Information AboutCharity |
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personification of Charity as a mother with three infants by Anthony Van Dyck ]] Charity, meaning selfless giving, is one conventional English translation of the Greek term '' Agapē ''. ETYMOLOGY In the 1400, charity meant 'the state of love or simple affection which one was in or out of regarding one's fellows; an occasion or body of people seeking to embody that state; the love of god, in both directions.' The Fraternity was the embodiment of this ideal. In 1700, it meant 'an optimistic judgement about the good intentions of others; an act of benevolence towards the poor or needy; an institution erected as a result of such an act.' This according to Bossy. 1 RELIGIOUS CHARITY Virtue Charity is a central part of most of the world's religions. ]] In Christian Theology , for example, it is one of the Three Theological Virtues , meaning loving kindness towards others; it is held to be the ultimate perfection of the human spirit, because it is said to both glorify and reflect the nature of God. In its most extreme form charity can be self-sacrificial. In modern times, this is often translated "love" to avoid confusion with almsgiving. However, confusion can arise from the multiple meanings of "love" not all of which indicate the supernatural virtue. Charity is distinguished by its origin, being Divinely infused into the soul, and by its residing in the ''will'' rather than the emotions, regardless of what emotions it stirs up. Supernatural charity is necessary for salvation, and with it no one can be lost. It comprised two parts, love of God, and love of man, which includes both love of one's neighbor and one's self. Paul describes it in the Letter to the Corinthians:
Almsgiving Almsgiving, the act of giving money, goods or time to the unfortunate, either directly or by means of a charitable trust or other worthy cause, is described as charity or charitable giving. The poor, particularly widows and orphans, and the sick and handicapped, are generally regarded as the proper objects of almsgiving. Some groups regard almsgiving as being properly directed toward other members of their group. Donations to causes that would benefit the unfortunate indirectly, as donations to cancer research hope to benefit cancer victims, are also charity. Although giving to those nearly connected to oneself is sometimes called charity -- as in the saying "Charity begins at home" -- normally charity denotes giving to those not related, with Filial Piety and like terms for supporting one's family and friends. The recepitent of charity may offer to pray for the benefactor; indeed, in medieval Europe, it was customary to feast the poor at the funeral in return for their prayers for the deceased. Institutions may commerate benefactors by displaying their names, up to naming buildings or even the institution itself after the benefactors. If the recepitent makes material return of more than a token value, the transaction is normally not called charity. Originally almsgiving entailed the benefactor directly giving the goods to the receiver. People who could not support themselves -- or who feigned such inability -- would become Beggars . Institutions evolved to carry out the labor of assisting the poor, and these institutions are called charities. These include orphanages, food banks, religious orders dedicated to care of the poor, hospitals, and many others. Such institutions allow those whose talents do not lean themselves to caring for the poor to enable others to do so, both by providing money for the work and supporting them while they do the work. Institutions can also attempt to more effectively sort out the actually needy from those who fradulently claim charity. In Sunni Islam this is called Zakat , and is one of the Five Pillars upon which the muslim religion is based. Charity is also used as a Forename , intended to evoke the idea that one so named is a giving person. CHARITY FUNDRAISING ON THE INTERNET With the advent of the Internet a new form of charity fundraising has come up where the person wanting to donate can do so for Free by clicking on a Banner Ad displayed on a particular Website . The Sponsors then give a specific amount to the website every time a person clicks on their banner. The website subsequently donates the money collected for charitable causes. For more, see '' Click-to-donate Site ''. NOTES #John Bossy, ''Christianity in the West 1400-1700'' (Oxford 1985) 168. SEE ALSO
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