“the Lord will reward each one for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free”
Ephesians 6:8
This, right there, is one of the biggest problems with the major Abrahamic religions and likely a common problem with most religions…
The promise of a reward undermines the sympathetic foundation of any good deed, and the very thought of reward pollutes any good intent. If you cannot do a good exclusively because you see a need and wish to provide exclusively for the one that needs it, you are still operating on the animal level and are not fully human.
When you give water to a thirsty man, you should have no intent other than to sate his thirst. Anything beyond that renders your act insincere.
Don’t give me water thinking that some god will reward you for it. I do not want that water. If you’re giving me water, give it to me because I am a human being, like yourself. Give it to me because we are kin. Give it to me because you’d equally expect me to give you water had you been thirsty. Give water to the one before you, not the one you imagine to be above. Give me water because I need it, without also thinking that you might get something out of it, that somehow you’re accruing points in some karmic ledger that will eventually pay out.
