "To give charity publicly is good, but to give to the poor privately is better for

The corresponding Qur'an verse (because they're all faces of the same coin): "To give charity publicly is good, but to give to the poor privately is better for you, and will absolve you of your sins. And Allah is All-Aware of what you do." Al-Baqarah 272

jonnycomputer 4y ago
Thanks for this.
protonbob 4y ago
I don't think that the bible says that giving to the poor will absolve you of your sins. So maybe not the same coin.
- swores 4y ago
  Coins usually don't have the exact same thing on each side, just the core value is the same. Which is my being pedantic on the coin side, to point out that pedantry isn't really needed on the metaphorical side.
  - protonbob 4y ago
    Right. I would say that these concepts are similar. But "because they're all faces of the same coin" seems to put forth that the two religions are of the same coin which I disagree with.
- wyldfire 4y ago
  If the reward cited above in Matthew 6 isn't absolution then it is still effectively similar if it's a pleasant afterlife.
  - twodave 4y ago
    It isn’t. A primary tenet of Christianity is to identify with Christ, mainly through suffering. Much the way a workout can be rewarding in and of itself (e.g. the runner’s high), the suffering of sacrifice can be its own reward if given in the correct mindset. What makes this possible for the Christian believer is the faith/knowledge that one’s sins have already _been_ absolved, so Heaven has already effectively been attained. So (now having a mindset of gratitude) the Christian believer is free to be charitable without the need for personal gain, for what more could the believer gain? Or what could he/she lose that would stain the gift already received?
    - Dudeman112 4y ago
      >What makes this possible for the Christian believer is the faith/knowledge that one’s sins have already _been_ absolved, so Heaven has already effectively been attained I have yet to meet a Christian believer IRL who has actual faith that their sins have already been absolved so heaven has already effectively been attained Maybe that's more common in other corners of the world? I haven't met many people who actually act as if they know they'll be saved as opposed to hoping they'll be saved
      - twodave 4y ago
        There are entire books of the New Testament devoted to assurance of salvation. I find this sentiment I described commonplace in my area of the world (Florida, US).
    - tsol 4y ago
      So what is the motivator for people to give charity if there is no reward from God? I would have thought there were some sort of reward for charity in Christianity.
      - krapp 4y ago
        Human beings possess empathy and a desire to help the less fortunate entirely apart from religion or its rewards. From a purely utilitarian standpoint, one could argue that the reward of altruistic behavior within a social hierarchy is the strengthening of social bonds and likelihood of reciprocity, and this behavior has been seen in other primate species besides humans, suggesting it has an evolutionary benefit. Unfortunately, thousands of years of religious indoctrination has led many people to believe that humans are essentially amoral sociopaths without religion. But religion doesn't generate morality, ethics or virtue so much as codify them into a culturally specific framework. That said, Jesus commanded his followers to practice charity often and directly linked doing so with gaining rewards in heaven.
      - protonbob 4y ago
        The reward is being in a state of obedience to Christ and his will which is a reward in and of itself.
- unholythree 4y ago
  I think people down voted this thinking it’s pedantic, but there is a pretty significant distinction theologically between this Quran passage and the biblical description of how sins are forgiven. Although both books do encourage secret charity.
- curiousgal 4y ago
  Well even though it says that, the concept of absolution (at least as far as I know, I am not religious anymore) does not exist in Islam. It's more as in doing good things would cancel out some of your sins, but not omit them completely.

jonnycomputer 4y ago

Thanks for this.

protonbob 4y ago

I don't think that the bible says that giving to the poor will absolve you of your sins. So maybe not the same coin.

swores 4y ago
Coins usually don't have the exact same thing on each side, just the core value is the same. Which is my being pedantic on the coin side, to point out that pedantry isn't really needed on the metaphorical side.
- protonbob 4y ago
  Right. I would say that these concepts are similar. But "because they're all faces of the same coin" seems to put forth that the two religions are of the same coin which I disagree with.
wyldfire 4y ago
If the reward cited above in Matthew 6 isn't absolution then it is still effectively similar if it's a pleasant afterlife.
- twodave 4y ago
  It isn’t. A primary tenet of Christianity is to identify with Christ, mainly through suffering. Much the way a workout can be rewarding in and of itself (e.g. the runner’s high), the suffering of sacrifice can be its own reward if given in the correct mindset. What makes this possible for the Christian believer is the faith/knowledge that one’s sins have already _been_ absolved, so Heaven has already effectively been attained. So (now having a mindset of gratitude) the Christian believer is free to be charitable without the need for personal gain, for what more could the believer gain? Or what could he/she lose that would stain the gift already received?
  - Dudeman112 4y ago
    >What makes this possible for the Christian believer is the faith/knowledge that one’s sins have already _been_ absolved, so Heaven has already effectively been attained I have yet to meet a Christian believer IRL who has actual faith that their sins have already been absolved so heaven has already effectively been attained Maybe that's more common in other corners of the world? I haven't met many people who actually act as if they know they'll be saved as opposed to hoping they'll be saved
    - twodave 4y ago
      There are entire books of the New Testament devoted to assurance of salvation. I find this sentiment I described commonplace in my area of the world (Florida, US).
  - tsol 4y ago
    So what is the motivator for people to give charity if there is no reward from God? I would have thought there were some sort of reward for charity in Christianity.
    - krapp 4y ago
      Human beings possess empathy and a desire to help the less fortunate entirely apart from religion or its rewards. From a purely utilitarian standpoint, one could argue that the reward of altruistic behavior within a social hierarchy is the strengthening of social bonds and likelihood of reciprocity, and this behavior has been seen in other primate species besides humans, suggesting it has an evolutionary benefit. Unfortunately, thousands of years of religious indoctrination has led many people to believe that humans are essentially amoral sociopaths without religion. But religion doesn't generate morality, ethics or virtue so much as codify them into a culturally specific framework. That said, Jesus commanded his followers to practice charity often and directly linked doing so with gaining rewards in heaven.
    - protonbob 4y ago
      The reward is being in a state of obedience to Christ and his will which is a reward in and of itself.
unholythree 4y ago
I think people down voted this thinking it’s pedantic, but there is a pretty significant distinction theologically between this Quran passage and the biblical description of how sins are forgiven. Although both books do encourage secret charity.
curiousgal 4y ago
Well even though it says that, the concept of absolution (at least as far as I know, I am not religious anymore) does not exist in Islam. It's more as in doing good things would cancel out some of your sins, but not omit them completely.