Ask the Religion Experts:
What role can religion realistically play in the eradications of poverty?
The Ottawa Citizen December 19, 2010 10:02 AM
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Rev. RICK REED is senior pastor at the Metropolitan Bible Church in Ottawa.
It’s staggering to know that over a billion people live in extreme poverty. This sad reality is the motivation behind a growing global movement to make poverty history.
Historically, Christians have been at the forefront of efforts to alleviate poverty—both locally and globally. I’ve been encouraged to see Christians in our city get involved in the fight against poverty in very personal and practical ways.
Many have committed to sponsor a child living in an impoverished family. With the help of agencies like Compassion International, we are able to provide a child with food, clothes and schooling for about a dollar a day.
Some churches have adopted an entire village, developing an ongoing relationship that allows for friendship and financial investment in the community. Over time, homes, schools, play yards and water wells are constructed as long-term relationships are formed.
On a local level, I know of several churches that cooperate to offer a welcoming place and a warm meal to needy folks who live in the downtown core of our city.
But eradicating poverty cannot be accomplished merely though the giving of food and finances. As Jesus said, “Man does not live by bread alone” (Matthew 4:4). The most crushing kind of poverty is one that starves the spirit, leaving a person famished for hope.
That’s why Christians seek to fight poverty in a holistic way. We are called to help feed both body and soul. So we bring bread to hungry people but also point them to Jesus, the one who is “the Bread of Life” (John 6:35). We drill wells but we also tell people about the “living water” that Jesus offers to every thirsty soul (John 7:37-38).
Christians are committed to helping in the fight against poverty—both the physical and spiritual kind.
ABDUL RASHID is a member of the Ottawa Muslim community, the Christian-Muslim Dialogue and the Capital Region Interfaith Council.
Unequal natural endowments result in unequal earnings and wealth. While Islam recognizes this inequality, it makes it a religious obligation to share our good fortune with the less fortunate (Holy Qur’an, 2:177). It defines true believers as those “who believe in the Unseen, are steadfast in prayer and spend out of what We have bestowed on them” (2:3).
The evil of entrenched poverty and inequality is so destructive of the social fibre that Islam provides, besides moral persuasion, legal measures for its alleviation. It prescribes a compulsory levy of 2.5 per cent, known as Zakah, on all savings retained for a year (9:60) to help the needy. It also ordains a wide distribution of inheritance to avoid entrenchment of wealth in a few hands.
The bounty and generosity of God Almighty is infinite. The way to express our gratitude and love for the Him is through expenditure to help the poor. We do not have to be very rich to spend in the way of God. Our Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, gave preference to “a dollar over a hundred dollars,” if a person with great wealth donated one hundred dollars while another person with only two dollars gave away one of these.
Nothing will bring the members of a society closer together than the fact that those who are in a position of ease are at all times willing to help so that those who are in need can always have a sense of belonging to the society. This is succinctly stated by our beloved prophet when he said, “People are the family of God. The most beloved of the people to God is he who is good to his, God’s family.”
?? Islam warns us: “And spend of your substance in the cause of God and make not your own hands contribute to your destruction but do good; for God loves those who do good” (2:195).
Rev. GEOFFREY KERSLAKE is a priest of the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Ottawa.
For change to take place, we must see the need for change and be motivated to be part of the change. Jesus Christ teaches us that the greatest commandments are love of God and love of neighbor (cf. Matthew 22:34-39). Many times in the Gospels, Jesus shows God’s special concern for the poor and oppressed of this world in not only his teachings and parables, but also in his actions. In St. Luke’s Gospel, we see what we might call a blue print of his mission leading up to his crucifixion: “[Jesus] stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’” (cf. Luke 4: 16-21). A committed Catholic Christian models her or his life on the example of Jesus Christ and seeks to help and serve the poor and oppressed. On the international level, the Catholic Church works to serve the poor in many countries by providing food banks, medical clinics and hospitals, schools and many other services. At the local level, parish communities have outreach programs to help the poor both in the community and also internationally. The Catholic Christian Church promotes love of God and love of neighbor as the two necessary foundations of authentic faith and through her many members is engaged in providing concrete aid to the poor and vulnerable but the Church recognizes the pressing need for more to be done.
Rev. RAY INNEN PARCHELO is a novice Tendai priest and founder of the Red Maple Sangha, the first lay Buddhist community in Eastern Ontario.
Poverty is not simply material deprivation but includes information, food, physical health, community, our natural environment and spiritual experience. Poverty does not exist in a vacuum, it is the flip-side of wealth. Only the most naive would ignore that the roots of poverty and its relief lie in unjust and discriminatory social and economic structures, combined with political and social values which place personal advantage over collective well-being. The belief that fostering greed will somehow trickle down to create wealth among those exploited to feed that greed is surely insane. As long as we are driven to value and strive after “bigger, better, more” — an obscene accumulation of wealth, in all its forms — indifferent to the costs for the rest of the world, we can only undermine and nullify any hope of relieving poverty.
Similarly, the most basic teaching of the Buddha is that the cause of our individual and collective sorrow is greed, clinging to what is impermanent as if we could own it. Buddhists are taught to actively express the virtue of “dana” (generosity) as part of the end of suffering. Mirroring the Buddha’s generosity in his teaching us the Way to relieve suffering, we too are directed to act generously for the same goal. It is through these habits of generous action for the benefit of all beings that we sustain a wholesome life which benefits us as it does those who receive.
Ultimately, it is selfless and virtuous action — generosity, compassion and community care — in all spheres that lead us to our spiritual goals. Poverty will not disappear through “programs” or “strategies” sponsored by well-meaning but extravagantly privileged individuals, organizations or nations. It will occur through a transformation of the meaning of our daily lives based on an understanding of our inextricable inter-connections with all life. Poverty will continue as a human catastrophe and shame until we can seek our fulfillment in serving the larger world rather than feeding personal or national greed.
Rabbi REUVEN BULKA is head of Congregation Machzikei Hadas in Ottawa and host of Sunday night with Rabbi Bulka on 580 CFRA.
There is no responsible person who would not want the elimination of poverty. This common desire to eradicate poverty is a meeting point between religious leaders and politicians of all stripes. Yet we are still trying to wrestle down the poverty demon. We could throw money at the problem, but there is no guarantee the problem will go away. Money will help, and help a lot, but the problem will likely be with us forever.
For example, food banks, which do a tremendous service to their communities, are reporting an increase in demand. People who never thought they would need to access the food bank are now requesting food. They may not suffer from abject poverty, but to a certain extent they fit into the category of those in a state of poverty.
In spite of the likelihood that poverty will be with us forever, we cannot allow this to deter us from having the issue of poverty occupy centre stage in our thinking. Religious leaders can help do this by making it a priority matter that never leaves the radar screen of those who are in a position to help.
Governments at all levels are in a position to help. Constant pressure on governments will certainly increase the chances that the problem will be addressed.
On the congregational level, religious leaders are uniquely positioned to make the assault on poverty a sermonic and programmatic priority. They can, and should, urge all the “haves” in the congregation to help the “have-nots,” by emphasizing that the blessing of plenty is only a blessing if the plenty is used in a constructive manner to help others less fortunate.
Then, as congregations, each leader can set up community outreach to the poor in effective ways, such as in collecting for the food bank, and having community lunches for the poor, among other activities.
With everyone doing a little bit, lots can be accomplished in this ongoing struggle.
KEVIN SMITH is on the board of directors for the Centre of Inquiry, Canada’s premier venue for humanists, skeptics and freethinkers.
If location were everything, than you would think that religion should be able to play a key role in eradicating poverty. Their real estate covers some of the poorest countries of the world. They are at the front line of this incessant battle.
Unless you are of the mind-set that being poor is one of those mysterious blessings from God, as some sects believe — the reality is that poverty remains a serious global problem with a complex series of causes. Environmental degradation, warfare, corruption and social inequality are a few issues that create a financial imbalance where close to half the worlds population live on less than three dollars a day.
Give religion its’ due, for years the faithful have donated time and money to the impoverished souls of the world but there is never any light at the end of the tunnel. I have three suggestions for religionists, or maybe I should call it a wish list, that would assist in their efforts.
Overpopulation is one of the prime reasons for poverty. Banning condom use almost doubles the birth rate of a country. The use of condoms as a part of sexual practice must be permitted.
A lack of education is tied to poverty. Classrooms should focus on teaching life skills over religious dogma.
Women account for 70 per cent of the world’s poor. Allow them to be treated as equals with men. Improving the lives of women has a positive effect on the health care, education and the economic development of their countries.
If the world’s religions could support these recommendations, they would be following the philosophy of humanism, although we conclude that allowing people to think for themselves, without relying on the supernatural, is a key factor in empowering humans. This, for us, is the greatest gift of all.
JACK MCLEAN is a Baha’i scholar, teacher, essayist and poet published in the fields of spirituality, Baha’i theology and poetry.
This question may be answered from two perspectives: first, the generosity that one individual shows another in need; second, a global problem that needs to be remedied systematically. Both approaches are used in the Bahá’í Faith. Regarding the individual, this scripture from Bahá’u’lláh (1817-1892), the Prophet-Founder of the Bahá’í Faith, prescribes the ethics of generosity and justice: “Know ye that the poor are the trust of God in your midst. Watch that ye betray not His trust, that ye deal not unjustly with them and that ye walk not in the ways of the treacherous” (Gleanings, p. 251).
However, the sharing of wealth is not sufficient. The individual must be helped to reclaim his dignity and self-worth, instilled with confidence to improve his economic situation and thereby fulfill his potential.
In 2008, the Bahá’í International Community at the UN produced a noteworthy statement on poverty-- “Eradicating Poverty: Moving Forward as One”. This document was written in response to the UN Human Rights Council that called for a consultation on “draft guiding principles” that could forge a link between human rights and extreme poverty.
The Bahá’í International Community received direct input from consultants who held discussions in 6 countries: Brazil, Guyana, Haiti, India, Namibia and Turkey. In this manner, the economically disadvantaged proposed their own solutions to the eradication of poverty.
This document contends that a new framework must be adopted to replace the failed, rich nation-poor nation, donor-recipient mentality that, tragically, has not established self-sufficiency in the developing world, despite the $2.3 trillion spent on foreign aid in the post-world-war-two-period.
“Eradicating Poverty” creates instead a multi-level paradigm of interconnectedness that defines a new way forward. It steers away from reducing poverty to financial inputs alone, but sees, rather, its elimination as the interplay of 11 social, spiritual and material principles: governance, justice, human rights, individual responsibility, gender, economic activity, extremes of wealth and poverty, employment, agriculture, sustainable development, knowledge.
This document defines poverty rather uniquely as “the absence of those ethical, social and material resources needed to develop the moral, intellectual and social capacities of individuals, communities and institutions.” It calls for a long-term, workable, sustainable approach that contributes to the effective elimination of poverty.
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