How much does society value the poor. Are theists & non-theists as bad as each other? Should we hold the church to a higher standard? Given religion considers and argues it is the author of morality then in my opinion there is a problem here.
There is good evidence that poverty breeds poverty. Thus unless society enables social mobility by resolving socioeconomic inequalities then nothing will change. Seems the church is more interested in giving the wealthy money than the poor. This would seem to go against the teaching I received when I was a Christian.
I also highlight recent article that indicates that Christians are twice as likely to blame poverty on a lack of effort. (See: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/christians-poverty-blam... )
Can Christians defend this? Can non-theists really take the moral high ground?
https://www.christiantoday.com/article/bishops-anger-at-middle-class-chu...
Subscription Note:
Choosing to subscribe to this topic will automatically register you for email notifications for comments and updates on this thread.
Email notifications will be sent out daily by default unless specified otherwise on your account which you can edit by going to your userpage here and clicking on the subscriptions tab.
I think that the empowerment of women would be the most powerful agent on the path to the eradication of poverty. It is, however, my observation that far too many theists do not support it, and, in fact, work diligently to prevent it.
I am at lost to understand this line, can you explain a bit?
"Seems the church is more interested in giving the wealthy money than the poor"
The difference to me seems mostly that secular societies don't depend on poor people for objects to be charitable towards - while churches do. So religious organizations may do something for the poor - but not necessarily to help them out of the poverty, but rather to to make them dependent, or buy their souls for the church. Or - like "mother" Theresa - not really help anyone at all, but pick up ill people, let them suffer and die without medical aid, and tell them, their pain is a service to god. (I hate that woman, what a perfidious $%&!)
Secular societies might let the poor languish and die - or actually get them out of poverty, if a humanitarian and egalitarian spirit exists, and people are somewhat moral, and times relatively prosperous.