Jesus of Nazareth laid down a principle of God's judgment that is recorded in the Gospels. He said: "When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required." He also said: "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Likewise, in the Gospel of Matthew, we read that he once told a rich young person: "If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor."
In a thread for the Banned by HWA post The Incredible Human Paradox, I wrote: "As with Babylon of old, the United States has conquered, exploited, murdered, enslaved, and oppressed." In response, Ronco wrote: "No country has done more than the US to aid people in third world countries." This is one of the standard responses of "patriots" when anyone dares to point out any fault in the United States. The reasoning goes like this: "as long as the good is greater than the evil" we must evaluate the entity as "good."
Well, let's take a closer look at Ronco's claim about the generosity of the United States. By any object standard, the United States is one of the wealthiest nations on the face of the earth (see The World's 25 Richest Countries by GDP and The Ten Wealthiest Countries in the World). Now, while we could certainly say that the United States gives the largest total dollar amount of any country in foreign aid, that statistic would be virtually meaningless when we compare the wealth of nations in relation to their giving. According to the World Economic Forum, these countries are the most generous in terms of their giving based on percentage of gross national income given: Sweden (1.41%), UAE (1.09%), Norway (1.05%), Luxembourg (.93%), Denmark (.85%), Netherlands (.76 %), United Kingdom (.71%). Hint, the United States did NOT make the list! In their article Why the U.S. Ranks at the Bottom in a Foreign Aid Index, NPR reported that: "According to an annual index released Tuesday by the Center for Global Development that ranks 27 of the world's wealthiest countries, the U.S. scored dead last on foreign aid contributions and quality — despite being the largest donor in dollar amount. That's because in 2017, it allocated a mere 0.18 percent of its gross national income for development assistance. That is well short of the 0.7 percent that wealthy countries have committed to strive for since 1970."
Imagine that - the wealthiest nation on the face of the earth gives the smallest percentage of its income to the poorest of the world! How can anyone point to this statistic with pride? By any objective standard, the United States is one of the least generous nations on the face of the earth! In the Gospel of Mark, we read: Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins. Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on." (Mark 12:41-44, NLT)
Well, Lonnie, you did more than "point out a fault". You excoriated the U.S. It would help if you brought up good about the U.S. and because we have provided much of the military support for other countries which saves them far more than a couple of percents in their budget they may have more to give through their government.
ReplyDeleteBut, that is not the whole story; U.S. organizations give most of the aid to poor countries and undoubtedly do it better. The U.S. and its citizens give more per capita to poor nations than any country.
Many of the individual people of the United States are very generous and are Christians. Likewise, many private charities do an excellent job of helping those in need, but there are also many of them who spend way too much of their resources on the leadership and administration of their organizations. My point was about the entity known as the United States. Moreover, MOST of the foreign aid (both lethal and nonlethal) which the U.S. provides is very strategically doled out to serve its own interests around the world.
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