Poverty & Charity (AQA GCSE Religious Studies A (8062))

Christian teachings on poverty and charity

The nature of poverty

• Poverty is being without money, food or other basic needs of life

  • This means lacking requirements such as:

    • food

    • water

    • clothing

    • shelter

    • sanitation

    • health care

    • education

    • employment

• Absolute poverty is defined by the United Nations (UN) as severe deprivation of these basic human needs

• Relative poverty relates to what a particular society considers to be poor, so someone in the UK might be considered to be relatively poor if they live on less than the average UK income

Christian teachings on poverty

• Christians have a duty to help those in poverty because Jesus taught the importance of helping others in need through parables such as the Good Samaritan and the Sheep and Goats

• They have a duty to show compassion

• Everyone has been created by God and all human life is sacred

  • The earth’s resources should therefore be shared equally by humans

• The Bible teaches that God is a God of justice and righteousness

  • Humans are called to act justly as God has shown, and this includes addressing poverty and inequality

Christian action on poverty

Giving aid

• There are two ways in which people give aid to those in poverty

• Emergency aid (short-term aid) is usually needed after a disaster such as an earthquake or flood 

  • Voluntary aid organisations such as Christian Aid, Cafod and Tear Fund provide temporary shelter, supplies of food and water, and emergency healthcare to those affected

  • These efforts are funded by donations to the organisations

• Long-term aid is assistance given to a community over a longer period of time

  • The aim of this type of aid is to provide a long-term solution to poverty

  • Voluntary aid organisations play a key role in long-term aid

    • For example, they carry out development work such as education and training, providing tools and skills with the aim of helping people get out of poverty and look after their own welfare themselves

  • This will result in less reliance on aid and help from outside

• In the UK, local churches and Christian projects run projects to help people out of poverty 

  • For example, soup kitchens, food banks and help with education and employment skills so that people can find work and support themselves in the longer term

Working for justice

• One of the best forms of long-term support is to work for justice

• All Christians must avoid exploitation of the poor and must try to live in a way that upholds the Christian principles of agape, compassion and stewardship

• One way to ensure that justice is done is to support the Fairtrade movement by buying Fairtrade products

• Fairtrade products that carry the Fairtrade logo, they:

  • are guaranteed to have been produced and traded fairly

  • may cost slightly more as a result, but this ensures that workers and producers have not been exploited

  • help support communities overseas to develop by using the profits generated from sales

  • reduce reliance on overseas aid and increase LEDCs independence

  • allow Christians to demonstrate the principles of agape, compassion and stewardship

_{The International Fairtrade Certification Mark, trademark, public domain}

Muslim teachings on poverty and charity

• Islam teaches that followers have a responsibility to help the needy, wherever they are 

• Muslims believe that those who help others will gain favour with Allah

  • They believe that Allah sees all that they do and that they will be rewarded for sharing with others

• The Hadith teaches that such people will be ‘dearer to God’, even if they are not practising the religion, than people who worship God but do not show generosity

• The Qur’an also calls care for the poor and needy ‘true righteousness’

• Muslims are called to support the work of Islamic projects and organisations that aim to reduce poverty because the Qur’an teaches

• The third pillar of Islam, Zakah, calls on all Muslims to give 2.5 percent of their annual earnings to help those in poverty

• Shi’a Muslims give a 20 percent tax known as khums which is split between charity and Shi’a religious leaders

• Many Muslims give additional sadaqah (voluntary donations of money, food or clothes) to those who need it

Muslim action on poverty

• Several Islamic organisations work to help people in need in the UK and overseas. They concentrate on both short-term and long-term solutions to the problems of poverty

  • Examples include Islamic Relief, Muslim Aid and Muslim Hands 

• Other organisations, like UK Islamic Mission, have a broader mission than simply tackling poverty.

  • They might work both in the UK and overseas, with the aim of not only helping reduce poverty but also increasing awareness of Islam and educating people about the religion

Muslim Aid

• UK-based international charity that provides aid to those living in poverty

• Responds in emergency situations, providing aid when there has been a disaster

• Provides long-term aid, working with local communities on sustainable economic and social development

• Gives special emphasis to economic empowerment, education and improving child and women's health

Islamic Relief

• Responds in emergency situations, providing international aid when there has been a disaster

• Provides long-term aid, working with local communities to promote sustainable economic and social development so that communities support themselves

• Works to help all people in these communities regardless of race or religion

• Supports people considered the weakest in society, such as women and orphans

• Aims to enable people to break out of poverty and secure their own future without the need for charity

Muslim Hands

• Works within the UK to help British Muslims who face difficulties because of poverty, deprivation and exclusion to gain opportunities and improve their lives

• Works to: 

  • help people get out of poverty

  • provide support for prisoners

  • help women who are experiencing exclusion and marginalisation

  • help vulnerable young people, people suffering from addiction, and the elderly

Responsibilities of those living in poverty

• Both Christians and Muslims acknowledge that those who live in poverty have the talents and abilities to lift themselves out of their state if given the opportunity

  • This is much easier for people living in relative poverty than people living in absolute poverty, or for people who have experienced a natural disaster

• Both Christians and Muslims would encourage people to 

  • Seek opportunities to work (if they are sufficiently able)

  • Accept help offered on a short-term basis but not rely on it as a way of life, but seek to become self-sufficient

• Both Christians and Muslims focus much of their efforts in aid work on the ultimate aim of helping people gain training and tools to help them become self-sufficient

• The Parable of the Talents in the Bible encourages people to use the talents God has given them to increase what they have

• For Muslims, while Zakah payments are used to support people in the community who are poor, they are expected to use their skills and talents to help themselves

  • The work of organisations such as Muslim Hands supports them in this