Help or Hazard?

These days can we risk being Good Samaritans?

Most readers are familiar with the New Testament story of the Good Samaritan. A Jewish man on the road is beaten and robbed. A priest walks by and doe snot stop to help. Then another man, a fellow Jew, comes by and does not help. Finally a Samaritan—traditionally no friend of the Jews—comes by and he does stop and render aid.

The moral is that all of us are brothers and we all should help one another. It’s a lesson we learn early and generally try adhering to. That worked pretty well for years. But these days? Should we risk being Good Samaritans?

On Sunday, a man was driving on Highway 201 near Mountain Home, Ark. He made a stop along a bridge because he thought a motorist was having car trouble.

When he stopped to help the motorist, a hidden accomplice robbed him at gunpoint and struck him in the head before the pair made their getaway.

The assailants got away with a whopping $9 and police are on the lookout for them. We hope the culprits are summarily found, arrested and given their due.

Of course, not all such encounters end in violence. Often people are approached in parking lots or rest areas by someone with a sob story, usually involving a car that is broken down or out of gas. A little cash supposedly would help them get home. Sometimes kids are along to enhance the story.

For in most cases that’s all it is—a story. Sure, there may be some with genuine need. But this has become such a common scam that it’s hard to believe any of them.

Some people refuse to stop for others on the road and never hand money over to panhandlers. Others choose to do so. There are a lot of folks who give knowing the story is likely nothing more than window dressing. But they feel they are blessed by giving.

We can’t tell you what to do. We certainly won’t say not to help those is need, whether stranded on the highway or without food or shelter. Generosity is a great virtue. But we can suggest for your own safety—and that of your family—to think twice before stopping on the road for anyone who appears to be having car trouble. You don’t have to ignore them. Just drive a bit farther before stopping and make a call to the authorities on your cellphone. You can help and keep yourself safe.

As for panhandlers, donating to charities that feed and house the homeless would be a better use of your money, which too often goes straight to drink and drugs rather than food and shelter. Are you really doing them a favor, being a Good Samaritan in such cases? That’s a question we all must answer for ourselves.