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Pets-A sin?
I just got a new dog, and my mom keeps saying it's a sin to spend money on a dog while the church needs money to give to the poor. Is she right? Do I need to go confess to abouna?
Comments
If you read the story of Tobit, you will find that his son Tobias left for his journey accompanied by the Archangel Raphael and a dog:-)
reallyy....where does it say that???
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never mind, i found it.
listen i dont want to offend anyone, but when egyptian parents dont want you to have something or dont want to spend money on something, everything becomes a sin.
it's kind of true....but more of that, it's reasonable.....
- If you think that spending money on a dog is a sin then:
We have to save all our money and give to the poor!!Buying food is a sin
Buying clothes is a sin
Buying books is a sin
Buying a car is a sin[/li]
The list keeps going, I am a Million Percent against that mentality that you shouldn't buy any thing for your self so that you give to the poor. (Keep in mind that tenth is already paid to God and if you do have enough money or whoever has enough money to give to the poor should give)
The list keeps going, I am a Million Percent against that mentality that you shouldn't buy any thing for your self so that you give to the poor. (Keep in mind that tenth is already paid to God and if you do have enough money or whoever has enough money to give to the poor should give)
ummm we should be giving God from the plenty, not from the stuff we set aside for him. we should actually only save the money that is for immediate needs and give God the rest, but i dont want to get into that ;)
you're taking care of God's creatures...
and wasn't that somesort of commandment in the Bible(to take care of the earth and..??) or am i thinking of something else?
and also: it's not THAT horrificly expenisve...i got a chiahaha (spelling???ahh) recently...and we probably spend $10 on her a month..which isn't bad...
[quote author=Zakhary link=topic=6581.msg87431#msg87431 date=1210641872]
The list keeps going, I am a Million Percent against that mentality that you shouldn't buy any thing for your self so that you give to the poor. (Keep in mind that tenth is already paid to God and if you do have enough money or whoever has enough money to give to the poor should give)
ummm we should be giving God from the plenty, not from the stuff we set aside for him. we should actually only save the money that is for immediate needs and give God the rest, but i dont want to get into that ;)
I never said give from the left over, I was just trying to clarify that spending is not a sin, overspending is and that's why I said at the end whoever has enough should give (instead of buying more stuff that is for no benefit).
So I guess we are saying the same thing ;D
some for the poor
some for church
some for food
some for clothes
some for bills
and some for anything else you get my point
But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel" (Proverbs 12:10)
I don't think its a sin, its just your money could be better spent on people who really need it. I know many people who have pets and they are for sure not sinners in that aspect, but i don't think its a sin.
Hi JY, PopeK,
Hope u guys are fine.
I was walking in london once, and i met this tramp begging on the street. He had a dog with him. He asked me if I had any spare change. I said :"Sure..", and I gave him some money. I was just about to give him the cash when he said "..oh thanks! My dog's really starving".
I said to him: "Waitup man, this isnt for your dog, I'm giving it for YOU to buy food".
He said " ...NO! I want to spend it on my dog".
I said "No! Its for u! I'm not giving money for your dog"
He said "OK.. keep your money then".
PopeK, i don't know what to tell u, but i admit, it made me think a lot whether I should have just given money for his dog anyway? I don't know.
Ask any Abouna and I would be shocked if they concurred that having a pet is a sin. Really.
If you're doing bad things to it, of course that's a sin, but the mere fact of owning a dog. What's next? Is reading my book a sin because i could be helping out at a soup kitchen? Is eating meat a sin because i could give it to poor people and be nourished by ful instead? Really, God doesnt judge us like that!
'On that day God will not judge us about psalmody, nor for the neglect of prayer, but because by abandoning them, we have opened our door to the demons.'
That quote is only kinda relevant, but basically if your pet causes you to sin, well you've sinned, but the simply owning a pet is not sinful.
Im not in a position to judge, but maybe we should all get back to the roots of christianity. Love one another, and do good to each other. It doesnt mean we should live deprived lives.
I mean, imagine how stupid I would sound if i said NOT owning a dog was a sin because studies show people with dogs are calmer and live longer? Therefore, we have a right to preserve our life to do God's service. Seriously, this is going overboard.
The church does not frown upon pleasure. A good Christian is not necessarily a deprived, miserable Christian. This is not a matter of how much to restrict yourself, it is a matter of how much of yourself to give to God. Remember, our Lord would much rather have your heart. To a certain extent I guess the details are always debatable, but as Matt said, if we begin with love we end with God.
Taio
Im sorry, but come on people. What's with some of you? Like, for this to even to be a topic?
Ask any Abouna and I would be shocked if they concurred that having a pet is a sin. Really.
If you're doing bad things to it, of course that's a sin, but the mere fact of owning a dog. What's next? Is reading my book a sin because i could be helping out at a soup kitchen? Is eating meat a sin because i could give it to poor people and be nourished by ful instead? Really, God doesnt judge us like that!
'On that day God will not judge us about psalmody, nor for the neglect of prayer, but because by abandoning them, we have opened our door to the demons.'
That quote is only kinda relevant, but basically if your pet causes you to sin, well you've sinned, but the simply owning a pet is not sinful.
Im not in a position to judge, but maybe we should all get back to the roots of christianity. Love one another, and do good to each other. It doesnt mean we should live deprived lives.
I mean, imagine how stupid I would sound if i said NOT owning a dog was a sin because studies show people with dogs are calmer and live longer? Therefore, we have a right to preserve our life to do God's service. Seriously, this is going overboard.
Hi Matt,
Basically, what happened was this. Some guy wrote a thread called "Is it a wrong/a sin to cross the street and not use the zebra crossings or the traffic lights".
Now, I said and thought the same as u. Everyone objected. They said it is serious, and "we need an answer". So I tried to answer it, and the thread grew. It definately increased the number of confessions per week!! I can tell u that!!
Anyway, since then, all or most discussions have been at that level. Is it a sin to sleep without brushing my teeth because having bad breath may offend others? You know??
I am asking SERIOUS questions on theology. OK?! And people just wanna talk about owning pets and where should they cross the street!!! I DONT KNOW. Do i care!?? Yeah,... i care, but i sleep well at night if the thread is not answered. Get the picture matt???
But, with serious topics that really require research, no one cares. I mean... i AM NO THEOLOGIAN. I need help cos there are friends of mine that are (I BELEIVE) reading western material, and I need to answer them!!
Yalla..
By the way, just out of curiousity, did u think I should have given the money to the tramp with the dog? SHould i confess about that??
Please pray for me
e.x. u have a sandwich at school that u want to share, u eat a half and you give your friend the other half... but he/she is full, and somebody sitting close by heard u offer the sandwich and ur friend refuse to take it, so he/she ofers to take it because they are hungry... (at this point, most people will feel uncomfortable giving it to the person because u don't know them..... that is the point, if u were gonna give it away, it dosn't matter who takes it, or ends up with it.... u had the intention of giving it... )
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is this story confusing???? does it make sence????
basically... what i said is: if u have the intention of giving it away, then it dosn't matter who ends up with it..... <= that is a lot simpler ...
I'm kind of indifferent about this, because I could see this argument either way. I really like the way Matt88 put it. Is it a sin if Im reading a book while I could go help out at a soup kitchen? However, what gets me is the fact that God himself criticised dogs and said in
Matthew Chapter 15, Verse 26-But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.
So I really don't know. When Christ says "Children's Bread", I think of the poor people who are hungry but then I look to Matt88's post and I change my mind. I keep going back and forth.
PK
Thanks everyone,
I'm kind of indifferent about this, because I could see this argument either way. I really like the way Matt88 put it. Is it a sin if Im reading a book while I could go help out at a soup kitchen? However, what gets me is the fact that God himself criticised dogs and said in
Matthew Chapter 15, Verse 26-But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.
So I really don't know. When Christ says "Children's Bread", I think of the poor people who are hungry but then I look to Matt88's post and I change my mind. I keep going back and forth.
PK
PopeK,
Yeah.. matt88 had a really good way of phrasing that. lol
Secondly, and more importantly, who are the poor? Nobody has ever answered this question in a clear enough way. Is it the beggar in the street; the faceless earthquake or flood victim far away; the orphanage ? Or who?
In Christ
Aidan