Wealth and poverty

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Poverty

The state of being extremely poor and the state of being inferior in quality or insufficient in amount

There are 2 types of Poverty

Relative Poverty relates to what a particular society considers to be poor.

e.g someone in the UK might be considered to be relatively poor if they live on less than the average UK income.

Absolute Poverty is when someone does not have access to basic human needs e.g water, clothing, education and shelter

Relative Poverty

lack of education and access to technology

crowded homes

inadequate amounts of food

inadequate and cheap clothing

limited to gas and electricity

dependent on food banks and other services

homelessness

social pressure

crime

Absolute Poverty

no family and therefore no support

no access to basic human needs

vulnerable to abuse and crime

no medical services

no education

no sanity and hygiene

Main Causes of Poverty

Location: whether or not an area has a natural resource (e.g oil) to sell and raise its economy. Saudi Arabia has bad weather conditions but the large oil reserve there gives it a good source of income. Countries like Sudan that have bad weather conditions and don't have natural resources to sell are quite poor as it has an unstable source of income.

Climate: Rainfall is needed for the growth of crops. Insufficient rain causes crops to fail. This means exportation will be low and the cycle of poverty cannot be broken. Less rain also means less water to drink and LEDCs don't have enough money to build the infrastructure (e.g a damn) to collect and store water.

Economic Reasons: World Trade- Crop producers sell their crop to the country that is willing to pay the most amount of money. LEDCs can't afford these prices and depend upon themselves.

Natural Disasters: People in LEDCs tend to be less educated and therefore are unaware of the procedures taken before and after a disaster. The communication systems may be underdeveloped. Homes, roads and infrastructure are weak, plain and simple. Services are not the best. They also have no access to medicine if water borne diseases are caught

Corruption: The money sent to LEDCs sometimes not reach the poor.

Debt: All debt have an interest charged onto it. LEDCs can't even pay the original amount, let alone the interest which continues to increase

Unfair: Farmers in LEDCs do not receive a fair price for what they produce. If something happened to the crops, the retailer's profit does not suffer as they increase the price, which we pay, however, farmers profits do, they receive a smaller cut

War: War increases the problems of debt for poor countries.The money funding weapons should have been spent on food production. If people who usually work as farmers are fighting wars, they cannot grow and harvest food.

Fair TradeIs a trade between companies in developed countries and producers/farmers in LEDCs in which fair prices are paid for them.

Christianity and Wealth

Immoral to trade weapons- gaining from others death

You have to pray, be charitable and campaign

Immoral t exploit

Religious Evidence and the beliefs

Mark 12:30-31

You should treat others the way you want to be treated

Exodus20:8

You should work for the 6 days but on the Sabbath day you must refrain from money and commit to God

Jams 2:14

You must apply your faith, otherwise, it is meaningless

Good Samaritan...

Helped the Jew even though their religions are against each other. ''Love your neighbour''

Rich man and Lazarus

Lazarus begged at the rich man's front door every day. When Lazarus died he went to heaven but the rich man when to hell. Having money is not the sin, but using it selfishly and not helping others is. This can be further shown in Matthew 25:30-36'- it's about seeing God in everyone

It is easier for a camel to fit throughout the eye of a needle than a rich man to go to heaven

If your Richard you haven't used your wealth to help others you will not go to heaven. The way you use your wealth is important. You haven't earned your place

Don't store up your treasures on Earth, store them in heaven

You can't take your money with you when you die. Earn your place in heaven by loving and obeying God.

Praying

Reflects a belief for an omnipotent, omnibenevolent and omniscient God

Reflect a belief for God's active role in the world

Shows your desire for change

Shows your faith

Recognising common bonds

Charity

Immediate Relief

Can be seen on a large or personal basis

Helping others is like helping Jesus; Being a good Christian is about practical help otherwise, your faith is meaningless

It can include non-religious people/atheists

Campaign

Change on a larger scale

Puts pressure on the government

Changes fundamental beliefs and attitudes

Involves non-religious people too

Wealth and poverty in Islam

Islam teaches that wealth and riches come from Allah (God) and are intended for the benefit of all humanity. At the centre of Muslim's belief about wealth is Zakah (purification of wealth by a payment of welfare due). Every Muslim has a duty to pay Zakah as it is the Third Pillar of Islam.It's an act of worship.

Muslims believe that poor people have the right to share the wealth of the rich. Zakah is kind of like a tax that ensures this

Islamic governments take the money from Zakah and share it with the needy. They collect and distribute the money.

Zakah is not charity but it is an obligation

Zakah purifies the poor because it means that they can not be tempted to get jealous.Similarly, the poor are helping the rich who give Zakah to store up riches with Allah and so give them a path to heaven

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