What do Christians teach about the causes of hunger and disease?
Alex Cresswell
GCSE Religious Education Coursework
I have chosen to tackle parts i) and ii) of question a) as one answer, as I feel my answer is stronger when the two sections are combined to support each other.
a) i) What do Christians teach about the causes of hunger and disease?
ii) Explain the biblical teachings they might use.
Christianity teaches that the root cause of almost all suffering, including hunger and disease, is injustice. Injustice occurs when people fail to respect each other, and can happen as a result of prejudice, which can lead to discrimination. An example of discrimination would be the parable of The Good Samaritan, in which certain individuals ignore a wounded man in the street because they deem him inferior to themselves because of his race. Romans 13:8 stresses just how important is it to respect each other: "For he that loveth his neighbour, hath fulfilled the law." Here, Paul is telling us that us that the command to love our neighbour fulfils the whole law. James Chapter 1 talks about favouritism and condemns it as a sin. Favouritism is clearly a form of discrimination that can occur as a result of prejudice, and an example of showing favouritism can clearly be seen in the parable of The Good Samaritan, when the people who do not 'favour' the wounded Samaritan ignore him and walk by.
Wealth is one cause of prejudice, when, for example, a rich man deems himself superior to a poor man. God sees all people as equal in His sight, and so obviously, discrimination is against God's will. Galatians 3:28 stresses equality when it says, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Jesus told us to "love your neighbour as you love yourself", but unfortunately it is human nature to commit sin and we can end up being prejudiced without realising it.
Injustice can take many forms, but one of the most prominent causes of hunger and disease is distribution of wealth, be it on a local or international scale. Timothy 6:9-10 says: "The love of money is the root of all evils." Similarly, Matthew 6:24 says, "You cannot be the slave of both God and money." Many of the Less Developed Countries (LDCs) have uneven distributions of wealth leading to poverty-stricken masses and super-rich minorities. Approximately 20% of the world's population have insufficient food. Ironically, whilst the poorer people of the world are starving to death, the richer people are more concerned with losing weight and worrying about eating too much food! Lack of wealth can lead to unhygienic and deteriorated living conditions, which is a perfect environment for disease to spread.
War is another factor that can hold back development, leading to poor living conditions and destruction of crops, which also results in hunger and disease. The mass majority of the world's wealth is spent on weapons for the military, whilst only a tiny percentage of that gigantic sum would be enough to eradicate world hunger forever.
Debt is another significant factor that has lead to the further deterioration of many developing countries. Matt 6:12 says, "forgive our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors", which suggests that not forgiving a debt would be a sin. Also, in Leviticus Chapter 25, God required Israel to forgive all debts owed, which is an example of God's forgiveness, which Christians ought to follow. The fact that banks in developed countries charged massive amounts of interest on loans taken out by LDCs is another example of injustice, as the more developed countries were being greedy as they were already rich. Luke 12:15 clearly outlines greed as a sin when it says, "Watch out and guard yourself from all types of greed; because one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
Natural disasters are a more natural factor that can account for destruction of crops and villages in some countries, which literally cripples a country's economy, especially if they are already in debt. Although natural disasters are not generally caused by humanity, we are still not entirely without blame. It has already been proved that the massive amounts of waste gases that we release into the atmosphere have lead to adverse weather conditions and global warming. Gases released from factories in the UK have poisoned many lakes in Scandinavia, killing millions of fish and leaving a permanent scar on ...
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Natural disasters are a more natural factor that can account for destruction of crops and villages in some countries, which literally cripples a country's economy, especially if they are already in debt. Although natural disasters are not generally caused by humanity, we are still not entirely without blame. It has already been proved that the massive amounts of waste gases that we release into the atmosphere have lead to adverse weather conditions and global warming. Gases released from factories in the UK have poisoned many lakes in Scandinavia, killing millions of fish and leaving a permanent scar on the environment. In April 26, 1986 Chernobyl's nuclear reactor number 4 exploded, spreading deadly radiation over a massive radius. To this day, there are still people suffering from radiation related diseases as a result of this event in countries as far away as Italy; this is one disaster that we cannot blame on God.
In the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, Jesus accused people of ignoring Him in His time of need, to which they said, "Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?" Jesus then replied, "Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me." He was highlighting the fact that ignoring the needs of a suffering person is as great a sin as inflicting the suffering on them yourself. Ignoring problems is another major cause of suffering, and it can lead to a problem escalating when nothing is done about it - take the current situation in Afghanistan for example. At the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Bishops said, "Feed the man dying of hunger, because if you not feed him you are killing him", which again supports the fact that turning a blind eye to the poor is as great a sin as any. Acts 2:42-45 says, "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone in need." This highlights all the core aspects of Christianity, including fellowship with Christ, breaking of bread, prayer, as well as stressing the importance of giving to those in need, which we can only interpret as being yet other central aspect that all Christians should live by to fulfil their duties.
To look upon the causes of suffering from a more simple perspective, we can say that almost all suffering is caused by what we do, or fail to do. It is humanity's own greed that squanders our worldly resources, and leads to so much suffering. The alarming increase in many diseases, such as cancer and asthma, are the direct result of our contamination of the environment e.g. Poisoning Scandinavian lakes, Chernobyl disaster etc. God must not be seen as a scapegoat for our sins. As President Kennedy once said, "Here on earth God's work must truly be our own."
Far from wanting people to suffer, God sent Jesus to lead us out of suffering. For example, rigorous training causes athletes pain, but they accept their "suffering" as the best way to condition their bodies, and in the same way Christians must accept their suffering as the best way to holiness.
Unfortunately many people are under the misapprehension that it is God's will for us to suffer. Mark 1:32-24 says that evil is a very real force in this world, a force not of God's making. Jesus never punished anyone with sickness or hunger - instead he healed. Romans 8:28 tells us that in everything God works for good with those who love Him. Another common misapprehension is that suffering is a direct result of sin - a belief that Jesus challenged. John 9:13 says, "As Jesus walked along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, was it his sin or that of his parents that caused him to be blind?" "Neither," answered Jesus, "it was no sin, either of this man or of his parents. Rather it was to let God's work show forth in him.""
Jesus wanted us to understand that suffering, far from being God's retribution, is an occasion for God's love to be demonstrated. When Christians provide help and support to those who are hungry and suffering, they can transform suffering into a living example of God's love.
b) Using CAFOD or CARITAS, explain how Catholics may respond to world hunger and disease.
CAFOD was established in 1962 by Catholic Churches of England and Wales. It is a Christian relief and development agency that helps very poor people overseas. In John's gospel it says, "Children, our love must not be just words or mere talk, but something active and genuine." John is emphasising the fact that Christians should not just want to help the poor, but actually get out there and do it. Obviously it is impractical for many Christians to physically travel abroad and 'help' the poor, especially seen as 'help' has such a broad meaning. CAFOD gives Christians the ability to indirectly help the poor by sending money to buy food and clothes, which will be transported abroad. This is a much more focused and specific goal for Christians, rather than merely the vague and unachieveable idea of 'helping the poor', which could mean literally anything. The Second Great Commandment is "Love your neighbour as you love yourself" which is the basis of Christianity. At the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Bishops said, "Feed the man dying of hunger, because if you not feed him you are killing him." When you combine this idea with 'loving your neighbour', it becomes obvious that we cannot be fulfilling the Second Great Commandment if we ignore the poor; if we are to obey this commandment, we must respond to world hunger. It is easy enough to say that we care about the poor, but if we do not do something focused and effective then we cannot be 'loving our neighbour'. Isaiah 58 says, "Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear, and do not refuse to help your own relatives." Christians should try their best to follow in Christ's footsteps, and there are countless quotes from the New Testament stressing the importance of alms-giving, including "Go and sell what you own and give your money to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven."(from Mark 10:21-23). The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, "God blesses those who come to the aid of the poor." In 1982, John Paul II said, "I hope that through programmes such as the Catholic Fund for Overseas Development, you will continue to help the poor, to feed the hungry and to contribute to the cause of development."
In Matthew 6:1-6, Jesus talks about self-glorification, in the sense that many people have the tendency to show off. Alms giving is one of the primary methods in which many people do this; but Jesus taught us to give alms in secret if possible, in the same way that he taught us to pray in private. An example of self-glorification can be found in Mark 12:41-44, when the rich people gave huge sums of money to charity in order to show off their wealth. It says, "And [Jesus] sat down opposite the treasury [of the Temple], and watched the multitude putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came, and put in two copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, her whole living." We can understand Jesus' words to a greater extent when we look at Matthew 10:42, "And whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he shall not lose his reward." Therefore, by focusing on this particular teaching, we can see that as long as we give money to charity with the genuine intention to help those in need, we are in accordance with Jesus' teaching. Acts 20:35 further strengthens the importance of giving when it says, "It is more blessed to give than to receive".
Luke 18:22 further strengthens the idea of giving to the poor - "There is still one more thing you need to do. Sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven; then come and follow me".
c) 'Christians are responsible for each other - no matter where in the world they live.'
Christianity teaches strongly that a Christian is responsible for the well being of all around them. Christians must remember that no matter where a needy person lives, they are directly responsible for that person's well being. The idea of the world being a 'global village' coveys the idea that everyone is our neighbour and should receive the same attention that we give to those in the immediate vicinity of our homes. The question is - where do we draw the line that indicates where our home ends, and the rest of the world begins? A Christian who limits his scope to those who are within his reach cannot be considered to be 'loving his neighbour' to its fullest meaning. The act of a person ignoring those in need is called indifference, and is described in the story of Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31, when a rich man ignores the needs of a beggar named Lazarus outside his house.
God created us in His image, and intended us to follow in Christ's footsteps in order to fulfil His will. Christ cared for all people, whether they were beggars (like Lazarus) or tax collectors (like Zaccheus), and wanted us to the same, and not to discriminate. Ephesians 5:1 says, "be imitators of God, as dearly loved children", which supports the idea that we should follow Christ's example. Similarly, Leviticus 19:2 says, "'be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy".
Wherever we go, our parents are responsible for us, and in the same way God, our Father, is also responsible for us, because we are his children. When we 'imitate God', we must also consider ourselves responsible for all those around us. In the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." His use of the word 'brothers' to describe humanity suggests a bond between all people, and a responsibility to each other identical to that which is found between close family members.
Jesus also expressed the need for us not to 'pick and choose' who we should love and who we shouldn't. In Luke 6:27-28, Jesus said, "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you. And pray for those who spitefully use you." Recognising equality amongst people is an important aspect of Christianity. Why do you think the Book of Genesis talks about God creating the world and all it contains for all people? It is because He sees everybody as equal in His eyes, and Christians too should take this attitude. John 15:13 says, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." Here, Jesus was not telling us to literally 'lay down our life' for someone, but simply to put our own life to one side and consider the needs of others, and to pray for them. John 15:12 says, "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."
It does not matter whether or not we know the person that we have a responsibility for as a Christian, and John 4:19 supports this idea when it says; "We love Him because He first loved us." This means that we should love another person because that person is a part of Christ, and Christ loves us.
From another point of view however, it is not always easy to show responsibility to those who are beyond our physical reach e.g. starving children in Rwanda. For example, our parents are responsible for us, and up to a certain age, they must provide us with everything we need in order to be fulfilling their responsibility to the fullest. So if we, as Christians, are not literally providing our 'neighbour' with everything they physically need, how can we be fulfilling our responsibility towards them as Christians? If we simply limit ourselves to helping a particular group of people (i.e. the homeless in our local area) are we not showing favouritism towards them, and discriminating against others in need because we are not helping those as well? (i.e. starving people in other countries). The problem is that is it not always practical to provide support to those who live so far away, and this can be compared to the concept of indifference found in the story of Lazarus in the Bible (Luke 16:19-31) when a rich man (i.e. the rich world) ignored the needs of a poor man (i.e. the poor world). If we do not attempt to help those in need, regardless of where they live, are we not as bad as the rich man?
Bibliography
I made use of the following sources to support my answers:
* the Internet (particularly www.unification .net/ws for relevant scripture passages, and www.bbc.co.uk for relevant non-religious quotes and information)
* the Bible
* 'Catholic Christianity Today' by V.W. Watton,
* 'Today's Issues and Christian Beliefs' by Simon & Christopher Danes
* 'GCSE Religious Studies Christianity' by Micheal Foley & Gordon Geddes
