Christians believe that wealth is something, which can be used for good or for evil, and so, in itself is not a bad thing. Christians can only gain money in lawful and moral ways and when they have wealth, it is a gift from God not theirs alone.

GCSE Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)

Tobi T. Bankole

Christians believe that wealth is something, which can be used for good or for evil, and so, in itself is not a bad thing. Christians can only gain money in lawful and moral ways and when they have wealth, it is a gift from God not theirs alone. Many biblical teachings show that if you have the wrong attitude to money, wealth can lead you away from God.

This is what Jesus believed as he had very strong views about the responsibility for the poor and the needy. Jesus told many parables (parables are stories with a moral) and among some of them is “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 in truth” (1 John 3:17,18). This meant that Jesus wanted people to provide for the poor and needy.

Jesus told many parables that are linked to wealth and poverty. In the parable of the Good Samaritan Jesus showed that the commandment to Christians to love God and their neighbour meant they must help anyone who is in trouble whether they live near or far. Jesus also told the parable of the shepherd and the goats which was the about the end of the world. He said everyone would be judged for his or her good and bad deeds. He said that the shepherd would split the good and the bad people up like sheep and goats. All the good would be sent to heaven while all the bad would be sent to hell. This was because the good had helped the poor and needy when they needed it most and the bad did not. In Timothy 6:9-10 Jesus said “ 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 root of all kinds of evil”. He meant that people who wanted to get rich by all means would fall into evil and wouldn’t share their wealth and therefore go to hell. In Mark 10:21-23 it says “Jesus looked at him and loved him. ‘One thing you lack’, he said. ‘Go sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and you will have all the treasure in heaven. Then come follow me’. At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad because he had great wealth. Jesus looked round and said to his disciples, ‘How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God”. By this he meant that rich people would find it difficult to enter heaven as they would not share their wealth with the needy. In Matthew 6:24, Jesus explained that people cannot serve two masters. It can either be one or the other and that people would have to choose between God and money. In 1 John 3:17-18 Jesus said if anyone is rich and their friend is poor, how can the love of God be in them? He says this as people increasingly leave their friends when in need. In James 2:14-17 Jesus says that it is no good if a person had a friend what good would it be if they had no food or clothes and the person didn’t offer to help them. This would be wrong, as the person would be leaving his/her friend and would not be a ‘Good Samaritan’.

There are many attitudes from different churches about wealth and poverty. In the catechism of the Catholic Church it says “ God bless those who come to the aid of the poor and rebukes those who turn away from them… Love for the poor is incompatible with immoderate use of riches or their selfish use”. They teach that it is good to help the poor. The catechism of the Church of England is “The church should concern itself first, and indeed second, with the poor and needy, whether in spirit or in body”. They too support what the Catholic ...

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In the religion of Islam Muslims believe that wealth is something that is given from God for the benefit of human beings and therefore it is something to be shared. To the people of Islam it is not an option to share their wealth but a command from God in the religious pillar of Zakah. Zakah means purification and many people believe that giving Zakah purifies the money that is left and that no harm will come to them. Muslims pay Zakah annually and it is two and a half percent of their income and savings. They also pay a special Zakah to the poor and needy on their major festivals of Idul’Fit’r and Idul’Adha.

Zakah is the third of the five pillars of Islam and it means the giving of alms. Muslims believe that if they give Zakah they will receive no harm or injury. Zakah can be used for many different reasons and it is a form of worship for those of the Islamic religion. Muslims believe that Zakah is a deep humanitarian and social-political value. This religious act prevents the hoarding of the wealth and advocates solidarity amongst Muslims because excessive wealth is distributed amongst the poor. In this context, business and projects refer to any form of trading activities that generate income. Zakah is only payable on businesses which are owned by Muslims. If both a Muslim and a non-Muslim own a business, only the Muslim’s share of the business is subject to Zakah.

Even the Qur’ an teaches that is right to give Zakah. “Those who in charity spend of their goods by night and day, in secret and in public, have their reward with their lord.” (Taken from Qur’ an 2:274). This clearly shows that it supports the third pillar of Islam. In Qur’ an 2:284 it says, “If the debtor is in any difficulty, grant him time to repay. But if ye remit it by way of charity, that is best for you if ye only knew.” What the Qur’ an is trying to say is that even if a person gives the money away the Lord counts it as a blessing. In the Hadith it says, “He who eats and drinks whilst his brother goes hungry is not one of us.” And what it is trying to say is that whoever does not give Zakah to anyone in need, is not a true Muslim. A true Muslim would not be able to watch someone go hungry knowing they had enough food to eat.

This proves that the Islamic religion has the same sort of belief as the Christian religion and it is right for people to always help the poor and the needy and assist them in any way possible.

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