Faith and love go together for Christians:
‘Faith by itself if it is not accompanied by action is dead…I will show you my faith by what I do.’ James 2:17-18
This implies that the Christian should show their faith by loving and serving others.
‘If anyone has material possessions and seize his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him.’ 1 John 3:17
These verses give an example of how Christians should lay down their lives for others – to help those in need.
When Jesus was asked to define what he meant by ‘neighbour’, he told the well known parable of the good Samaritan which is found in Luke chapter 10. Jesus paints the scene of a man lying mugged by the side of a road. Two kind of religious leaders, a priest and a Levite pass him without stopping. The audience expect a third person to come by and help the victim who will be an ordinary layman, a fellow Jew. But Jesus surprises them. The third man is a Samaritan, an enemy. Jesus shows that loving your neighbour means acting when you meet a person in need, even if it is an enemy or an inconvenience to you. Jesus tells the people not to sit about debating who counts as your neighbour but to go out and be a good neighbour as the need arises. Christians believe that their neighbour is not just the person who looks like them, but people of all races throughout the world who are all bound together in the human family.
Jesus bases this love for enemies on the example of God. As the creator God, involved with every detail of the universe, he does not discriminate between deserving and undeserving human beings. He sends the essential gifts of sun and rain on all. Those who love him, who are under his rule, must love others with the same unrestricted love.
Christians believe they have a responsibility to care for Gods creation. This includes the physical earth and the people that live in it. To love God and your neighbour implies that Christians should get involved in peoples lives and help them when they need it even if it is an inconvenience. Dr Martin Luther King said, ‘We need to affirm the sacredness of all human life. Every person is somebody because she or he is a child of God.’ In other words, every person is important to God and Christians should live their lives to help others and respect the world they live in.
Religion, Poverty and Wealth Rachel Stevens
Religious Studies Coursework
b.) How might Christians best fulfil their responsibilities towards the world
today?
Christians in the world today have many ways in which they can best fulfil their responsibilities towards it. A lot of Christians see that there are many problems with the world and feel that they need to take an active part in improving these issues. Three key areas that many see as problems in the world today are: environmental issues, our responsibilities to and for animals, and poverty. Environmental issues are seen to be of great importance today. For many people the environmental destruction has become the greatest threat to the human race. Some Christians may join ‘The Friends of the Earth,’ which deals with a host of environmental issues with the aim to save the planet. This dedicated campaigning minority has succeeded in alerting the public to ‘green concerns.’ Nearly everybody nowadays is aware of the destruction of the Amazonian rain forest, the depletion of the ozone layer, the green house effect, and the slaughter of whales, elephants and seals.
There seem to be four main areas of widespread environmental concern. The first is population growth, the second is resource depletion and loss of biodiversity, the third is waste disposal and the forth is the damaged atmosphere which includes ozone depletion and global warming. Together these cause an interlocking global crisis.
Christians see that God has given them dominion over the earth. They are caretakers of Gods property. Christians feel that humans are not landowners but the bailiffs who should manage and farm it on Gods behalf. Christians think they should therefore manage the earth responsibly and productively. Because of human greed vast areas of America, Africa and Asia are now deserts or dust bowls. Each year ten trees are cut down for every one replanted, which has resulted in the loss of nearly half the tropical rain forest in the world.
Many Christians have found ways in which they can take a part in fulfilling their responsibilities to these environmental concerns. The most common approach Christians have taken is praying about these problems. However many feel that a more active approach is needed for these issues to be sorted out. Christians may choose to use their votes in favour of candidates who show concern for environmental issues. Or perhaps they might become involved in protests about environmental issues, by writing to MP’s or taking part in marching and demonstrations. Some Christians choose to cut down the amount they waste at home by choosing products with packaging that can be recycled wherever possible. For example, people make garden composts, or put their glass bottles in a bottle bank. Such stores as Oxfam are a good way to recycle clothes. Christians may feel that making an effort to use less fuel in the home is a way of looking after the planet. This can be done by buying energy efficient household appliances, insulating your home properly to loose less heat, or by investigating the use of solar power. Some Christians also choose to organise car sharing, or to walk or cycle to work/church/etc. This is to reduce the number of cars on the road and the energy consumption and pollution that is a result from too much traffic. Some Christians even choose to join organisations that work to provoke conservation.
Our responsibilities towards animals are another key area of concern today. There is much public debate about various practices such as vivisection, intensive farming, the shipping and slaughter of animals for food, the caging of wild animals and the use of animals for sport where the animals welfare is not respected, for example, dog fights and fox hunting.
From looking at the Bible many Christians believe that God is asking them to look after animals. Psalm 104 tells Christians that God is concerned for animals by giving them life, food and water. According to Proverbs 12:10 ‘a righteous man cares for the needs of his animals.’ Christians therefore feel that it is their responsibility to respect and care for the animals of this planet. There are many ways in which Christians can help prevent cruelty to animals. For example Christians can protest against all perceived cruelty to animals and campaign for their humane treatment in all circumstances. Some support organisations such as the RSPCA or the RSPCB.
Poverty is another key area in which Christians feel they should have responsibility in. Poverty is not just a problem for the third world countries. In the United States in 1995 there were 36.4 million people living below the poverty line. In Britain in 1995 there were still 9.7 million people living on incomes at or below the level of supplementary benefit. There are almost 6 billion inhabitants on earth, a quarter of whom remain in severe poverty. In the developing world only 68% of the population have access to safe drinking water. Almost two billion people in the third world are without access to proper sanitation farcicalities that cause diseases which are responsible for more than 35% of the deaths of young children in Africa, Asia and South America. Whereas one-fifth of the world population lack the basic necessities for survival, more than another one-fifth live in wealth and consume about four-fifths of the worlds income.
Christians follow their teaching from the Bible when dealing with their responsibility with the poor. Deuteronomy 15:7-8 says, ‘If there are poor among you, in one of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be selfish or greedy towards them. But give freely to them and freely lend them whatever they need.’ Jesus made friends with the needy and fed the hungry. He told his disciples to sell their possessions and give to the poor. Christians therefore feel that they should also care for those in poverty. There are many different ways in which they choose to respond to this. Many choose to support charities like Christian Aid and The Red Cross. This can be done by either giving money or actively joining the organisation and travelling around the world to help people in countries hit with a crisis. The charities Tearcraft and Traidcraft work to provide employment opportunities, fair wages and a new sense of dignity for craft workers in countries such as Bangladesh, Peru and South Africa. Christians can support these charities by buying the products that are produced in these countries at fair triad costs. Tearfund is another organisation which some Christians choose to support by giving money to help food related projects in some of the worlds poorest regions or chances to support and educate poor children all over the world. The Oasis trust is a Christian charity that focuses its activities on the poor and marginalized in society. It has set up housing and health care for the homeless in Britain. It works directly with partners in 13 countries around the world to help the world’s poorest people. Again Christians can give money to help fund this organisation, or students can take gap years to volunteer and help the charity.
Many Christians feel that they have a responsibility to look after all aspects of this world. In the past Christian organisations have done a lot in improving the serious issues in the world. For example, schools, hospitals and refuges for the outcast have been set up. Christians helped abolish the slave trade and freed the slaves. They also improved the conditions of workers in mills, mines and the prisoners in jails. They have protected children from commercial exploitation in the factories of the West and from ritual prostitution in the temples of the East.
Religion, Poverty and Wealth Rachel Stevens
Religious Studies Coursework
-
The problems of the 3rd World Communities are ‘their own fault.’
Do you agree? Give reasons to support your answer and show that you have thought of different points of view. You must refer to Christianity in your answer.
There are many problems for Third World countries. The main problem is poverty. This is due to many causes. For example unfair trade, drought, famine, AIDS, debt, lack of education, war and conflict, lack of health care and an oversized population.
Personally I don’t think that the problems of Third World Communities are their own fault. Most of these poor people are born into their situations. Therefore you cannot blame them. I believe that it is due to the selfishness and greed of many developed countries that has put these Third World Communities in this situation.
However some people feel that Third World countries have caused their own problems. For example these developing countries have cut down many of their own trees that has caused floods, landslides and soil erosion which has led to infertile land for growing their crops. Some people would argue that the Third World have too many children for their families to look after and they spread AIDS by their lack of moral responsibility. People would also say that wars which ‘they started’ have lead to starvation in many African countries. All these factors are believed by many individuals to be the fault of the Third World and therefore they have put themselves in this situation.
On the other hand if you look more closely at these problems in the 3rd World you can see that it often is not their own fault, but a lack of basic necessities of life and unfair trade agreements with developed countries. Third world countries used to sell mainly raw materials. Today they also sell manufactured goods; especially those that need intensive labour. Developed countries use third world communities to make goods because wages are lower there than in their own country. This means that it costs manufactures less to make goods, however it also means that the Third World are paid small wages and can therefore not afford a decent lifestyle. Therefore it is the developed world’s fault because they need to pay them bigger wages. They has already been some help in this area with fair trade agreements, some companies have agreed to pay higher more stable prices for Third World producers. Many Christian organisations support these fair trade agreements.
Also, one cannot argue that it is the fault of Third world communities having too many children when they don’t have access to contraception and basic healthcare. They need free or affordable healthcare to help prevent diseases like AIDS spreading. Education is also needed to inform these people of the cause of the spread of these diseases. Education is vital to getting themselves out of the vicious circle of poverty. Affordable, secure food supplies are also needed to prevent malnutrition. People cannot argue that it is the fault of third world communities for cutting down trees and creating infertile land, because they needed to make money by selling the wood. Also, many people in the Third world cannot grow their own food anyway because much of the land has been taken over by large businesses, often to grow crops for export. It is the greed of the developed world that is adding to the problems of the poor countries.
Over the years these Third World countries debts have been increasingly rising. They also have to pay interest on top of these debts. This means they cannot afford to spend enough on basic services like health and education; nor on things like transport or communications which might attract investment. The UNDP Human Development Report in 1997 stated that, “What poor countries in Africa spend on debt repayments each year could save the lives of 3 million children and prevent 1 million cases of malnutrition.” In the 1980’s when recession hit the industrialised world, they raised interest rates, including rates on loans to the Third World. At the same time the Third World countries were not earning so much money from their exports, the price of everything was going down. In other words they were earning less but having to pay more. The developed world should not have done this because they knew that the Third world would not be able to pay such high interest rates. It just meant that these countries were dropped deeper into the realms of poverty making it harder for them to ever climb out of it. The Jubilee 2000, Debt cutter’s handbook stated that, “In 1993 rich countries took back £3 in debt repayments for every £1 given in aid.” It is easy to see why these Third World countries are having problems, it also tells us that many developed words are simply making it harder for the Third World when they have no need to.
Many Christians believe that they should take action in helping these countries. Psalm 24:1 says “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and all who live in it.” God has created us single people (human race) and placed us in a single habitat (planet earth). In other words all people are to share in its God giving riches. Christians see that all people have equal worth and each person should have equal opportunity to develop his or her God given potential for the common good. Millions of people are unable to develop their human potential which Christians see as being an offence to God who gave gifts to them to be used and developed, not wasted. Many Christians therefore support programmes which give people opportunities for education. Christians also believe in supporting fair trade deals to give the people a chance to earn decent wages.
Christians believe that the present situation in the Third World is not God’s fault (because he has provided plenty of resources in the earth and sea), nor is it the fault of the poor (because they were mostly born into it, although some government leaders are to blame for corruption), nor is it necessarily the fault of the developed world (although in the past some ancestors may have had a share in creating it). It is instead the responsibility of those who have plenty to share with the Third world so that they can overcome their poverty. Christians believe they have a duty to make sure the situation does not continue.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that, “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of him/herself and his/her family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social service. Everyone has the right to education.’ As we know 3rd World countries often do not have these basic rights. More needs to be done by the developed world to ensure a normal lifestyle for these communities.
