Wednesday, July 25, 2007
The Ethics of Charity--on the receiving end
Okay, so why do I have such deep, deep, penetrating reservations about accepting help from Mormons?? Help is help, right? Could it be because the friend who is the liason with the Mormons converted in order to secure a community to insure her son's well being after she dies? And that she speaks in terms of "still being Catholic, really"? Well, no. That's not the reason. But it creeps me out to know that they are offering help. Especially since at one time the implication was that they were not particularly interested in helping those who were not interested in becoming Mormon. I wonder what the friend has been saying to the Mormon hierarchy that they are willing to help now. I've been trying to go through all the Catholic channels, but bureaucracy is bureaucracy, right? These things take time. Except for the Mormons, I guess.
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6 comments:
I would say that if you're desperate enough, help is help. If they know you aren't interested in becoming Mormon and there are no 'strings' attached then if you need it badly, take it.
Maybe your friend is just trying to be a friend and get help by vouching for you? [Is this friend fixin' to die or something...that seems like a weird reason to convert if you aren't on your deathbed?]
and for some reason your baby counter says you have 1158 days to go. That's one helluva pregnancy!
It's my mom's friend. It's a weird situation.
Hmmm... On my screen it says 101 days! (Thankfully!!! I like being pregnant, but this time I'm more ready to see light at the end of the tunnel than the last 2 times!)
Help is help, I guess. I know Catholic Charities down here has their hands full -they've been going full steam since the storm, I gather.
She could try calling United Way, since they seem to have contacts to a wide umbrella of assistance organisations. http://www.unitedwaynola.org/community_impact/agency_listing_alpha.htm
She can also, as I said before, call 211 and ask to be put in touch with organisations that gut and remodel houses for people left without other resources.
Since she has the insurance checks, just can't cash them, some places may be able to help her get a loan while the check situation is resolved. Which reminds me, when she calls 211 she should also ask about legal arbitration services to get that check sorted out!
She did call 211, but the legal issues are too complex for the free arbitration services, and she can't qualify for a loan. The insurance won't even begin to cover the damage as it stands now--the assessment was made a long time ago.
In the past, Catholic Charities in NOLA has had some problems on the disbursement end of things. The programs are good, but access to them is often limited by who is providing the information and at what level. My feeling is that you have to work up the hierarchy a little in order to get things accomplished, depending on who you are and what the perception of your need is. I am trying a little of that in a limited way. It's also very difficult to explain the nature and scope of the difficulties she has been having, especially since she lived in one of the less hard-hit areas. But poor people live EVERYWHERE in New Orleans.
But the Mormons have a "network," not a bureaucracy, and much as I don't like bureaucracy, I see the value and need for it. "Networks" are awfully dependent on who you know and, in this case, what those on the giving side expect of the person on the receiving end. It just creeps me out.
Mormons are interesting folk. They believe in evangelization through good works. You know...easier to catch flies thing. Catholics believe in good works but not so much for the purpose of the evangelization. If evangelization results, great, but for Catholics conversion of others is not the agenda when it comes to helping those in need. It's an important difference to keep in mind, I think. My Morman neighbor offered to provide day care for my little daughter for a very cheap price but....the offer gave me similar creeps.
-C
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