Category: Poverty

Aid Dependency: Good or Bad

Beggars in India
Beggars in India

Dependency has become a bad word in the charity business. Fighting poverty is good, but meeting the needs of people in poverty can produce dependency, which is not regarded as a good thing.

But before we “throw the baby out with the bathwater”, consider our children. A newborn baby is completely helpless and completely dependent on its parents. We do not say to the parents,” Do not feed your child: you may produce dependency”. In this case, dependency is good and it’s natural.

At the other end of the scale, if a poverty relief programme simply gives out to needy families, Continue reading “Aid Dependency: Good or Bad”

Extreme Wealth and Extreme Poverty

goldThe net income of the top 100 billionaires in the world is enough to end extreme poverty four times over! This is according to a report by the charity Oxfam entitled “The Cost Of Inequality: How Wealth And Income Extremes Hurt Us All,”. The report states that efforts to address the issue of global poverty were being hindered by what it terms an “explosion in extreme wealth.”

  • The total income of the world’s richest had a income of $240 billion (£150 billion) or a average of $2.4 billion each
  • Around a billion people live in extreme poverty which is defined as an income of $1.25 per day, or $450 (£300) a year. This represents 0.000002% of the top ‘earners’ income. Continue reading “Extreme Wealth and Extreme Poverty”

What Jesus DIDN’T say

  • Golden AppleBlessed are the rich and prosperous, for they already have their reward.
  • Blessed are those who seek a trouble-free life, for they will be comforted.
  • Blessed are the strong, for they think they can rule the world.
  • Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after fame, but they will not be satisfied.
  • Blessed are they that look after number one, for noone else will do that for them.
  • Blessed are they that make up their own rules, for they will be seen as successful.
  • Blessed are the warmongers, Continue reading “What Jesus DIDN’T say”

Paul and Slavery

Painting entitled "Le marché aux esclaves...
The Slave Market (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The apostle Paul has been accused of discrimination against women, and of being supportive of slavery, amongst other things. But the fact is that he made some revolutionary statements considering the accepted wisdom and culture of his day, striking at the heart of discrimination. Let’s explore the matter further.

Throughout human history slavery has been an accepted feature of society. It has been in existence for thousands of years. All of the ancient civilisations such as the Egyptians, Ancient Greeks, Aztecs, Assyrians, Persians, Babylonians and Romans were economically dependent on the institution of slavery. Continue reading “Paul and Slavery”

2012 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 5,100 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 9 years to get that many views.

Click here to see the complete report.

 

‘Tis the season for Giving

Flour distribution in Kenya

Christine and I have recently joined a local choir and have been preparing hard for a Christmas concert. The choir is a secular choir but many of the pieces we sing are ‘Christian’ in nature. One such song starts as follows:

‘Tis the season for giving,
‘Tis the season for joy,
‘Tis the season to celebrate life,
To stop and remember love. Continue reading “‘Tis the season for Giving”

God’s chosen fast

English: Homeless woman in Toronto.
Homeless woman in Toronto. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

How do we please God? Do we please God by religious observances or is God more interested in how we treat our fellow human beings? This is not a rhetorical question. God loves each man, woman and child on the earth – and he wants us to do the same.

The Bible makes it very plain that unless our actions match up to our words, we can deny ourselves, beat ourselves, and starve ourselves to no avail. The way we treat our neighbours, our communities and people throughout the world is vitally important. Unless we stand up for justice, treat our workers correctly and feed the hungry we cannot hope to please my creator, God. Unless we show compassion to, and love those around us, who we can see, we cannot claim to love God. Continue reading “God’s chosen fast”

The least of these

Mother Theresa
Mother Theresa

We may say that we love God, but is it just words? Love involves action, so how do we actively express our love for Him? How can we be sure that our love for God is not just a religious or emotional feeling?

Jesus told a story in which he clearly shows us that our love for our fellow-man is received by Him as love for Himself. How amazing is that? As we show compassion towards those in need, we can be really loving God.

There is a warning too. Indifference to the needs of the poor, or sick, or homeless is indifference towards God. We cannot say that we love God, and at the same time, be indifferent to the needs we see around us. Continue reading “The least of these”