"There should be no Rich Christians as long as there is Poverty in the World" Do you agree?

GCSE Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)

“There should be no Rich Christians as long as there is Poverty in the World” Do you agree?

There is a difference in wealth between the north/south divide. The Rich north obtains nearly four fifths of the worlds income whereas the Poor South has only one fifth. The North is rich and the South is poverty-stricken. By the word “rich I mean in a material sense - the north has plenty of material and financial wealth whereas the South has very little. However, for many people in the south, being materially wealthy is not something they desire, and they are therefore spiritually rich. It is impossible for many in the Rich North to be spiritually rich “oh how hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God”. Although, if they were to share their riches with the poor (as the bible encourages them to do) then having money, when used for the benefit of others is a good thing. 'For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.' Timothy 6:10.

It is possible for world equality to be accomplished. The amount of money that requires appears a lot but when compared with the amount spent in HDC’s on various things (such as cosmetics and ice cream) it appears to be a small amount. The following statistics are taken from the 1999 United Nations Human Development Report. Basic education, water and sanitation, and basic health and nutrition for every human on the planet would cost $28 billion. But that is $8 billion less than is spent on American cosmetics, ice cream in Europe and pet foods ...

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It is thought by many that having no rich Christians while there is poverty in the world would be ridiculous. Having a certain number of rich Christians means that charities are able to operate. These charities help not only materially poor but spiritually poor to gain a better standard of life (before and after death.) If the Christians who donate to these charities were not rich, they would not be as effective. According to Mark 14:7 “you will always have the poor with you” which shows there are always going to be rich and poor people in the world. Also, without the rich Christians there are, there would be no funding for the poor.

Others believe that the idea of having rich Christians while there is poverty in the world is morally unethical. They believe that if all of the wealth in the world was shared then the poor could finally choose for themselves what they would like doing about their lives, instead of having some charity do it for them. They also believe that anyone who is rich is spiritually poor, and therefore should share their riches and follow in the steps of Jesus by giving generously.

In conclusion, I am for and against the idea of having no rich Christians whilst there is poverty in the world. I believe that those who set up charities and use them for the benefit of the rich and the poor need material riches. However, I also feel that everything in the world should be shared with everyone. It seems unjust that because someone was born in Great Britain they have an abundance of possessions and riches compared with someone born in Asia.

Abbie Taylor 10KG