A rotating panel of experts from the...

A rotating panel of experts from the worlds of philosophy, psychology and religion offer their perspective on the dilemmas that come with living in Southern California. Today’s question: When a homeless person asks for money at a freeway on-ramp, what is the ethical thing to do?

Dr. Hassan Hathout, physician and author of books on biomedical and social ethics from an Islamic viewpoint:

I’d rather buy food and give him food but not cash because he might buy alcohol straight away. It is the Islamic requirement of common sense. Biscuits, hamburgers, canned food. It might be an idea if one keeps in the car something to give. I think it would be fairly unethical of me to give money. But I think it takes more than him and me to solve this problem. It takes society at large, both through providing work and treating any dependencies such as alcohol...It needs a third party more than him and myself.

--The Rev. Ron Benefiel, senior pastor at the First Church of the Nazarene near downtown Los Angeles.

The key question is not whether I should give, but how do I think about this person and how does that affect my actions. A policeman told me how he dealt with ‘the problem.’ He said, ‘Well, they really aren’t human, you know.’ While few of us hold such a view, it’s at the heart of how we respond. Do we interact with homeless people with the dignity and respect that recognizing their humanity demands? When I miss this I am prone to treating them as invisible. I turn away when they approach because I don’t want to deal with it. When I gloss over their humanity I may offer alms out of guilt--or to end the encounter with a minimum of involvement. To me it’s rewarding to find agencies and churches in the area that offer assistance that can help my homeless friends: Kevin, Regina, Nelson, Renee. They really are human, you know.

--------

Miriyam Glazer, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AND CHAIRMAN OF THE DEPARTMENT OF LITERATURE AT THE University of Judaism

One couple or another often stands near the 405 on-ramp on Wilshire, cardboard sign in hand: HUNGRY FAMILY TO FEED or, simply, PLEASE HELP. When the flow of traffic and timing of lights stop my little Mitsubishi there, I feel at once both the human desperation that led them there and a brimming of gratitude for the blessing of my own life. “What can I give back to God, for all God’s bounty to me?” asks the Psalmist. In that split-second at the on-ramp, the answer is not-at-all complex: open my wallet, share. How they spend my-money-become-their-money (or nourishment? drugs?) is their spiritual task to wrestle with; I am being called upon not to judge, only to share.

Compiled by LARRY B. STAMMER/Los Angeles Times