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: There are so many needy people--an estimated 41,000 homeless on Los Angeles streets or in shelters on any given night. A few dollars can provide a basic meal. Should the more fortunate think twice before spending money on snack food for themselves? Should those who are better off think of others, for example, before taking on car payments for a more expensive car than necessary?

Rabbi Joel E. Rembaum

Senior rabbi, Temple Beth Am, Los Angeles, and immediate past president of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California

Americans are blessed with a standard of living never before achieved by the human race. Evidence of conspicuous consumption can be seen at all levels of American society. Religious traditions of the world mandate a moral obligation to provide the basic necessities of life to human beings who lack them. Only after we have ensured that all people’s basic needs have been met do we have the moral right to consider indulging ourselves with goods and services that we really do not need. What is needed is a shift in social policy that enables us to place the homeless in jobs that lead to self-sufficiency, or in institutions where they can get the care they need.

Compiled by LARRY B. STAMMER

Times religion writer

Father Thomas P. Rausch

Chairman, Department of Theological Studies, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles

Before “upscaling” our lifestyles, we should remember those less fortunate. What if each of us made the commitment to provide one meal a month for a hungry person? But even more, we ought to show greater concern for the homeless as a society. Few developed countries allow so many sick and disadvantaged people to live on the streets as does our own. According to Catholic social teaching, an economic system is measured morally by how the poor and the vulnerable are treated. We are not willing to spend what it takes to provide adequate safety nets for those unable to survive in a highly competitive society.

The Rev. Ignacio Castuera

Senior pastor, Hollywood United Methodist Church

All people should think twice, ethically speaking, before spending money on anything. The plight of our brothers and sisters who are homeless, the plundering of Mother Earth, the effects of our consumption on our own bodies, etc. must be present in our hearts and minds every time any purchase is considered. Guilt, however, has never been a good, long-lasting motivator. Economic choices will be better made when considered in relation to a comprehensive vision and a religious ideal such as the one presented by the Psalmist: “The earth is God’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.”