Poverty

Question 1

Poverty

Answer 1

. Many people throughout the world live in poverty, without money, food or basic necessities.
. Some of the causes of poverty include debt, unemployment, exploitation and natural disasters.
. While many Christians and Buddhists believe it is important to help those living in poverty, they also think the poor have a responsibility to help themselves out of poverty if they are able to do so.

Question 2

Poverty and its causes

Answer 2

• Every person has basic needs in order to live (such as food, shelter and health care), but those living in poverty are not able to meet these needs.
• Poverty is a complex global problem that has many causes.

Question 3

Debt

Answer 3

. Many of the poorest countries owe money to wealthier countries, which they have borrowed for such things as health care and education.
. Debt is also a reason why individual people go into poverty in the UK, e.g. if they can’t pay back money they owe to a bank

Question 4

Unemployment

Answer 4

Unemployment is one of the main causes of poverty in the UK, as not everyone is able to find work or is fit to work.

Question 5

Natural disasters

Answer 5

Flooding, drought and other natural disasters are common throughout the world. They can destroy crops and properties, leaving people with no food or shelter.

Question 6

Who is responsible for those living in poverty?

Answer 6

People have different views on who is responsible for helping those in poverty.

1. Some think it is society’s responsibility, especially if people are in poverty through bad luck as a result of how society works.
2. Others think more responsibility should be placed on people to make an effort to get out of poverty or to not get into poverty in the first place.
3. Christians encourage the poor to help themselves by finding work, but realise some are unable to do so.
4. Even though the Bible says ‘the one who is unwilling to work shall not eat’ (2 Thessalonians 3:10), Christians believe it is important to help those who need assistance.
5. Buddhism teaches that all poverty deserves compassion, but that people also have a responsibility to themselves to create the conditions needed for a healthy life.

Question 7

An example of the poor freeing themselves from poverty

Answer 7

• The Dalit people in India are at the bottom of the Hindu caste system.
• In the 1950s, their leader Dr Ambekar inspired many of them to convert to Buddhism.
• He taught them to ‘educate, agitate and organise’ to resist the people and laws keeping them in poverty.
• He also taught them to develop more self-respect for themselves and each other.
• Since the 1950s, millions of them have freed themselves from extreme poverty.

Question 8

Exploitation of the poor

Answer 8

Exploitation is the misuse of power or money to get other people to do things for little or unfair reward.
The poor are exploited worldwide in various ways, including:

• being paid unfairly,
• being charged excessive interest on loans, and
• being involved in people-trafficking.

All of these practices go against the teachings of Christianity and Buddhism.

Question 9

Poverty cycle

Answer 9

. Lack of food
. Hunger
.  No energy
. Unable to work 
. Earn less money
. No money so less food

Question 10

Being paid unfairly

Answer 10

. Way to stop exploitation of the poor is to provide fair pay.
. In the UK, the National Minimum wage sets the lowest amount an employer can pay a worker per hour.
. In many developing countries, large companies pay their workers very low wages in orders to increase their profits.
. For example, in West Bengal in India, hundreds of thousands of people work on tea plantations for around £1 per day, which is about half of what they are legally entitled to.

Question 11

Being charged excessive interest on loans

Answer 11

. Poor people sometimes have little choice but to borrow money from loan companies that charge very high rates of interest.
. If they cannot repay the loans fast enough, the huge interest rates mean they can quickly end up in debt, as they end up owing much more than the amount they borrowed.

Question 12

Being involved in people trafficking

Answer 12

. Illegal movement of people, typically for the purposes of forced labour or commercial sexual exploitation.
. People who are desperate for a better way of life may pay smugglers to get them into a more prosperous country.
. Once in the new country, they have few rights and may be forced by the smugglers to work in poor conditions for little pay.
. Some are kidnapped and forced to work against their will.

Question 13

Fair pay

Answer 13

• Most Christians support fair pay for everyone as this contributes to an equal and just society. Do not exploit the poor because they are poor. Proverbs 22:22 [NIV]
• Many Buddhists consider it very important to balance profit with ethics.
• Taking workers’ time and energy without paying them a fair wage goes against the second moral precept (to avoid taking what has not been freely given).

Question 14

Excessive interest on loans

Answer 14

• Buddhism teaches that making money by exploiting the poor is an example of greed (one of the three poisons), and against the second moral precept.
• Buddhism also teaches that each person has a responsibility to create the conditions for a healthy life, and this includes not getting into debt if they can help it.

Question 15

People trafficking

Answer 15

• Goes against Jesus’ teaching to ‘love your neighbour as yourself’, and it is against the Buddhist moral precepts.
• Although people-trafficking may not have been a recognised problem when the Buddha was alive, he criticised the caste/class system in India, which exploited the poor and forced them to work in bad conditions for little money.