Tuesday, 6th January 2009
An obscenity called poverty
Some believe that poverty is a fact of nature. The sun rises in the morning and sets at night. Similarly it is determined by nature that there will be rich people and there will be poor people. It was always like that, is, and will be for ever and ever. Amen. After all, the same people say, it is the fault of the poor that they are poor.
This is all hogwash. Poverty is the creation of humans and it can be ended by humans. Poverty is the result of unjust structures and systems that make the minority rich or very rich and the absolute majority poor or very poor. Poverty is the result of greed, theft, unjust distribution of resources. It is an obscenity that can, and should be eliminated.
The Pope against poverty
The Church has, “in season and out of season”, been the conscience of society in this regard. The Church does this by word and deed all around the world. The myriad Church projects and public positions in favour of the poor are ample evidence.
This year Pope Benedict dedicated his message for the World Day of Peace, which was celebrated 1 January 2009, to "Fighting Poverty to Build Peace". I thought that after discussing the Pope’s controversial speech about gays it would be a good idea show this other facet of the personality.
The following sections consist of quotations from his speech and statistics taken from http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats
Economics needs ethics
"If the poor are to be given priority, then there has to be enough room for an ethical approach to economics on the part of those active in the international market, an ethical approach to politics on the part of those in public office, and an ethical approach to participation capable of harnessing the contributions of civil society at local and international levels. ...”
Look at these statistics that show how unethical our economy is.
Consider the the global priorities in spending in 1998
|
Global Priority |
$U.S. Billions |
|
Cosmetics in the United States |
8 |
|
Ice cream in Europe |
11 |
|
Perfumes in Europe and the United States |
12 |
|
Pet foods in Europe and the United States |
17 |
|
Cigarettes in Europe |
50 |
|
Alcoholic drinks in Europe |
105 |
|
Military spending in the world |
780 |
And compare that to what was estimated as additional costs to achieve universal access to basic social services in all developing countries:
|
Global Priority |
$U.S. Billions |
|
Basic education for all |
6 |
|
Water and sanitation for all |
9 |
|
Basic health and nutrition |
13 |
Doesn’t this a state of perverted priorities in the countries of the rich and the powerful? These perverted priorities result in glaring inequalities.
The marginalisation of the poor
"The current food crisis ... places in jeopardy the fulfilment of basic needs. This crisis is characterized not so much by a shortage of food, as by difficulty in gaining access to it and by different forms of speculation: in other words, by a structural lack of political and economic institutions capable of addressing needs and emergencies. ... All the indicators of relative poverty in recent years point to an increased disparity between rich and poor. ... the majority of the population in the poorest countries suffers a double marginalization, through the adverse effects of lower incomes and higher prices".
Let’s look at some more figures:
- Approximately 790 million people in the developing world are still chronically undernourished, almost two-thirds of whom reside in Asia and the Pacific.
- The world’s billionaires — just 497 people (approximately 0.000008% of the world’s population) — were worth $3.5 trillion (over 7% of world GDP) in 2006.
- Low income countries (2.4 billion people) accounted for just $1.6 trillion of GDP (3.3%)
Incredible and unbelievable! Just 497 people own more than double that which is owned by 2.4 billion people!
Children are the victims
"Almost half of those living in absolute poverty today are children. ...When the family is weakened, it is inevitably children who suffer. If the dignity of women and mothers is not protected, it is the children who are affected most".
Look at the facts.
Number of children in the world: 2.2 billion
Number in poverty: 1 billion (every second child)
For the 1.9 billion children from the developing world, there are:
· 640 million without adequate shelter (1 in 3)
· 400 million with no access to safe water (1 in 5)
· 270 million with no access to health services (1 in 7)
· Less than one per cent of what the world spent every year on weapons was needed to put every child into school by the year 2000 and yet it didn’t happen.
· According to UNICEF, 26,500-30,000 children die each day due to poverty. And they “die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world.
Pandemic diseases
"Another area of concern has to do with pandemic diseases, such as malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS. Insofar as they affect the wealth-producing sectors of the population, they are a significant factor in the overall deterioration of conditions in the country concerned. .... . It also happens that countries afflicted by some of these pandemics find themselves held hostage, when they try to address them, by those who make economic aid conditional upon the implementation of anti-life policies".
This is the situation in the world:
Infectious diseases continue to blight the lives of the poor across the world. An estimated 40 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, with 3 million deaths in 2004. Every year there are 350–500 million cases of malaria, with 1 million fatalities: Africa accounts for 90 percent of malarial deaths and African children account for over 80 percent of malaria victims worldwide/
There is hope.
“And yet it remains the case that in 1981, around 40% of the world's population was below the threshold of absolute poverty, while today that percentage has been reduced by as much as a half, and whole peoples have escaped from poverty despite experiencing substantial demographic growth. This goes to show that resources to solve the problem of poverty do exist, even in the face of an increasing population".
The poor should not always be with us
Let me conclude by repeating what I wrote in The Sunday Times on 28/12/08.
We all should denounce immoral policies and lobby so that the Maltese government will fight them in all the international fora it participates in. But this is not enough.
I am certain that the food and leftovers we threw in the rubbish bins we placed on our doorsteps on Boxing Day cost much more than millions around the world can spend for the food they need for their daily survival. We are part of the haves and so share in the sins of the haves. The wasteful lifestyles that we of the developed world have lived in the past decades are responsible for a lot of suffering in the rest of the world.
The absolute poverty of people living on $1.25 a day (there are about 1.4 billion people who live on that amount) does not constitute part of Maltese reality but people living in relative poverty are part of our scenario. We all can and should help to make the life of these fellow Maltese better.
We are all in duty bound to work for the day where the poor will no longer be with us.
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Comments
Did you know that the top world bankers RULE the world and are OVERTLY ruling with politicians as thier puppets?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyMC3V2f2pI&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxO-z0XWaLc&feature=related
and also search for Khazars in U-Tube, they are a most formidable evil force to deal with.
Dealing with money is one thing, practising usury to impoverish the people is another, and actually controlling most of the world's strings is yet another cattle of fish!
An American president said it? Wow, that has to make it true then.
You think that bankers are not dangerous?
A certain US president said that between the standing army against him is far less formidable (during the Civil War) than the bankers!
Without funds you cannot organize an army right?
DEUTERONOMY
28:15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the "I AM" thy God, to observe to do all His Commandments and His Statutes which I command thee this day; that ALL THESE CURSES [of the Law] shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
28:43 The stranger that [is] within thy borders shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.
28:44 He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.
http://www.catholicconcerns.com/Rome.html
A modern economy is not possible without usury, it is as simple as that. So unless you want to go back to trading with camel dung you better just accept the fact that modern banking is a necessity to create any form of statibility in a society, whether it is being abused or not.
I think anyone not wearing a blindfold can see that western values are far superior to theocracies in every regard and the only end to poverty is the spreading of them.
The point to mention Gods law is all important. Let us take only one item. Usury. This means lending at interest. Now the banks misuse this to a great extent and thus create inflation. Therefore all persons having currencies in paper, will have less purchasing power. The persons having hard assets are the gainers too.
The banking class is the greatest treat to mankind, and soon, when the economy will collapse even more. These white collars, seem to be oblivous to what they are really doing. They cheat poor and rich alike, but of course it is the poor that get the brunt of the worst part of inflationery pressures.
Rightly said the government reduces your purchasing power via income taxes, VAT, customs and the like. Exchange rate mechanisms (if unfair) is also considered a tax, and it is greatly misused in Africa, in favour of the corporate class, versus the host citizens.
interesting point to debate yet may not be immediately relevant to the issue under discussion.
The middle class i refer to is the modern white-collar bourgeoisie grouping that earns a comfortable living from the fruits of mass-production.
This class had no spending-power in the 30s with the result that it could not absorb significant production capacity, and hence depression followed that saw the very implosion of production/abusers/capitalists or what you may.
Hence a middle class evolved that consumed products and services (ex spanish hols :)
His time round, the spending capacity of the consuming class that provides the singular profits of the abusers has been eroded through taxation (especially silent tax tipo VAT) and spending future earnings through loans liberally given. Artificial demand meant significant increase in supply leading to the massive hole in demand that we are now experiencing.
Most of the prisions are full of people who struggle with a living, when in reality, it is the human laws which are DIRECTLY responsible for the impoverishment of the poor people.
We do not yet have the ability to cruxify the self, of our own sins, to see the error in our OWN ways.
To clearly see what I mean, please visit: http://jahtruth.net/democra.htm
To understand also how can Theocracy solve poverty, visit http://jahtruth.net/godgovmt.htm
Enjoy the read!
Peace be upon you!
At the height of his influence, Blair confided in his mentor Roy Jenkins that he wished he had read history rather than law at oxford, Blair realised that history repeats itself and if one has to change things for the better, one needs to anticipate the behavior of human nature.
A potentially good man will now be forever linked to a useless war that regenerated misery on humankind.
We need not put our heads together. We all know the fundamental pitfalls of a centralized economy. We know the great benefits of a capitalist economy when the right checks and balances are maintained.
We all know that the financial sector should not play for profit in the marketplace, because profit-demands distabilises its catalyst-function fundamental to the system.
We all know that wherever competition is absent (energy, transport, etc), services must be regulated under a system that itself guarantees checks and balances...
Yet the same kind of people repeat the same values generation after generation.
Forget imaginary horizons. It is the night that exposes the universe in all its beauty as the greedy sleep for their usual daily dash towards an inexistent horizon.
I am saying that it is appalling to write that the pope is against poverty when the Vatician's wealth is so obscene, that it could easily provide for funds to millions, ir not billions on earth. Thus the pope is Christ's WORST ENEMY. Judge the fruits of the actions and NOT the words. Words come cheap. Christ always thought NOT to hold material wealth, as the church is doing, and thus going against what Christ is saying all along.
Another thing which economists/analysis/politicians get wrong, about the economy is that they are looking at figures by themselves in a vaccum. They do not know that there exists an elite class that wishes to purposely destroy the world's population!
If you think that the above is silly, visit: http://www.policestateplanning.com/the_georgia_guidestones.htm
http://100777.com/myron to know what is TRULY going on in this crazy world of ours.
Do you know also that the central bankers that control exchange rates, use it to favour foreign corporations, at the expense of ripping off the host nation? The Bankers are not saints!
The middle-class was not created in the 30s but is one of the most famous sociological developments of the Victorian era.
A percentage of the profit at Beauty Parlours, and that includes Beauty Parlours for animals, could be put in the kitty. I am excluding vet expenses since I consider those a necessity, however, I am including the new craze for acquiring “sophisticated” house cats ‘Persian’, which seems to be the latest money making gimmick. Grooming said cats I understand is very expensive so why not set aside a small contribution?
Other outlets such as school tuck shops (I am aware that this is already in effect in some schools), bars, coffee shops and restaurants could also contribute.
Shops selling items whose major attraction is the brand name they sport should be a sure target.
I could mention other businesses which could fall under the luxury category but I think I am past the number of words allotted for the comment.
Are you ready to Empty the churches from all the riches and sell them so that you will feed the poor with them? but maybe Mr Bonanno needs his car to get to work with maybe he needs his Gas heater to keep warm in winter and his electric water heater his cooking stove,refrigerator and yes his TV too,but i ask you does God Need the Silver and Gold ?NO!
Or shall we say that charity should start from home ?The sickening filthy rich VATICAN the Land property Golden nuggets in the Swiss bank the huge shares in Oil companies these are the stuff that don't show then everyone can simply just make a visit to the Vatican...
Well lets humble our selves here you know what Jesus said "First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
and also said"For where your treasure is,there your heart will be also.
If you're poor it's because God wants you to be poor?
As far as I know, God wants us to be good, being rich or poor is irrelevant.
I agree with you that such abuse is not in the interest of the abuser.
The middle class started being created in the 30s when the abusers realised that they needed a market to sell their goods and make their massive profits that earn them obscene wealth.
They know this very very well, yet their insatiable instinct makes them forget this simple fact. They still bled the middle class dry as governments softened on their regulatory role and we now face the worst economic crises since the 30s.
Yes, the abusers still insist on driving against an iron wall because as Ms Grech says (same sentiments as those of Ms Camilleri) : the abuser hardly ever thinks about the long-term since his or her actions are always governed by instant gratification.
Yes, it is in the interest of the rich capitalist to have the poor working for miserable wages in order to produce items that are sold to "idiots" who think that if they had those items, they have acquired a bit of happiness.
Who makes Nike footballs? who makes the fabulous clothes sold by Top Shop, modelled by Kate Moss?
THAT IS THE OBSCENITY - it is not being poor but being comfortable and not caring about our poor brothers and sisters.
Also, it is a well known fact that poverty makes people desperate - they lose their values & sense of justice, they have civil wars, they steal, they kill, they maim. Bad leaders emerge and take over by violence, eventually those who are a bit stronger and luckier than the rest try to run away from the messed-up country they live in ...they travel overland across the continent and try to reach the borders of other continents which they think are paradise...ah, but that's another story.
If we have a heart, we should at least change our lifestyle. I did (which explains why i don't do fashion stuff, as my classmates pointed out)
What i didn't mention earlier is that poverty can be sub-divided: the poorest of the poor (these are dying at every second, every day and their stories are heartbreaking)
There are the poor - who are being abused and exploited by near-sighted capitalists. These poor work and work but barely manage to eke out a living. They're getting poorer by time - especially if they become disabled due to bad conditions of work (such as young boys working in mines and other children who go blind after doing intricate beadwork on handmade carpets that are sold at exorbitant prices in the West)
Then there are the ones who are getting by - by doing skilled labour but because of the hard times hitting the world and their inability to update their technology are risking joining the second group - and they can be called The Newly Poor.
I know i am over-simplifying things, as Mr Tortell said, but that's to give a general picture.
Mr. Larsson: I was referring more to the Far East and Latin America. I would suggest reading Naomi Klein's 'No Logo', good book on this topic I think.
Thatcher closed down british coal mines because they were no longer economically vialble.
British unions protested that the cheap coal was the result of severe abuse of children who worked in south-american coal mines for long hours for a miniscule pay packet (paid in dimes).
Who raised a small finger in support of the british unions and in favour of the plight of children?
How about the asian servants that serve in a number of Maltese homes? Or prostitutes from the balkan states that had to succumb to their poverty as a short cut away from rock-bottom poverty? or guys who work at our drydocks or sweep streets or work on our building sites? Who fights America's wars. Is it American guys from the poor states or the lads of the well-to-do?
Capitalists of course see humanity also as a market to propogate their wealth. But they need both a market and a slave trade. it is when they get the balance wrong that the economy short-circuits. But this is of course the crux of the matter...
Unfortunately that fact falls flat when you realise how little production comes out of Africa. Granted, applied greed in cases of diamonds, gold and oil have caused tremendously awful situations for a lot of people, but it can't be universally applied as a sole cause. On the contrary, progress, both industrial and societal, in the western world is very likely the cause of the decline of poverty. The consumerism, so oft targeted as a bad-guy, has helped create strong economies which now have the capacity and power to actually make a difference.
One calls this buiseness ethics/morals. It applies for Politics too. Favouritism, nepotism,corruption - I believe we do not need to go to Africa to have good examples. We often choose to refuse to include our making buiseness, politics as a service to others at the service of God -because that makes it far more difficult. So it takes more than making money to be a buisenessman of success and to get elected to be a good politician.
You seriously believe in a young earth? How can you say there is no evidence for an old earth when biology, geology and astronomy all points at it? You can't seriously say that a literal reading of the bible provides a better understanding in this regard.
Anyway, I suggest you read a proper scientific journal, or at least look up the so called claims critically and then come back. A good place to start is http://talkorigins.net. Or at least start by trying to explain fossilised fuels. We even have living trees today older than the literal biblical account.
Back to the subject... Our host did show data indicating increased progress in this regard. My own suggestion is that this is mainly due to increased awareness and globalisation. People tend to feel better when helping others and as information about poverty increases, more people become part of the solution. I also think that military and political pressure have been a helping force in many circumstances. This is mainly visible in former Yugoslavia, where UN peace keeping forces enabled the countries to establish new identities and to prosper despite long and cruel wars.
I’m no expert but if you take a close look at the African continent, you will find that most of the countries are bedeviled by the evil twins called Nepotism and Tribalism that is why in my opinion these countries have not made much progress regarding their population’s welfare.
I’ve always thought poverty was synonymous with corruption, and will continue to be unless you have a stable democratic government in place.
Even missionaries who appeal for funds through this newspaper are usually overwhelmed by this country’s generosity, (although I am somewhat perplexed as to why the church doesn’t make a substantial contribution especially when children’s welfare is concerned).
I’m in no doubt that we will continue to help those in need, but surely there must come a time when people will start saying enough is enough when they see that poverty is getting worse.
Yes there is no doubt about it poverty is obscene.
Even the UN has acknowledged this by stating that it plans to eradicate poverty and in particular child poverty by 2015, but like most things that emanate from the UN it is usually a case of too much rhetoric and not enough action.
The fact remains, we in the west have done our utmost to help those in need. The UK organized a world-wide concert called “Band Aid”, which managed to swell the coffers of many charity organizations
This was followed some time later by another similar concert called “Live 8” which also managed to collect millions’ and then there was “Save the Children Fund” all this in the name of poverty. Whilst G8 leaders voted to wipe the slate clean of all third world debt, this amounted to billions, so why haven’t we seen any change in the amount of poverty? If anything it’s actually worse.
Saying that the rich need the poor in order to exploit them is a very limited view. Not everyone who is employed is exploited first of all and secondly it is people who are or who become rich that actually generate wealth.
Also saying that the rich have their own religion which is money is a gross over-simplification. Poor people can be just as attached to money as rich ones, they just don't have much! You also overlook the fact that wealthy people very often make great philantropic contributions and generate employment and opportunites for many people.
Oh, my mistake. If the bible says so, then it has to be true, right?
Still, do you really think that the world would be a better place, should we force everyone to live under a theocratic rule governmed by Mosaic laws? I suppose they can help us to know when we should stone our children. How we should treat our slaves. How to treat whitches. What to do (kill) with people collecting sticks for their family on the sabbath. Not to forget what will happen in the afterlife for men whose genitalia have been damaged.
And for both you and Ms. Mamo, does that mean it's God's wish if I'm born a violent person, or a rapist, or a sadist? We might as well stop punishing offenders, as they are all just part of God's plan and will be dealt with by him instead.
And reincarnation? Are you serious? Do you really believe you were someone else before becoming who you are now?
M Bonnano:
6 days actually.
Well I believe in Genesis yes, and therefore the heavens and the earth was created in 7 days.
I do not believe when so-called scientists claim that the universe was millions or more years old. They do not have any iota of scientific proof of thier claim! We were conned!
Who says that Solomon was the wisest? The bible says so. Furthermore he did not intend to kill the baby but to give it to his true mother. It is false to say that the Old Testament was for the Jews only. It applies to all who beleive in Christ too.
@ Mamo
You are paritally right. If God sends you into a poor family (since we re-incarnate into other human bodies - I know that most Catholics dont believe this truth) that is his will. If one is born rich, it is a blessing, but that person can use wealth wisely or not.
@ Matt Bonanno
If you believe that in Israel, there are only Jews, you are mistaken. In fact most of them are not real Jews, but Khazarnazi Jews 97% and 3% real Jews. Secondly, Jews are ONLY ONE tribe out of 12 tribes of Isreal. Visit http://jahtruth.net/abraham.htm to learn more.
I have no plan, but to clarify any misconceptions that may arise, and to show the bright light of the truth to all and sundry. God's kingdom will come &soon, whether you like it or not.
This truth is NOT easy for most.
We can thus start to make all effort possile to live off with less superfluos things, so that we can have more to share with others, who do not have the basic needs for a decent living.
We could always make a discriminating choice in favour of the poor or less fortunate or discriminated negatively, in our daily choices without costing us a cent.
This is a practical and possible way to change the situation.
I'd rather have a pretty girlfriend who spends money on make-up, clothes and looking good than having one who feels empathy for the poor and restricts spending on her appearance. Better feel sheepish than look sheepish, sorry it's how guys think.
The rich NEED the poor because they (the poor) are desperate and accept all sorts of ugly jobs that the richer brothers are unwilling to do, all for a miserable wage. It's called exploitation.
The Church needs the poor too, because , generally speaking, the poor are more inclined to turn to God for comfort and hope, and anyhow, Jesus was poor too (though not the poorest of the poor as some here have insisted).
The very rich have their own god - money.
What says he is the wisest king on earth? Cause he could threaten to cut a baby in half to find it's mother? Obviously not so wise when it came to chosing temples to build, as it lead to his downfall according to scripture. This is man-made bronze age stupidity.
Until I get evidence of the contrary, I will firmly hold the belief that the so called God's laws mentioned by you are simply human laws. There is no reason to think that old Jewish laws will work better than other theocratic laws, which is why I stand firmly by democracy as the superior choice for a society, until we can come up with something better.
I suggest u watch a bit of TV to see what the "Champions of God" are up to at the moment...
And in your little plan for the Christianity's world domination, you seem to be forgetting that people, free thinking ones anyway, don't like being told what to believe. And even those who do believe in a divine being/beings have varying beliefs and moral codes.
If God is like you, no wonder Lucifer rebelled.
I found extremely the Pope ironic and annoying when he talks about these issues since he should be the first one to set an example. Going around the world in luxurious planes and handshaking every politician in the area is not going to help eliminate or at least minimize poverty.
The Church has changed into one big corporation with heavy marketing to attract new customers.
You are right that Solomon, although the wisest King on earth, son of David, did not always do right in the sight of the "I AM" your God. David was different, and some other kings of the House of David (Judah). I mentioned Solomon in that God favoured wealth in this period, so as to have enough resources for building a Temple of the "I AM" and a place for the ark of the Covenent to be in. What I am getting at is that if a person or nation that lives according to God's laws, will be materially rewarded as well, besides being healthy etc.
God's laws are just for all, and not laws for the rich pitted against the poor. This is happening today in Malta and the rest of the world. I stand for God's kingdom as it is the only fair way to live in. This is the true message of the prayer called "Our Father, who is in heaven..."
@ d.attard
The status quo wants things as they are: the religious and political class, yes all of them.
They do not want to read / implement God's laws, as the Torah shows.
If only it were that simple. One problem with your world view is that you get hundreds (thousands?) of bodies/churches/religions claiming that it is only they who can interpret the word of God.
A catalyst to healthy Government is the interflow and analysis of information. Power centers know this too well and so occupy the information channels to manage the 'wealth-chain'.
This may not be so easy to observe in large societies but surely it is very evident in Malta. Look at the way specific issues are amplified or dulled in response to power-base needs. Look at those who jump on the 'poor' bandwagon when the going gets though when the same people stood silent or worse when 'greedy' market operators/governments were generating so called 'wealth'.
The same applies to the so-called word of God. It is encapsulated in specific dogma pertaining to each of the hundreds of Christian faiths all emanating from the same source. Same power recipe for you.
Now go try discuss any subject that impacts on us as individuals in a small society, and all you will get is shallow clichés that endorse the status quo.
For starters, the historical evidence for such a kingdom are tiny, something I'm sure you are aware of. Secondly, Solomon was infamously, according to scriptures, allowing worship of other gods and built several temples and structure in their honour, which of course good old jealous Yahweh couldn't stand. Thirdly, Solomon was described as vastly rich and living in luxury. Not quite the examples you are trying to set.
Also, looking at the grim examples in the old testament and the Torah, the way these laws were enforced was not unlike many Islamic state. If you want to live under such tyranny, have it your way. Personally, I'd fight it all the way to the grave.
If one believes in Christ, and that he came to satisfy also the past Laws Statues and Judgments, than the OLD TESTAMENT STILL APPLIES!
For more proof please visit: http://jahtruth.net/noti.htm
PS What I stated was that Jesus was neither born poor and neither was poor when the 3 wise men came to visit him. He of course disposed of these riches appropriately.
It is the myth that he was ALWAYS poor, was my contention. Amen.
True there is confusion of the word Christianity. It gets mixed up with the concept of Christians and the church, and so I will be specific. Christ came on earth to show to the world his message. What you do mean by "We"? An egoistical attitude of "us" or "them"?
Matthew 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the Law, or the Prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.
Jesus did say that of course. He perhaps did dispose of his earthly treasures to aid the poor no doubt, but he always had the funds for his mission on earth 2000 years ago.
@ Patrik Larsson
Look at times of Solomon, and what a splendid kingdom he had, if the people would obey God and ONLY HIM. I am speaking about Theocracies during the times when God's law was implemented for the people of Isreal. There were no poor people, or very minimal, so as to have situations like today. Pakistan & Iran are Islam states, but they fail to acknowledge the laws in the Torah. The bible is embedded in the koran too, but they fail to see it.
@ A.M.Lombardi
True there is confusion of the word Christianity. It gets mixed up with the concept of Christians and the church, and so I will be specific. Christ came on earth to show to the world his message. What you do mean by "We"? An egoistical attitude of "us" or "them"?
Matthew 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the Law, or the Prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.
I am sorry Mr.Grech I never said that Jesus found any RELIGION you are so wrong to think that Christianity is a Religion, Roman Catholicism is a religion but Christianity is NOT, God, Jesus Is a Spirit therefore Christianity is about spirituality, Christianity means Followers of Christ and that’s what the first believers and followers of Christ were called.
And what are you talking about Jesus only Father is God not Joseph the Carpenter and His only possession was His robe and nothing else, never had Gold, Silver or any other precious jewels.
And what are you doing talking about the Old Testament and the Law?
We do not fall under the Law that was before Jesus Christ had died on the Cross and resurrected, since then we do not fall under the Law.
I think it's enough to look at the theocracies we have in the world to realise what an insane idea this is.
The way of how to eradicate poverty is really SIMPLE!
This is to ESTABLISH a TEOCRACY where GOD leads all.
What are the RULES? Very simple: Read the TORAH which is the first 5 books of the OLD COVENANT / TESTAMENT.
In it you have the laws, statutes and judgments that one should enforce on earth.
For every 50 years, let there be proclaimed a JUBILEE UPON THE LAND! Resources would then be split amongst the people and there would NOT BE ANY MORE POOR!
After every 7 years, one should FORGIVE loans made to PEOPLE! Does the BANK DO THAT?
Does the APS, the Church's bank in MALTA do that? Do people giving loans to each other do that? The people of Isreal (Champions of God) did not lend at interest to each other.
Can we see now that the interest rates are now so high, that the world economy is on the brink of self-implosion?
This is the blessing and cursing of God's law.
Answer: To eradicate poverty one should re-establish God's Laws, and do away with HUMAN laws. Amen.
2 major fallacies when you wrote "Jesus,the founder of Christianity, was the poorest of the poor"
For the first part, Jesus did not found ANY RELIGION! Forget it! For ULTIMATE proof please visit: http://jahtruth.net/darth.htm
For the second part, if you believe that Jesus had a carpenter father, this should not be in a position to be unemployed, I suppose. Furthermore, when the 3 sages came to visit him, with gold, mrryh and incense, I do not suppose that he remained poor, dont you think?
It is one thing hearing that Jesus was poor, or worse still poorest of the poor, and another thing when you read other biblical references.
@ Patrik Larsson
What I wrote below and quoted using the Times etc, are actually in my view a CONSERVATIVE figure of some 15 Billion US$s. This is the UPFRONT, what we can SEE. I think that the church MAY have even Trillions, and would NOT be surprised if this was true!
It is not good enough blaming greed. I see people I consider to be greedy blaming greed for our severe inequalities. It all boils down to a matter of clear values.
Charity begins at home. Perhaps the Church will want to take a lead to address the corruption factor that is at the very core of inequalities and poverty that prevail in our society.
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Matthew 7:5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
Matthew 6:21 For where your treasure is,there your heart will be also.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,833509,00.html
Jesus,the founder of Christianity, was the poorest of the poor. Roman Catholicism, which claims to be His church, is the richest of the rich, the wealthiest institution on earth.
How come, that such an institution, ruling in the name of this same itinerant preacher, whose want was such that he had not even a pillow upon which to rest his head, is now so top-heavy with riches that she can rival - indeed, that she can put to shame - the combined might of the most redoubtable financial trusts,of the most potent industrial super-giants,and of the most prosperous global corporation of the world?
It is a question that has echoed along the somber corridors of history during almost 2,000 years; a question that has puzzled,bewildered and angered in turn untold multitudes from the first centuries to our days.
It has become increasingly popular, even with the very young, in Malta to binge drink (issir patata), would it not be a good idea if a slogan is created to alert the young to the scourge of poverty. A poster could be prominently displayed in bars, etc. showing youngsters guzzling alcoholic drinks and undernourished children drinking polluted water. A slogan could read. “Would you switch places?” (Just an idea)
...'the Church doesn't have more obligations to share its wealth than anyone else....'
The Church may be CHANNELLING 'wealth' to the poor more than anyone else - however as the Church deems itself to be Christ' representative on Earth - surely (at least) it has obligations to share its wealth.
In fact I much doubt whether the Church should have any material wealth whatsoever - apart from that that enables it to 'assist' people's spiritual and also material needs.
You said:
"I thought that after discussing the Pope’s controversial speech about gays it would be a good idea show this other facet of the personality."
I really don't want to jump to any conclusions but this statement made me wonder..other facet of his personality? So this is the nice and caring pope talking about poverty as opposed to the reactionary one talking about homosexuality? I would appreciate a clarification.
The Church's wealth is still smaller than quite a few individuals in the world. Admittedly, it would be nice if they shared more of it, but the Church doesn't have more obligations to share its wealth than anyone else.
Time magazine http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,833509,00.html puts it at US$15 billion;
A good eye opener is http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/vatican/vatican_billions.htm
and
http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/archive.cgi?read=68927
No wonder that Pope John Paul I was killed perhaps, as he was to give the money to the poor.
On my return from a missionary experience, there were times where I felt that my input did not leave much impact...however a friend of me said that the most important thing was to give the wheel a push when it's my turn to do so..
While I think you trivialise many's effort stating that the Church has been THE conscience in these regards (as there are several secular, muslim, jewish etc charity institutions who deserve the same praise), I will not triviliase the incentive by saying too much about it.
I have a feeling many people think that there is no point for them in doing anything, as their contribution would be, as we Swedes say, a piss in the Nile. But, what they don't realise is the cumulative effect this have and looking at many larger charity organisations, their largest income is actually from the multitude giving small donations regularly, rather than a few large donations by events or people.
What is also worth remembering is that donations are only a tiny part of the solution. We will never fight poverty with donations alone, as it's only a short term solution (don't take me wrong, every life saved is a penny well spent). Creating a global awareness for the oppressive circumstances that many face on a daily basis and help them to instill proper democratic values is of absolute importance.