Poverty & Charity Chapter Notes | Religion, Philosophy & Ethics for GCSE/IGCSE - Year 11 PDF Download

Christian Teachings on Poverty and Charity

The Nature of Poverty

• Poverty is the condition of lacking money, food, or other essential needs, including:

  • Food

  • Water

  • Clothing

  • Shelter

  • Sanitation

  • Health care

  • Education

  • Employment

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

• Relative poverty is determined by a society’s standards, such as living below the average UK income in the UK.

Christian Teachings on Poverty

• Christians are obligated to assist those in poverty, as Jesus emphasized helping those in need through parables like the Good Samaritan and the Sheep and Goats.

• Compassion is a duty: "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you" (Ephesians 4:32).

• All humans are created by God, and all life is sacred, so the earth’s resources should be shared equitably: "The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth, you founded the world and all that is in it" (Psalm 89:11).

• The Bible portrays God as a God of justice and righteousness, calling humans to act justly and address poverty and inequality: "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8).

Christian Action on Poverty

Giving Aid

• Aid for poverty is provided in two forms:

  • Emergency aid (short-term aid): Delivered after disasters like earthquakes or floods, with organizations like Christian Aid, CAFOD, and Tear Fund providing temporary shelter, food, water, and emergency healthcare, funded by donations.

  • Long-term aid: Aims to provide sustainable solutions to poverty through development work, such as education, training, and providing tools and skills to help people become self-sufficient and reduce reliance on external aid.

• In the UK, local churches and Christian projects run initiatives like soup kitchens, food banks, and programs to support education and employment skills, enabling people to achieve long-term self-sufficiency.

Working for Justice

• One of the most effective long-term supports is working for justice.

• Christians must avoid exploiting the poor and live according to principles of agape, compassion, and stewardship.

• Supporting the Fairtrade movement by purchasing Fairtrade products is a key way to ensure justice.
   As these products:

  • Are guaranteed to be produced and traded fairly.

  • May cost slightly more to ensure workers and producers are not exploited.

  • Support overseas communities in developing and reducing reliance on aid, increasing independence for Less Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs).

  • Allow Christians to embody agape, compassion, and stewardship.

Muslim Teachings on Poverty and Charity

• Islam teaches that Muslims have a responsibility to help the needy worldwide: "Be good to your parents, to relatives, to orphans, to the needy" (Qur’an 4:36).

• Helping others earns favor with Allah, who sees all actions and rewards generosity: "Be steadfast in prayer and regular in charity: and whatever good you send forth for your souls before you, you shall find it with Allah: for Allah sees all that you do" (Qur’an 2:110).

• The Hadith teaches that generous individuals, even non-practicing ones, are closer to God than miserly worshippers: "The generous man is near God, near Paradise, near men, and far from Hell, and the ignorant man who is generous is dearer to God than a worshipper who is miserly" (Hadith).

• The Qur’an describes caring for the poor as "true righteousness": "True righteousness is in one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveller, those who ask, and for freeing slaves" (Qur’an 2:177).

• Muslims are encouraged to support Islamic projects and organizations aimed at reducing poverty: "If any saves a life, it is as if he saves the lives of all mankind" (Qur’an 5:32).

• The third pillar of Islam, Zakah: requires Muslims to donate 2.5 percent of their annual earnings to aid the poor, which also purifies their remaining wealth.

• Shi’a Muslims pay a 20 percent tax called khums, divided between charity and Shi’a religious leaders.

• Many Muslims provide additional sadaqah (voluntary donations of money, food, or clothes) to those in need.

Muslim Action on Poverty

• Several Islamic organizations address poverty in the UK and globally.
  Focusing on both short-term and long-term solutions:

  • Islamic Relief:

    • Provides emergency aid during disasters.

    • Offers Short and long-term aid for sustainable economic and social development, helping communities become self-sufficient.

    • Assists all people regardless of race or religion, prioritizing vulnerable groups like women and orphans.

    • Aims to empower people to escape poverty independently.

  • Muslim Aid:

    • A UK-based international charity providing aid to those in poverty.

    • Responds to emergencies with immediate aid.

    • Supports long-term sustainable economic and social development, emphasizing economic empowerment, education, and child and women’s health.

  • Muslim Hands:

    • Works in the UK to help British Muslims facing poverty, deprivation, and exclusion by providing opportunities to improve their lives.

    • Supports prisoners, women facing exclusion, vulnerable youth, those with addictions, and the elderly.

  • Other organizations, like the UK Islamic Mission, have broader goals, including poverty reduction and increasing awareness and education about Islam.

Responsibilities of Those Living in Poverty

• Both Christians and Muslims recognize that those in poverty have the potential to improve their situation if given opportunities.

• This is more feasible for those in relative poverty than those in absolute poverty or affected by natural disasters.

• Both faiths encourage individuals to:

  • Seek work opportunities if physically able.

  • Accept short-term aid but strive for self-sufficiency rather than long-term reliance.

• Christian and Muslim aid efforts focus on providing training and tools to foster self-sufficiency.

• The Bible’s Parable of the Talents encourages using God-given abilities to improve one’s circumstances: "For to everyone who has more will be given and he will have an abundance" (Matthew 25:28).

• In Islam, while Zakah supports the poor, recipients are expected to use their skills to become self-sufficient, with organizations like Muslim Hands facilitating this process.