Topic 6: Religious Attitudes to World Poverty.
Key terms
Poor:
This means to have very little money or other resources to have a comfortable life.
Poverty:
This means to be poor. It will involve having an inadequate standard of living displayed in hunger,
malnutrition, sickness, insufficient housing, health facilities, medication and education.
Standard:
This refers to the daily life that you have in terms of comfort – provision of luxuries and of
living necessities.
LEDC:
Less economically developed country – where people do not have a comfortable standard of
living, e.g. Sudan (Africa).
EDC:
Economically developed country -a country where most people enjoy a comfortable standard of
living being able to afford luxuries, e.g. UK.
World poverty - some facts
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In many developing countries 10% of the population own 90% of that country’s wealth.
This means that 90% of the population have to make do with 10% of the country’s wealth.
At least 1 in 8 people in the world has inadequate food. They are malnourished or facing starvation.
Hundreds of thousands of people in developing countries die and develop diseases each year due to
consuming dirty water – they do not even have a basic clean water supply.
In developing countries, only 40% of adults can read and write.
Hundreds of millions of people in developing countries do not have employment and simply feed
themselves with what they can grow on the land.
Exploitation/Unfair Trade
Some LEDCs produce food products such as
wheat and rice. Many western companies,
knowing these producers are desperate to
make a living, give them under market values
for their products.
Climate
92% of all African
countries have
insufficient rainfall to
grow crops effectively.
Population growth
Due to inadequate availability of
contraception, LEDCs have increasing
populations. Therefore, food resources and
housing become even more limited per
person.
Causes of
poverty in
LEDCs.
Natural disasters
When these hit LEDCs, these countries have
little resources to cope with their effects
and rebuild housing and other
infrastructure.
Disease
This is often caused by LEDCs having poor
clean water supplies. HIV is also a major
problem due to poor contraception
availability.
Corruption.
People in government in
LEDCs keep money for
themselves rather than
helping the poor.
War
e.g. Sudan (Africa) - different
groups have been fighting for
political power to run the
country. Therefore,
infrastructure is destroyed and
money which could be spent on
helping the poor is spent on
weapons instead.
Debt
Many LEDCs have massive debts
to western banks. They are
therefore constantly paying this
money back and cannot spend
money to help the poor or
develop the industries/trades in
their country. Furthermore,
LEDCs buy products which they
need but at western market
prices they cannot afford. This
leads them into more debt.
Topic 6: Religious Attitudes to World Poverty.
Charities
Charities are organisations that work to improve the living conditions of those in poverty.
They rely on contributions and donations from people in EDCs to help support those in LEDCs.
 Charities run campaigns to raise awareness and generate public support.
 Charities work to educate people, both in EDCs and LEDCs. Those in EDCs must learn
to be less greedy and recognise that they are often very privileged. Those in LEDCs
are often provided with a basic education or taught skills to help them to provide for
their families.
 Charities are most often recognised for the work they do in terms of raising money.
This generally takes two forms:
 Short term (direct) aid.
Aid given to countries in times of emergency or need, such as after a
natural disaster. Countries are given immediate emergency supplies of
food, water, shelter and medical care.
 Long term (indirect) aid.
Otherwise known as sustainable development, this is funding offered to
improve and develop a country over a long period of time. This can take a
number of forms, including building freshwater wells and educating
farmers on how best to grow their crops.
Religious charities
There are a number of religious charities working all over the world to improve the lives of
those in poverty.
 Christian Aid – established in 1964, Christian Aid regularly helps out locally with
projects to help the homeless and those in poverty in the UK. It also works
internationally, offering emergency relief for disasters as well as providing
education and health programs in countries like El Salvador and Jamaica.
 CAFOD (Catholic Fund for Overseas Development) – established in 1962,
CAFOD works to raise awareness of civil rights amongst farmers working and
living in LEDCs. In the UK, CAFOD works to educate children, helping them to
understand issues facing the developing world.
 Islamic Relief Worldwide – established in 1984, IRW has helped Muslims who
found themselves caught in the Bosnia conflict during the early 1990s. They are
also responsible for the construction of hospitals which provide free healthcare,
such as the one in Kashmir.
Useful quote:
“Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you
feed him for a lifetime”.
– Ancient Chinese Proverb.
Topic 6: Religious Attitudes to World Poverty.
Why should people help the poor?
All people should help the poor as they are part of the human race. To be human is to have
the ability to demonstrate following three characteristics:
 Justice – we should try to make society equal. People should not suffer because
of the greed of others.
 Stewardship - all people have a shared humanity. We have a duty to care for and
protect each other because we are part of the human race.
 Compassion - as humans we should have the ability to feel compassion for our
fellow man. It is a natural human feeling we all have and we should act on this
emotion.
Why should Christians help the poor?
Jesus helped many people, regardless of their gender, race, wealth or status within society.
He taught people to follow this example through several parables, or stories:
1. The Good Samaritan – in this story, a Samaritan helps a Jew, even though the two
races were in conflict with one another.
2. The Rich Fool – in this story a farmer is blessed with more crops than he can store in
his barn. Rather than sharing his good fortune with those in need, the greedy farmer
builds another barn. That night, God takes his life and so the farmer does not get the
chance to enjoy his newfound wealth.
3. The Final Judgement – in this story the ‘sheep’ are sent to heaven because they have
helped those in need. The ‘goats’ are denied entry into heaven because they have lived
selfish lives. Jesus says that by helping others, you are showing love for God.
Christian quotes on wealth and poverty
"It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man
to enter into the kingdom of God”.
- Matthew 19:24.
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the
other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot
serve both God and Money”.
- Matthew 6:24.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin
destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where
thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your
heart will be also.”.
- Matthew 6:19-21.
“Love your neighbour as yourself”.
- Luke 10:27
Topic 6: Religious Attitudes to World Poverty.
How can a religious person help the poor?
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Campaigning – to raise public awareness so that more people donate.
Education – giving their time to go into school to raise awareness of poverty.
Raising money for charities – which help world poverty.
Volunteering – offering their skills to help others through the Voluntary Service
Organisation (e.g. a doctor offers to vaccinate children in an LEDC).
Pray – for those in LEDCs.
Buying fair-trade – ensures that producers in the third world are receiving a
fair wage for the work that they do.
Why should Muslims help the poor?
One of Muhammad's teachings says that those who do not help the poor are 'miserly' (mean) at
the expense of their own soul. Allah is the creator of all human life, and therefore Muslims
should help others when they are need – not to do so could prevent a soul from entering paradise
on Yawmuddin (The Day of Judgment). This is supported by the following teachings:
1. “Those who store up possessions in this lifetime... their works are fruitless in this
world and the hereafter and they will lose all spiritual good” (Qur'an ).
2. “He who eats and drinks whilst his brother goes hungry is not one of us” (Hadith).
3. “For the love of Allah give from your wealth to your relatives, to orphans, the
needy, to the traveler, to those who ask” (Qur'an).
Most Muslims will also follow the Five Pillars of Islam - one of which is Zakah. This teaching
states that all Muslims who can afford to should donate 2.5% of their income to the Mosque.
The Mosque then distributes the money to those in need in the local community.
Other quotes on wealth and poverty
“They sell newspapers they cannot read, sew clothes they cannot wear, polish cars they will
never own and construct buildings where they will never live. They cannot make history, they are
condemned to suffer it... as wealth drains ever faster from the South to the North of the
world”.
- Eduardo Galeano (a Christian leader)
(In other words, people in the South often end up making products for those who live in the
North, even though they will never get to own anything like it themselves).
“A Church that is in solidarity with the poor can never be a wealthy church. It must sell all... to
follow its master (God). It must use its wealth for the sake of the least”.
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu (a Christian leader)
(A church that truly follows God cannot be wealthy whilst there are poor people in the world).