4 ms·
This is even older than Jesus. I also am not religious, but there is a hebrew tradition of Tzedakah mentioned by another poster below, but here are the levels
by sbf501 4y ago
This is even older than Jesus.
I also am not religious, but there is a hebrew tradition of Tzedakah mentioned by another poster below, but here are the levels instead of a link.,
Maimonides defines eight levels in giving charity (tzedakah), each one higher than the preceding one.
On an ascending level, they are as follows:
8. When donations are given grudgingly.
7. When one gives less than he should, but does so cheerfully.
6. When one gives directly to the poor upon being asked.
5. When one gives directly to the poor without being asked.
4. Donations when the recipient is aware of the donor's identity, but the donor still doesn't know the specific identity of the recipient.
3. Donations when the donor is aware to whom the charity is being given, but the recipient is unaware of the source.
2. Giving assistance in such a way that the giver and recipient are unknown to each other. Communal funds, administered by responsible people are also in this category.
1. The highest form of charity is to help sustain a person before they become impoverished by offering a substantial gift in a dignified manner, or by extending a suitable loan, or by helping them find employment or establish themselves in business so as to make it unnecessary for them to become dependent on others.
- kleer001 4y agoYea, I wonder what it would be like to live in a culture, in a civilization, without usury. I think it'd be pretty nice. Also, isn't most important stuff older than Jesus? Like, he's a bit of a best-of compilation, right? Not to denigrate the story, I'm a big fan.
- googlryas 4y agoIt's out there - look up "Islamic finance" (or Islamic banking)
- kleer001 4y agoOh yeah, I know about that. There's a lot of other baggage with that one particular culture. I forgot to stipulate a lot of other things besides just lack of usury that I would like to have in a culture. It might just be that lack of usury leads to economic stagnation.
- kelnos 4y ago#1 surprised me, in a good way. Propping someone up before they're in dire straits is a great thing to do for someone. Identifying the need might be a little harder, but digging someone out of a shallow hole is easier and less costly than digging them out of a deep hole, and I bet that person will have a much better time not having to be in that deeper hole in the first place. This reminded me how some municipalities with homelessness issues will often spend homeless-related funds toward subsidizing living expenses for people who are not homeless, but are living on the edge and would end up losing their homes if not for some extra help. It's much easier and better (and cost-effective!) to help keep someone in a home, than it is to wait until they are on the streets before helping them.