Wealth and Poverty summary notes
Causes of hunger Poverty and disease
- Inequality between rich west and poor developing /third world
- Developing countries have poor water and food supplies / poor healthcare and education /huge national debts often to western countries / often suffer extreme weather and natural disaster
- Many argue that exploitation through colonialism in the past and by multi-national corporations contributes to poverty
Christian teaching about concern for the poor
- Care for poor was central to Jesus teaching and his example
- His two greatest commandments commanded love for God and love for neighbour
- Old Testament law instructed people to leave crops in fields for the poor to gather
- Old Testament prophets encouraged justice and fair treatment of poor especially widows and orphans
- Jesus claimed he came to bring ‘good news to the poor.’
- The Roman Catholic Church teaches Christians to have a ‘bias towards the poor,’ because the Bible seems to show God being on the side of the poor.
- Jesus said, ‘Blessed are the poor for yours is the Kingdom of God’
- In the parable of the sheep and the goats, the righteous feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit prisoners. They are rewarded at the judgement.
- In the parable of the Good Samaritan, a man is commended for helping out a victim of robbery who would have been his enemy.