Religion and life - Wealth and Poverty.

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Wealth and Poverty

Poverty is hunger. Poverty is lack of shelter. Poverty is being sick and not being able to see a doctor. Poverty is not being able to go to school and not knowing how to read. Poverty is not having a job, is fear for the future, living one day at a time. Poverty is losing a child to illness brought about by unclean water. Poverty is powerlessness, lack of representation and freedom. This being the definition of poverty wealth can be seen as the opposite of this. However there are dimensions of poverty.

One way of defining poverty is in absolute terms. Absolute poverty is characterised by the lack of basic needs and necessities such as food, clothing and shelter.

Poverty can be caused due to a number of reasons including war, natural disasters, debt and trading inequalities.

Outline Christian and Jewish teaching on wealth and poverty

Most Christians should have few problems understanding the duty that the Bible places on them to take the issue of poverty seriously. The Old and New Testaments are both full of injunctions to be compassionate to the poor. Under God's ideal plan for Israel, poverty ought not to have existed at all (Deuteronomy 15:4: Save when there shall be no poor among you; for the LORD shall greatly bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it) but it was recognised that the reality of human nature would not allow it to be eradicated.

In words that would later be echoed by Jesus Himself (Matthew 26:11), Deuteronomy 15:11 states that "the poor you will always have with you in the land". However poverty was so clearly contrary to the divine purpose that there was a special duty to strive to relieve it as far as possible.

Christians believe that wealth is something which can be used for good and evil and so is not a bad thing. When Christians gain money they believe it is not theirs alone due to it being a gift from God, and therefore one should not have the wrong attitude to money as it can lead you away from God.

People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.

- 1 Timothy 6:9-10

When one has money to spare one must use it wisely and be careful not to be consumed by greed and temptation. Christians also believe that rich nations have a grave moral responsibility towards those which are unable to ensure the means of their development by themselves.

Jesus once told a parable that when judgement day came the good and the bad would be separated. The good would be sent to heaven. Jesus said to these people: "When I was hungry you fed me. When I was thirsty, you gave me a drink, when I was naked you clothed me. When I was sick or in prison you visited me." When the good people asked when they had done this Jesus replied, "When you did it for the least of my brothers, you did it for me". The bad were told that they were going to hell because they had not done any of these - Based on Matthew 25:31-46. Christians believe that they should share their wealth with the poor as God blesses those who give aid to the poor.

In the parable of the Good Samaritan Jesus showed that the commandment to love God and love their neighbour means they must help anyone who needs it whether they live next door to you or far away -Luke 10:25-37.

According to the New Testament riches must be used for the help of others, especially the poor. Christians believe that all humans are equal in the eyes of God and that all the good things of the earth have been given to us by God to use to help each other.

If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and truth. - 1 John 3:17,18

Jesus once said, "Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of heaven is yours". He himself was a wandering preacher with few possessions. He was not wealthy. When he died he wore the only possessions he owned.
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He praised poverty and condemned wealth and possessions by saying. He said that it would be difficult for rich people to get into the kingdom of God for, "It is easier for the camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into the kingdom of God." He said this to a rich man who asked him what he should do to get eternal life. Jesus told him to keep the commandments. When the rich man said he had always done this Jesus replied: "You lack one thing. Sell everything you ...

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