The alms are only for the poor and the needy, and those who collect them, and those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and to free the captives and the debtors, and for the cause of Allah, and (for) the wayfarer; a duty imposed by Allah. Allah is Knower, Wise. Koran 9:60
Charity is the power of defending that which we know to be indefensible. Hope is the power of being cheerful in circumstances which we know to be desperate. It is true that there is a state of hope which belongs to bright prospects and the morning; but that is not the virtue of hope. The virtue of hope exists only in earthquake and eclipse. It is true that there is a thing crudely called charity, which means charity to the deserving poor; but charity to the deserving is not charity at all, but justice. It is the undeserving who require it, and the ideal either does not exist at all, or exists wholly for them. For practical purposes it is at the hopeless moment that we require the hopeful man, and the virtue either does not exist at all, or begins to exist at that moment. Exactly at the instant when hope ceases to be reasonable it begins to be useful. G K Chesterton, Heretics
Charity degrades those who receive it and hardens those who dispense it. George Sand
The rich world likes and wishes to believe that someone, somewhere, is doing something for the Third World. For this reason, it does not inquire too closely into the motives or practices of anyone who fulfills, however vicariously, this mandate. Christopher Hitchens, The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice
Charity creates a multitude of sins. Oscar Wilde
Charity, by which God and neighbour are loved, is the most perfect friendship. Thomas Aquinas
In charity to all mankind, bearing no malice or ill-will to any human being, and even compassionating those who hold in bondage their fellow-men, not knowing what they do. John Quincy Adams, letter to A Branson 30 July 1838
The cold charities of man to man. George Crabbe, 1754-1832, The Village, 1783
No-one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another. Charles Dickens
There were two classes of charitable people: one, the people who did a little and made a great deal of noise; the other, the people who did a great deal and made no noise at all. Charles Dickens, Bleak House
There are not a few among the disciples of charity who require, in their vocation, scarcely less excitement than the votaries of pleasure in theirs. Charles Dickens, Nicholas Nickleby
The European Court ruled recently that cults and religions were granted charitable status and public tax relief status as a privilege, not as a prerequisite. The Court of Appeal holds that cults and religions must satisfy the public duty of care test of being for the public benefit. And for action in the High Court, you must show that on the balance of probabilities, that the cult fails to provide reasonable charitable public benefit.
But when is your Brethren not your Brethren? The Charity Commission supports the 2012 case of the Bad Boys Brethren – as reported:
‘MPs have made a robust defence of the exclusive Brethren church that has been denied charitable status by the Charity Commission in an important test case for churches and Christian organisations throughout the country.
‘In a well-attended debate led by Fiona Bruce, Conservative MP for Congleton, in Westminster Hall on Tuesday (13 November), members discussed the implications of the decision against Preston Downs Trust, which owns gospel halls in Torquay, Paignton and Newton Abbot.
‘The Brethren church was denied charitable status over concerns that it does not satisfy the ‘public benefit’ requirement; the lack of public access to the communion services held in gospel halls was specifically mentioned.
‘Ms Bruce and numerous other MPs highlighted the extensive work carried out by the Brethren in their communities, including support for families, care for young people, disaster relief, visits to prisons, hospitals, and donations of substantial funds to many charities. She said, ‘Surely no one can argue that they do not provide public benefit’ and also defended the ‘openness’ of the Brethren; they actively share their faith and make information about their services available to non-Brethren. Ms Bruce said, ‘Restricting access to Holy Communion should not be a reason for refusing charitable status.’
‘Other MPs raised concerns about the wider implications of the Charity Commission’s decision for churches and Christian groups.
Charlie Elphicke, Conservative MP for Dover, said: This is a test case on religion and the thin end of the wedge, particularly given that the Charity Commission’s letter says that even the Church of England would have to prove public benefit.
Amendments under the Charities Act 2006 removed the presumption of ‘public benefit'’ for organisations that advance religion and required charities that had been registered under the Places of Worship Registration Act 1855 to seek registration with the Charity Commission.
Churches therefore now have to demonstrate how they are of benefit to the public, whereas before it was taken as a given that they were.
‘Public benefit’ is not clearly defined in the Act, but the Charity Commission states that it must be identifiable, balanced against any harm, appropriate to the charity’s aims, and not ‘unreasonably restricted’ in a way that might prevent some people from benefiting from the charity’s work.
The Brethren, which has over 370 gospel halls throughout the UK, has enjoyed charitable status for over 50 years. Following the changes to the law under the 2006 Act, they had to re-apply. Brethren representatives met with the Charity Commission in 2008 to discuss a programme for registering all their gospel halls, and it was agreed that a sample application would be submitted by one of their trusts, Preston Downs. This was made on 18 February 2009
The third Plague Upon all their houses was the curse of the judges that temples and houses of worship were not worthy of tax relief status.
The Morg fails the duty of care test of public benefit, and the sooner they’re forced to account the better. esias, RFM board post 20th May 2014, ‘Beware The Brethren Who Are Not Your Brethren’
‘Charity is the call of the lady, the care of the poor her profession.’ Amanda Vickery, Suffragettes: Forever! The Story of Women and Power ***** Moore, BBC 2015
An evil-minded worldly or unconverted person might possibly sum up the matter thus: These people required this work done: they employed this woman to do it, taking advantage of her poverty to impose upon her conditions of price and labour they would not have liked to endure themselves. Although she worked very hard, early and late, the money they paid her as wages was insufficient to enable her to provide herself with the bare necessities of life. Then her employers, being good, kind, generous, Christian people, came to the rescue and bestowed charity, in the form of cast-off clothing and broken victuals. Robert Tressell, The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist
They never gave the ‘case’ the money. The ticket system serves three purposes. It prevents the ‘case’ abusing the ‘charity’ by spending the money on drink. It advertises the benevolence of the donors: and it enables the grocer – who is usually a member of the church – to get rid of any stale or damaged stick he may have on hand. ibid.
He wrote a letter to the Weekly Chloroform appealing for cast-off boots for poor children. This was considered such a splendid idea that the editors of all the local papers referred to it in leading articles … Their scheme amounted to very little … But all the same nearly everybody said it was a splendid idea. ibid.
One of the most important agencies for the relief of distress was the Organised Benevolent Society. This association received money from many sources. The proceeds of the fancy-dress carnival; the collections from different churches and chapels which held special services in aid of the unemployed; the weekly collections made by the employees of several local firms and business houses; the proceeds of concerts, bazaars, and entertainments, donations from charitable persons, and the subscriptions of members. ibid.
They humiliated, degraded and pauperised those who received them, and the existence of the societies prevented the problem being grappled with in a sane and practical manner. The people lacked the necessaries of life: the necessaries of life are produced by Work; these people were willing to work but were prevented from doing so by the idiotic system of society which these ‘charitable’ people are determined to do their best to perpetuate. ibid.
Another specious fraud was the ‘Distress Committee’. This body – or corpse, for there was not much vitality to it – was supposed to exist for the purpose of providing employment for ‘deserving cases’ … Every applicant for work was immediately given a long job, and presented with a double sheet of foolscap paper to do it with. ibid.
The hundreds of thousands of pounds that are yearly wasted in well-meant but useless charity accomplish no lasting good, because while charity soothes the symptoms it ignores the disease, which is, the private ownership of the means of producing the necessaries of life, and the restriction of production, by a few selfish individuals for their own profit. ibid.
They continued to organise ‘Rummage’ and ‘Jumble’ sales and bazaars, and to distribute their rotten cast off clothes and boots and their broken victuals and soup to such as the Brethren as were sufficiently degraded to beg for them. The beautiful Distress Committee was also in full operation; over a thousand Brethren had registered themselves on its books. ibid.
When the criminal had answered all the questions, and when his answers had all been duly written down, he was informed that a member of the Committee, or an Authorised Officer, or some Other Person, would in due course visit his home and make inquiries about him, after which the Authorised Officer or Other Person would make a report to the Committee, who would consider it at their next meeting … a means of keeping down the number of registered unemployed. ibid.
The fact is that the Salvation Army are so in the habit of thinking themselves a charitable body that they cannot even run a lodging-house without making it stink of charity. George Orwell, Down and Out in Paris and London
A man receiving charity practically always hates his benefactor – it is a fixed characteristic of human nature. ibid.