Religious Attitudes to Rich and Poor In British Society

Religious Attitudes to Rich and Poor In British Society

1. Rich

   • Having more money than you need to provide basic necessities.

2. Poor

   • Not having enough money to provide basic necessities.

3. How Do People Become Rich?

   • Win the lottery.
   • Inheritance.
   • Marrying rich spouse.
   • Gifts.
   • Successful investments.
   • Good paying jobs.
     • Talent eg. footballer/musician.
     • Work long hours.

4. Why Are People Poor?

   • Unemployment.
   • Poorly paying jobs.
   • Wasteful spending habits eg. alcohol/drugs.
   • Debt (credit cards/mortgage).
   • Laziness.

5. Religious Attitudes to Rich & Poor

   • Most accept that there will always be rich and poor people.
   • Teach equality, each person is valued and shown equal respect,
   • It is how they obtained the wealth that is important.
   • Spiritual riches are more important.
   • It's what they do with their wealth that matters.
   • Expect rich people to use their wealth to help others (donating to charities).
   • Christianity
     • Given talents which shouldn't be wasted.
     • "The love of money is the root of all evil."
     • Wealth is God given they should show stewardship in how they use it.
   • Buddhism
     • Buddha left a wealthy life for a poorer one
     • Wealth leads to selfishness and craving which cannot lead to happiness.
     • Monks/Nuns are respected for giving up money and possessions.

6. Poverty Trap - Lacking the money or resources to be able to get out of poverty.

7. Overcoming Poverty

   • Education/Training
     • Courses in basic literacy and numeracy.
     • Vocational courses.
     • Apprenticeships.
     • College maintenance allowance.
   • Councelling
     • Young People - connexions.
     • Adults - citizens advice service.
   • Government Help
     • Minimum wage.
       • Pros
         • Protects workers from exploitation.
         • Protects British workers from some foreign workers who are willing to work for much less (often illegal).
         • Workers cannot challenge their pay.
         • Religious
           • Fairness - fair work deserves fair pay
       • Cons
         • People may often lose jobs at age 18 to be replaced with a younger worker so they can pay less.
           • At 18 they may have same responsibilites at 22 y/o.
             • Company might be unable to afford it.
       • Excessive Salaries
         • Salary is very high in relation to the job being done. eg. footballer.
         • People are doing more valuable jobs eg. nurse and getting paid much less.
         • Argued that they have worked hard to get there and should use their talent.
           • If one country won't pay the salary the talented person will move elsewhere where they will be paid more.
     • Unemployment/child benefits.
     • Tax credits.
     • State pension.

8. Who is responsible for the poor?

   • State (benefits/minimum wage) - Helps provide fairer payment, lifting people out of poverty.
     • Discourages employers as productions costs are pushed up.
     • Social workers.
     • People to advise the poor about options.
     • Providing housing for rent.
   • Charity
     • Both long and short term.
     • Entirely separate from government.
     • Collect and re-issue clothes and other household goods..
   • Family
     • Many families will help each other but some people become poor due to family breakdowns.

9. The National Lottery

   • All main religions except Christianity forbid gambling.
     • Earn money without doing honest work, encourages laziness.
   • Money should be spent on necessities not gambling for more.
   • More people become poorer and addicted in comparison to winners (who are very few).
   • Many cannot cope with sudden riches.
   • Just a bit of fun.
   • Affordable tickets.
   • No one forced to do it.