Step 3 In My Service to Others

The learning objectives that I found in the Syllabus that most closely related to my Service To Others project are the burden of living and working in a free society and oppertunity for all. Along with the advantages of living and working in a free society is the burden of ensuring others are taken care of as well as ourselves. There are many people who believe that homelessness is the choice of many of those who live on the streets. Some people believe the people who live on the street deserve to live there. This argument does not take into account the fact that the mentally ill are rarely institutionalized any more. Without the option of institutionalization, homelessness, is sometimes the only option. I saw the results of mental illness first hand while assisting with feeding the homeless. I did not feed the original demographic I intended to feed because representatives from the State of California had advised the group I went with to no longer feed in the San Bernardino County area without appropriate permits. We did not go to the original intended area. Instead we went to several local parks known for the homeless people and the prostitutes in Riverside County. In fact the area was a favorite scouting area for a serial killer who killed prostitutes about 10 years ago. I observed several mentally ill people talking to themselves at these parks and it quite frankly made me uncomfortable for the safety of the children that had accompanied us to assist with feeding the homeless.
The two readings from our text that best support the cause of my Service to Others project are Why America Needs Religion by William E. Simon, Jr. and Why Religoin Matters Even More: The Impact of Religious Practice on Social Stability by Patrick F. Fagan. As I stated before in earlier postings there is no predominant Church supporting this endeavor and yet it is being carried out by religious people. Both of these readings touched upon the fact that the power of the Church has been diminshed by the responsibility and power of the Federal Government. Needs that had been provided for in the past by the Church are now being provided for by secular institutions. And yet we are seeing that many peoples needs and desires are not being met despite the best efforts of government planners. In many cases the need has become too vast. Sometimes, maybe, the monetary needs are being met but the emotional needs are not being met. Therefore, it is appropriate for these practitioners of religion to help out in their community out of gratitude for their own needs being met.

Fagan, P. Why Religion Matters Even More: The Impact of Religious Practice on Social Stability. In E. Rauchut and K. Mason, Kirkpatrick signature series reader (pp339-357). Bellevue University Press.

Simon, W. (2000). Why America Needs Religion. In E. Rauchut and K. Mason, Kirkpatrick signature series reader (pp335-338). Bellevue, NE: Bellevue University Press.