How to treat the poor. Two directions concept

Many have seen people begging near the subway, on the corner of a store...What is this- profitable business or the last hope for help? What do you serve to such people?

A woman of unknown age is sitting in the passage near the metro station. You can give her thirty, twenty-three, or forty-two right away. The woman's hair is tangled and dirty, her head is bowed in grief. In front of the woman, on the spit-stained floor of the passage, lies a bag. Compassionate citizens throw money into the bag. And they wouldn’t give up, but in her arms the woman holds a weighty “argument” in favor of the fact that she simply needs money. A two-year-old child is sleeping in a woman’s arms. He is wearing a dirty hat, which was once white, and a tracksuit. The transition is a fairly busy place. And the crowd of people flows in an endless stream, and the change in the bag jingles, and the bills rustle.

I walked past the woman for about a month. I guessed who the money donated by numerous passers-by was going to. Much has been said, much has been written, but our people are so compassionate. Compassionate, to the point of tears. Our people are ready to give away their last shirt, shake out the last pennies from their pockets. Serve it to this “unfortunate” - and you feel that things are still not so bad for you. It seemed to help. Did a good job...

I walked past a beggar for a month. I didn’t give it because I didn’t want some scoundrel to use my money to buy himself one brick and put it in the wall of his new palace house. Let there be a hole in his wall, this scoundrel. There will be no brick from me. But, judging by the way the beggar was served, her owner already had several palace houses.

Well, the beggar gets something, of course. A bottle of vodka for the evening, and shawarma. The owners of such begging “points” have a lot, but they are greedy. And cruelty. This is what their super profitable business is based on. On money and fear. None of those putting a coin in a little bag knows that it is impossible to “stand up” to the place near the Vladimir Cathedral, and walking around the subway cars with a sadly drawn-out “excuse me for calling you” costs from 20 dollars a day. Or does he know? In this case, he knows, but does he give?

None of the good souls who donate to the “Madonna and Child” think about one more question. Above one discrepancy that literally catches your eye. After a month of walking past a beggar, I suddenly felt like an electric shock, and I stopped in a crowded passage and stared at the kid, dressed in an invariably dirty tracksuit. I realized what exactly seemed “wrong” to me, if the mere presence of a child in dirty conditions can be called “right.” underground passage from morning to evening. The child was sleeping. Not a sob, not a cry. He slept with his face buried in the knee of the one who introduced himself as his mother. The beggar looked up at me. Our eyes met. I bet she understood what I understood...

Which of you, dear readers, have children? Remember how often they slept at the age of 1-2-3 years? An hour, two, maximum three (not in a row) of daytime sleep, and again - movement. For the entire month of my daily walking along the crossing, I NEVER saw the child awake! I was looking at little man, buried in “mother’s” knee, and my terrible suspicion gradually formed into firm confidence.
- Why does he sleep all the time? - I asked, staring at the child.
The beggar pretended not to hear. She lowered her eyes and wrapped herself in the collar of her worn jacket. I repeated the question. The woman looked up again. She looked somewhere behind me. In her gaze one could clearly read tired irritation mixed with complete detachment. This was the first time I had seen such a look. The look of a creature from another planet.
“Fuck off...” she said with just her lips.
- Why is he sleeping?! - I almost screamed...

From behind, someone put a hand on my shoulder. I looked back. Man with typical face a worker from a nearby factory frowned his gray eyebrows disapprovingly:
- Why are you pestering her? You see, that’s how her life is... Eh... Here, daughter,” the man shook out the coins from his huge hand.
The beggar crossed herself, depicting humility and universal sorrow on her face. The man took his hand off my shoulder and wandered towards the exit from the passage. At home he will tell you how he defended an oppressed, unhappy, destitute woman from a scoundrel in an expensive sheepskin coat.

The policeman who approached me at the crossing the next day expressed himself almost in the same way as his “ward” beggar. And I received an exhaustive answer to my question:
- Went to…
And the child was sleeping...

I called a friend. This is a cheerful and funny man with olive eyes. He graduated from three classes with grief, and reads with difficulty. A complete lack of education does not prevent him from driving around the city streets in very expensive foreign cars and living in a house with countless windows, turrets and balconies. An acquaintance was quite surprised by my confidence that all such businesses, without exception, are controlled by representatives of his nationality. I learned that both Moldovans and Ukrainians “keep” beggars in Kyiv. Moreover, the former specialize mainly in “disabled war veterans.” We often see them at crossings and traffic lights, scurrying literally under the wheels of cars. Imaginary Afghans also “work” in the subway.

All kinds of “sick”, lame and “those who came to have an operation” are managed with equal success by both Ukrainians and Gypsies. This business, despite its apparent spontaneity, is clearly organized. Begging is supervised by organized criminal groups, and the money thrown by impoverished passersby into the little bag of a “disadvantaged disabled person” goes “up.” Moreover, it is so “upward” that if a compassionate passer-by found out about it, he would lose consciousness from surprise. Children are “rented” from families of alcoholics, or simply stolen. But that's all that is said, flowers.
I needed to get an answer to the question - why does the child sleep? And I received it. Moreover, a gypsy friend of mine uttered a phrase that shocked me, quite ordinaryly, in a calm voice. As he said about the weather:
- Either on heroin, or on vodka...
I was dumbfounded. “Who’s on heroin? Who’s on vodka?!”
- Child. So as not to shout, not to interfere. She has to sit with him all day, can you imagine how tired he can be?

In order for the child to sleep all day, he is pumped with vodka. Or - drugs. It goes without saying that a child’s body is not able to cope with such a shock. And children often die. The worst thing is that sometimes they die during the day, during the “working day.” And the imaginary mother must sit with dead child in your arms until the evening. These are the rules. And passersby walk by and throw change into a bag, and think that they are acting nobly. Helping a “single mother”...

... The next day I was standing in the passage near the L metro station. The policeman who answered me yesterday with an expletive was not visible. I stocked up on my journalist ID and was ready for a serious conversation. But the conversation did not work out. And the following happened...
The woman had ANOTHER child in her arms. The beggar simply ignored my questions with a detached face. I was interested in the documents for the child, and, most importantly, where was yesterday’s baby?

The beggar ignored the questions, but the traders standing nearby did not ignore them. From a woman selling panties, I learned that I should, to put it mildly, remove myself from the passage. Her indignant neighbors in the trade joined in on the trader's cries. Behind them are elderly passers-by. In general, I was expelled from the transition in disgrace. There was only one thing left to do - call 02 or look for a police patrol. But the police found me themselves. A sergeant, a fan of sending to..., came up to me and asked for documents. I provided documents and expressed my opinion about the presence of a woman and a child in the crossing. The sergeant agreed with me, and... went to call someone. I stood before the crossing, with the full feeling that I was trying to fight windmills. A few minutes later, there were no longer any merchants or a beggar with a sleeping child in the passage...

When you see women with children begging in the subway or on the street, think before you reach for money. Think about the fact that if it weren’t for you and hundreds of thousands of donations, this business would have died. It would be the business that would die, not the children drugged with vodka or drugs. Do not look at a sleeping child with tenderness. Look in horror. For you, who have read this article, now know why a child sleeps...

§ 20. Poor

Poverty is an economic and social condition lju

people with a minimum amount of money, education, power and prestige. But poverty is also a cultural phenomenon.

Poverty is not only a minimum income, but special image lifestyle, norms of behavior passed down from generation to generation, stereotypes of perception and psychology. That's why sociologists talk about poverty as a special culture.

Depending on how high the level of economic development of a country is, poverty affects either a significant part of the population or a small part. In 1992, in the United States, 14% of the population was classified as poor, and in Russia - 80%. In other words, the majority of Russians in 1992, and then, after the crisis of August 17, 1998, found themselves at the very threshold of poverty or crossed it.

The poverty threshold is the amount of money officially established

defined as a minimum income, thanks to which an individual or family is able to satisfy only the most basic needs. It is also called the “poverty level”. In Russia it received an additional name live

exact minimum.

A LIVING MINIMUM is a set of goods and services (expressed in the prices of actual purchases) that allows a person to satisfy the minimum acceptable, from a scientific point of view, needs.

Previously, humanity lived much worse and the number of poor people was higher. IN Ancient Greece By the standards of that time, 90% of the population lived in poverty. In Renaissance England, about 60% of the population was considered poor. In the 19th century, poverty fell to 50%. In the 30s of the 19th century, only a third of the British were classified as poor, and 50 years later - only 15%. Thus, in the past poverty was the lot of the majority, but today it is the lot of the minority.

In the USSR, the poor were a small minority. However, after " shock therapy» 1992 and the 1998 default, they turned out to be the majority of the population. When Russia matures economically, the number of poor people in it will decrease, and the size of the middle class will increase. What will happen to the rich? There is a basis

Typically, sociologists distinguished between absolute and relative poverty.

Under absolute poverty is understood as a state in which an individual, with his income, is not able to satisfy even the basic needs for food, housing, clothing, or warmth; he is able to satisfy only the minimum needs that ensure biological survival. The numerical criterion is the poverty threshold (subsistence level).

Under relative poverty refers to the impossibility of maintaining a decent standard of living, or a certain standard accepted in a given society. Relative poverty measures how poor you are compared to other people.

Just 40 years ago, a black and white TV in the USSR was considered a luxury item, affordable to few. In the 90s, color television appeared in every family, and black and white is considered a sign of modest wealth, or relative poverty. Soon those who cannot afford to buy a computer or a Japanese TV will fall into relative poverty.

Poverty is extreme poverty. A beggar was considered a person who lives on alms, collects alms, and is capable of satisfying only physical needs that ensure only biological survival. Beggars, even if they regularly earn a living by begging, do not provide any valuable services to society. Beggars are included in the so-called underclass, i.e. literally a non-class, or a layer below all classes.

But not everyone living in absolute poverty should be called beggars. The poor live either on earnings or on pensions and benefits, but they do not beg. It is more correct to refer to beggars as those living in poverty who earn their living by regular begging.

IN different societies Beggars were treated differently. In some cases, they were included in the category of idlers who had to be fought, and in others, beggars and beggars were surrounded with an aura of holiness. Attitudes towards the poor could change in the same country over the course of different eras.

IN In Russia, beggars until 1917 were considered wretched, i.e. offended by society, but close to God. After the revolution of 1917, they began to be prosecuted by law for evading socially useful work.

IN Europe XVI centuries, until the state took over the care

O human well-being, it was beneficial to be considered poor. In the old days, a beggar who knocked on the door of a rich man was considered a messenger of God. Among Russian peasants, giving alms to the poor was considered cleansing from sins. In the 19th century, one beggar could collect up to 5 pounds of baked bread per day. Selling them for 35 kopecks. for a pood, he earned a sum sufficient to arrange a treat with vodka in a tavern. Accustomed to living well, he did not agree to work even for high pay, citing illness and infirmity.

But the feeling of respect and compassion gradually became a thing of the past. Idlers who are incapable of anything and dangerous for the state - this became the opinion of society, frightened by the growing number of beggars and beggars. The state constantly tightened measures against begging and vagrancy, considering them a crime.

The tramps were arrested and beaten, and a mark was burned on their shaved heads with a hot iron, which meant that for the second time they would be hanged on the spot without trial or sent to the galleys. But at the same time, lodging houses and shelters were built for tramps, relief funds were created, but as a social category they never disappeared.

The poor are not an economically independent category, since they are unable to ensure the material well-being of the family without resorting to state assistance (subsidies, benefits, one-time payments). Although they lose economic sovereignty, they are not deprived of constitutional rights and social privileges that exist in society. True, they cannot fully realize their rights. A full life does not seem to exist for them. Formally, the poor have access to high-quality health care and education, but in reality, access to them is denied.

Financial need affects children. Often they are forced to be distracted by part-time work, as a result of which they cannot learn well school curriculum. Poor families have few books and no library to help them broaden their horizons. Parents, as a rule, are poorly educated and are unable to help their children with their studies. And education itself as a value in such families does not enjoy high authority. If a family experiences chronic malnutrition or a low-calorie diet, aggravated by parental alcoholism, then inferior offspring are born.

In the United States, the poor include the following groups: the unemployed, low-wage workers, recent immigrants, people who have moved from the countryside to the city, minorities, vagrants and homeless people, people unable to work due to old age, injury or illness, single-parent families where the father is absent.

Previously, in the USSR, the category of poor included members of large families, people with disabilities since childhood (due to injury or illness), and today in Russia they have been supplemented by part of the intelligentsia, the unemployed and village residents.

Concepts: poverty, poverty threshold, misery.

Questions and questions an and I

1. Tell us how you understand what relative poverty and absolute poverty are.

2. Tell us about the lifestyle of poor people and beggars.

3. List the reasons for the poverty of people in modern Russia.

4. How does society treat beggars?

*5. The English economist T. Malthus believed: poverty is a consequence of excessive population growth. The poor themselves are to blame for poverty. By helping them, the state encourages population growth and thereby increases poverty. It is necessary to abolish state subsidies and entrust the care of the poor entirely to private charity. Do you agree with this opinion? Is Malthus's recipe suitable for Russia?

*6. There are two opposing points of view on poverty. Some believe: the more wealth and the rich, the deeper the poverty and the more beggars there are. Others object: the more rich there are, the richer the population as a whole, and therefore the fewer poor and needy. And what do you think? What arguments will you use to defend your position?

*7. Some experts believe that people fall into poverty voluntarily: they are lazy to work hard, and do nothing to get up. Others think differently: poverty is a state into which a person falls against his own will and desire, especially during periods of economic crises, destructive wars, major social transformations, as well as physical weakness. What is your opinion? Give

written response,

■ Problem. Among sociologists of the 19th century there was also such an exact

Point of view: poverty is not only evil, but also good. It is a necessary element of strengthening social order, because it cleanses society of the least adapted. What's your point of view?

P r a t i c u m , In rich countries, the poverty threshold is higher than in poor ones. Therefore, we can expect that people will be below the poverty line more people. But in rich countries the standard of living of the population is higher than in poor ones.

Where do you think there are more poor people - in rich or poor countries?

§ 21. Ethnicity: nations and nationalities

ETHNOS (from the Greek ethnos - tribe, people) - a collective name for large consanguineous groups of people forming a tribe, nationality or nation.

When we talk about ethnic groups, we immediately enter into a border area that lies at the intersection of the social and biological spheres. Ethnicity - in the broad sense of nationality or ethnicity - combines both biological and social properties. They predetermine all the diversity of types of people. Among them the leading ones are social factors. Black skin or narrow eyes, short stature or white complexion is a biological reaction of the human body to a hot or cold climate, strong winds, lack of sun rays etc. Geographical isolation, difficult terrain, river lowlands, etc. were reflected in the way of life, views, language, habits and traditions, the culture of those consanguineous communities that lived compactly in a given area. They determined the character and originality of these communities - ethnic groups.

Among other things, man differs from his fellow animals in the fact that only he knows his ancestors; those. Only people have an intergenerational connection, transmitted not biologically, but socially, there is a family, clan and clan, from which, as from primary matter, a tribe is formed - the most early form ethnicity.

Family is the smallest consanguineous group of people connected by a common origin (grandmother, grandfather, father, mother, children). Several families entering into an alliance form a clan. The clans were united into clans, which bore the name of the alleged ancestor. The clan maintained common ownership of the land, blood feud, and mutual responsibility. Several clans united to form a tribe.

So, ethnic groups exist as sustainable intergenerational communities of people. Now we have two signs of ethnicity - consanguineous ties and intergenerational community. The first is entirely biological, the second has a serious admixture social factors. But we talked about the fact that this nose is a borderline category, with a dual nature - bi

logical and social. In contrast, classes, estates and professions are purely historical and social groups. If you can choose a profession voluntarily, then you do not choose your nationality. You inherit it from your parents. If parents different nationalities, then the child has the right to choose one or another nationality (for Russians, as a rule, on the father’s side, for Jews - on the mother’s side). This means that nationality is a mixed status.

People are united into a single ethnic organism, say a nation, not only ancient origin from common ancestor, but also common historical destiny, common traditions, culture, features of life, language and territory.

Language - hallmark ethnicity. Usually one nose - one tongue. However, often several peoples can speak the same language. For example, almost all the peoples of Latin America speak Spanish, although these are different peoples: Chileans, Argentines, Mexicans, etc. Exactly the same on English language It is spoken not only by the British, but also by English-Canadians, Americans, Australians, and some other peoples.

Ethnic groups form mutual language. Over time, it is enriched with new words, expanded, modified, but the essence remains the same.

Another distinctive feature of an ethnic group is a certain territory. It, like a language, can expand and be updated when ethnic groups move to new places or develop new lands. Most ethnic groups live compactly in a certain territory, the name of which, by the way, often coincides with the name of the ethnic group. So, the French live in France, the Spaniards live in Spain, the British live in England.

The connection between ethnicity, language and territory is very close. Indeed, what are small nations fighting for? For their territory, i.e. the land of their ancestors, and for their language, which these ancestors spoke. They often fight for life and death.

Ethnic groups are also united by customs, traditions, cultural features, and everyday life. Each nation has unique rituals and ceremonies that distinguish it from other people.

For some ethnic groups, long-term residence in one territory leaves an indelible imprint on the worldview

education, lifestyle, economic structure, manner of communication. By the way, these peoples are the majority. Some spend almost their entire lives wandering around to the globe. For example, gypsies. Communicating with the most different peoples, they, however, have retained their originality, and they are easily distinguished from other ethnic groups.

Another sign of commonality plays no less role - ethnicity, or national, identity. You need to feel your belonging to one’s people and its historical destiny, only then will you preserve its traditions and values. Gypsies, wherever they wandered, carried their traditions with them. Russian Old Believers, once abroad, also sacredly preserve the peculiarities of their life and culture. Ethnic consciousness is spiritual identification of a person with his people.

Spiritual identification is stronger than territorial or linguistic identification. The same Russians who settled 30-50 years ago in France or America, having almost forgotten their language, often proudly call themselves Russians. They remained Russian by blood and spirit. They feel a spiritual kinship with the great nation, although entire decades have passed. But they themselves were the spiritual leaders of the nation, feeling historical and cultural responsibility for it. It's about, of course, about the Russian nobility and intelligentsia.

The situation is more complicated with Russian emigrants last decade. Some easily assimilated, others easily experienced acute nostalgia for Russia. But many of them have the opportunity to freely visit their historical homeland.

If a person treats his people with disdain or arrogance, know that he is not with them spiritually. In a spiritual sense, he has already lost his homeland, although he lives geographically in Russia and speaks his native language.

Thus, in order for a particular group of people to be considered an ethnic group, the following conditions must be met:

- consanguinity - unity of descent from a common ancestor;

- sustainable intergenerational continuity;

- unity of territory;

Unity of language;

- common historical destiny;

- general culture and traditions;

- general self-awareness.

It would be more correct to call these signs ethnic-forming factors.

Peoples, due to various reasons, move across the territory of the Earth, sometimes gaining new homeland far from its origins.

One people can live either in its biological (genetic) homeland, i.e. where it formed as a single ethnic group ( country of origin), or in another country, where he subsequently migrated entirely, having already formed into a single community, and which became his second homeland, i.e. historical homeland, or where only part of it migrated. We will be interested in the last two cases.

Migration, or resettlement from one’s historical homeland, served as the basis for the formation, for example, of the modern Bulgarian ethnos. Today in Bulgaria there are almost 8 million people who call themselves Bulgarians. But many centuries ago they were called Bulgars and were Turkic-speaking tribes that roamed the Azov region in the 7th century, from where they were displaced by another Turkic-speaking tribe- Khazars.

The nomadic Bulgarian horde split into several streams, one of them reached the territory of modern Bulgaria beyond the Danube. lived there Slavic tribes who moved across the Danube in the 6th century. The Turkic-speaking Bulgarians conquered the rear of the Nai Slavs and formed a Slavic-Turkic state, led by Khan Asparukh. As a result of the interaction of two ethnic groups Turkic newcomers adopted the Slavs

Russian language, the now Slavic Bulgarian language began to form, which formed the basis of the modern Bulgarian language. The Turkic-speaking ethnic group became a Slavic ethnic group.

Another part of the split people moved to the Volga-Kama interfluve, where another Bulgaria (Bulgaria) arose - Volga-Kama (the territory of modern Tatarstan). Here the nomadic Bulgars merged with the local agricultural Finno-Ugric tribes, switched to a sedentary lifestyle and played a significant role in the formation of modern Tatars, Chuvash, Bashkirs and other Volga peoples. In X -XIV centuries they created a powerful state - the strongest in the Middle and Lower Volga region. It traded with the Arab Caliphate, Byzantium, Eastern Slavs. Bulgaria even competed with the Old Russian state, but, like the latter, it was conquered by the Mongol-Tatars. Back in the 10th century, the young state became dependent on the powerful Khazar Khaganate. To strengthen his position, the Bulgarian king Almas turned to the Arab Caliphate for support, as a result of which Bulgaria adopted Islam as the state religion.

The adoption of Islam contributed to the introduction of Bulgaria to culture Muslim world. Ancient Turkic runic writing was replaced by Arabic, primary schools were opened

And madrasah. Archaeological finds household items with inscriptions indicate widespread literacy among the Bulgarian population. Bulgaria has its own scientists: lawyers, theologians, doctors, historians, astronomers. IN In the XIV-XV centuries, as the Golden Horde weakened, the military pressure of Russia increased. The Russians occupy the Bulgarian throne and subordinate it to Moscow. Only the northern territories retained independence, where a new state was formed - the Kazan Khanate and a new ethnic group - the Kazan Tatars. This is historical fate once a single ethnic group, one half of which turned into a guide

And defender of Orthodoxy (it was in European Bulgaria that the Slavic writing Cyril and Methodius), and the other - as a conductor of Islam on the territory of the Slavic state of Russia.

I was recently walking past the St. Sophia Cathedral on my worldly business, and a girl called out to me.

- Give it for Christ's sake! - She holds out her hand for alms. Young, beautiful, one of those people who say you can plow with them. I've met this girl before. She also asked me for alms near the Yuryev Monastery. I was surprised then. Well, when you are an old woman or a disabled person with no legs, this is understandable. And here is a girl, young, beautiful, arms and legs in place... And recently, on the pages of VN, a debate also flared up on the topic of beggars. Who are they, how to treat them correctly, and what is wrong for a worldly person, if Fate deigns to bring him together with the poor brethren.

First of all, I decided to interview different priests, from different religions. And Nikolai Kosenkov, an expert in the regional department for ensuring the activities of the governor’s situation center, helped me with this, a responsive and attentive person to people. He helped me contact not only the Orthodox priest, but also the priest of the Old Believer church, and even the chairman of the Jewish community, who is currently replacing the new rabbi and is equally literate in matters of religion. But there is no permanent Muslim mullah in our region, just as there is not a single mosque.

However, it is known that the ninth sura of the Quran is translated as: “Donations are intended for the poor and the needy, for those who collect and distribute them, and for those whose hearts they want to win, for the ransom of slaves, for debtors, for expenses in the way of Allah and for travelers. This is the order of Allah. Verily, Allah is Knowing, Wise” (translation by Al-Saadi). Only persons mentioned in a verse, a special verse of the Quran, who can be divided into eight categories, have the right to compulsory donations.

The first two categories include the beggars and the poor. Beggars are people who are completely deprived of their means of subsistence or earn less than half the subsistence level. The poor are people who earn half or more than half of the subsistence level, but are not able to fully provide for themselves.

The third category includes employees who are involved in the collection, storage, transportation or accounting of donations, as well as any other activities related to the collection and distribution of zakat. These employees receive a salary for performing their duties.

The fourth category includes people whose hearts Muslims want to win. These may be elders or respected people whom others obey.

The seventh category includes fighters who voluntarily fight in the path of Allah and do not belong to regular troops. From zakat funds they are supposed to receive everything they need to participate in hostilities.

It is believed that a poor Muslim has the right to donate from the zakat funds to perform the obligatory Hajj, but there is disagreement about this. The eighth category includes travelers who find themselves in a foreign country and do not have the means to return home. They are allowed to receive donations sufficient to enable them to return home (according to materials from the Crimean Youth Website).

I also managed to contact Maxim Ionov, the editor of the Rodnoverie magazine, and therefore a person who understands Rodnoverie philosophy and asked him the same questions as everyone else.

And the answers were:

Priest of St. Sophia Cathedral Father Alexander:

One must always look at the reason for begging. If it is caused by laziness, unwillingness to work, then the Christian religion condemns such begging, but if this begging is caused by the desire not to be distracted from spiritual quests, from spiritual life, then it is worthy of encouragement.

To whom and how much to give, and whether it is necessary to give alms - this is decided by the person himself.

Every Christian should help another Christian, and indeed any person.

Is it good to be rich?

Plato and Aristotle believed that immeasurable wealth corrupts if it does not serve goodness and high goals. Some Christian saints were sometimes forced to live at the expense of rich people. Rich people were also surrounded by Christ. Therefore, wealth in itself is not evil. Moreover, if a person uses it for good purposes - he helps those who are in need, builds hospitals, temples and other institutions, people need. But if a person is a slave to his wealth, that is bad.

Grigory Isaakovich Fainberg - chairman of the Jewish community:

How does your religion view beggars and begging?

In Judaism there is no such concept as “beggar”; in Judaism there is the concept of “poor”. The very word “beggar,” in our opinion, degrades human dignity.

Is it necessary to give alms, if so, how, when and how much?

Jews help those who need help. But simply giving money on the street is considered humiliation. If a Jew wants to help such a person, he would rather quietly and discreetly put the money in an envelope in Mailbox or donate them to the development of a charity canteen or other institution that deals with the problems of the poor.

Does your religion help people who have lost their footing?

Is it good to be rich?

It's good to be rich. But hoarding is of course evil. And if a person worked well, then it’s not bad at all if he has money. Although ostentatious luxury was never encouraged among Jews. A modest lifestyle has always been held in high esteem.

Maxim Ionov, Chief Editor Rodnoverie magazine:

How does your religion view beggars and begging?

Negative. But it matters how a person came to this state, he is a beggar because he cannot work for physical reasons, or he does not want, or is subject to bad habits etc. Having hands and land, a person cannot beg, the ancestors reasoned so. But the elderly and infirm need to be supported; this is the responsibility of the community.

Is it necessary to give alms, if so, how, when and how much?

Again, it depends on who, nowadays it has become a business, but in theory, if there is a holiday, then everyone should share it, regardless of income. Specific amount Hard to say. Optional.

Does your religion help people who have lost their footing?

We try to help, as a community, as a community, but to be honest, Rodnovers are people with a certain mentality who stand for healthy image life, etc., people with a certain core of life. There are very few of us who have lost our feet. We help: we give the opportunity to earn money, you can’t just give money, it corrupts a person. Of course, we provide moral support.

Is it good to be rich?

It’s good to be rich, but the question always arises: what price did you pay for it and who have you become in life? Wealth should give you some freedom and the opportunity to help people around you.

These are the answers given by representatives of different religions. In some ways they agree, in others they differ. And how you should consider this problem, decide, dear reader, yourself, based on your experience.

Page 1

Below the poor in the social hierarchy are the beggars and the disadvantaged. In Russia, the poor included poor, underprivileged, and exploited peasants. A poor farm is a peasant farm. Poverty was extreme poverty. A beggar was a person who lived on alms and collected alms. But not everyone living in absolute poverty should be called beggars. The poor live either on earnings or on pensions and benefits, but they do not beg. It is more correct to include the category of those living in poverty who earn their living by regular begging as beggars.

Beggars were treated differently in different societies. In some cases, they were included in the category of idlers who had to be fought, and in others, beggars and beggars were surrounded with an aura of holiness. Attitudes towards beggars could change in the same country over different eras. Beggars in Russia before 1917 were considered wretched, that is, offended by society, but close to God. After the revolution of 1917, they began to be prosecuted by law for evading socially useful work. In Europe in the 16th century, until the state took charge of human well-being, it was advantageous to be considered poor. In the old days, a beggar who found himself in the house of a rich man was considered a messenger of God, if not Christ himself in exile. Among Russian peasants, giving alms to the poor was considered cleansing from sins. In the 19th century one beggar could collect up to 5 pounds of baked bread per day. Selling it for 35 kopecks. for a pood, he earned a sum sufficient to arrange a treat with vodka in a tavern. Accustomed to living well, the poor did not agree to work even for high wages, citing illness and infirmity.

But feelings of respect and compassion gradually became a thing of the past. Idlers who are incapable of anything and dangerous to the state - this was the opinion of society, frightened by the growing number of beggars and beggars. Measures were constantly taken against begging and vagrancy, the practice of which was considered a crime. The tramps were arrested and beaten, and a mark was burned on their shaved heads with a hot iron, which meant that for the second time they would be hanged on the spot without trial or sent to the galleys. In some countries they were treated even harsher. In England in 1547, Parliament approved a law to turn tramps into slaves. Sleeping houses and shelters were built for tramps, relief funds were created, but as a social category they never disappeared.

Along with poverty and destitution (sometimes called deep poverty) there is deprivation. Deprivation characterizes poverty that has arisen due to lack of access to material and cultural goods due to health reasons, due to large families, alcoholism, etc. They cannot lead a full life. Typically they are children, the disabled, the unemployed, pensioners, representatives of a different race or nation, and the chronically poor. IN former USSR there were about 3 million children with mental or physical disabilities. Children of the poor do not receive enough parental care, and at school the situation is even worse, since teachers not only do not surround them with proper care, but strive to survive from school. Poverty is the main source of so-called disadvantaged children.

The disadvantaged are usually chronically poor people living in such a state long time and those who have lost hope of getting out of it. Therefore, we can assume that poverty is not only a minimum income, but a special way of life and lifestyle, norms of behavior, stereotypes of perception and psychology passed down from generation to generation. Children born into poor families do not have the same advantages that come from rich families. They are deprived of much. The poor live in low-prestige, overcrowded and crime-prone parts of the city, in uncomfortable housing, eat worse than others, they attend poor schools, drop out early and do not receive the necessary qualifications. As a result, they have worse starting conditions in life and more often begin their working careers in unskilled and low-paid jobs. They do not develop the qualities necessary for the correct perception of the surrounding reality. The perspective of the poor is shifted towards negative assessments of reality, pessimism and despair. Often they cannot build normal relationships in the family: raised tones during conversations, mutual reproaches, curses and insults become commonplace.

How does society treat beggars?

Answers:

We should never look down on the poor because we don’t know. what circumstances of life led a person to this, to the extent possible, we should provide them with all possible help, especially when they ask for food - to refuse is simply a sin. We must be merciful, show love, not forgetting that this is also a Man, God’s creation! But society has always treated, and still treats, differently...Who has kind heart and sympathy, he helps, but the indifferent and hard-hearted may simply not pay attention to such people, pass by without extending a helping hand. I remembered Mother Teresa... It would be wonderful if more people looked like her! She voluntarily chose such service to the poor, the disadvantaged and the sick... And this is free of charge, as a sign great love to the Savior Jesus!