Religious Views on Wealth & Poverty (WJEC Eduqas GCSE Religious Studies): Revision Note

Christian attitudes to wealth and poverty

Christian attitudes to wealth

• Christians do not believe that it is wrong to be wealthy but think that spiritual values are more important than physical wealth

  • Jesus taught this, saying:

• Jesus taught that wealth can distract people from loving God and loving their neighbour

  • When a rich man asked how to be perfect, Jesus told him to sell everything and give to the poor, teaching that spiritual priorities matter more than possessions.
    Jesus said:

• Saint Paul warned Christians not to rely on wealth, saying that “the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10) and cautioning them, “Do not put your hope in wealth … but in God” (1 Timothy 6:17)

• Christians believe wealth is not wrong in itself, but how it is gained matters

  • Many oppose gambling or making money through exploiting others because it encourages greed and harms society

  • Some denominations, such as Methodists and Quakers, avoid all gambling

• Wealthy people should not be selfish and should use their wealth responsibly to help people in need

• The Parable of the Sheep and Goats gives several examples of how people can achieve eternal rewards in heaven for helping those in need on earth

  • Jesus teaches that helping the hungry, thirsty, sick and imprisoned is like helping Jesus himself

    • This passage encourages Christians to show compassion and care

• The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus is a cautionary tale in which the rich man ends up in hell for refusing to help Lazarus, the beggar (Luke 16:19–31)

  • This story shows the consequences of failing to use wealth to help others

• The Parable of the Good Samaritan teaches Christians to care for people in need, no matter who they are

  • The Samaritan helps a man in need, even though they were not from the same community

• The early Christian community exemplified a positive attitude towards wealth

  • They shared possessions, cared for the poor and made sure no one was in need (Acts 4:32–35)

  • This inspires Christians today to live by the same principles of sharing and helping others

• Christians today can show a responsible attitude towards wealth by:

  • Living simply and putting God and others first 

  • Tithing or giving regular donations to charity

  • Supporting charities such as Christian Aid that are trying to end world poverty

  • Donating to food banks and local Christian projects

  • Looking after others who have less or who are struggling

  • Supporting Fairtrade to ensure workers are paid fairly

  • Being content with what they have rather than envying others who appear to have more

Christian attitudes to poverty

• Christians believe God created all people. Every life is sacred and deserves dignity

• The earth belongs to God, and its resources should be shared fairly

• Christians believe God is a God of justice and calls people to act justly

• The Bible teaches that refusing to help people in need is incompatible with Christian love

• Jesus taught about the importance of helping the poor

  • The Parable of the Sheep and Goats teaches that Christians will be judged on how they treated the poor

  • The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus shows the consequences of ignoring people who suffer

  • Jesus warned against storing up earthly treasures and encouraged storing up treasures in heaven through good deeds

  • Jesus praised a widow’s offering when she gave two small coins in the temple, teaching that God values generosity over the amount given (Mark 12:43–44)

Christian actions to alleviate poverty

• Working for justice and supporting efforts to alleviate poverty is an important duty for Christians

• Christians support both local and global projects

• Local Christian actions include:

  • Food banks

  • Soup kitchens

  • Debt counselling

  • Job skills and education support

  • Projects run by local churches to help vulnerable families

• One local Christian charity is the Trussell Trust, which: 

  • Aims to end poverty and hunger in Britain by providing help to those in need

  • Provides emergency food and support through a nationwide network of food banks

  • Helps people of all religions, as well as those who have no faith at all 

• Christians also support global organisations and charities aiming to tackle poverty, such as CAFOD, Tearfund and Christian Aid

The work of Christian Aid

• Christian Aid is a Christian charity that helps those in need in more than 60 countries. It aims to:

  • Stop poverty

  • Challenge injustice

  • Support long-term development

  • Achieve fairer global systems

• Christian Aid’s work includes:

  • Organising projects run by partners in different countries

  • Educating people about the causes of poverty

  • Publicising examples of inequality and poverty

  • Running Fairtrade activities and campaigns

• Christian Aid’s values are based on Bible teachings

  • Love and solidarity for all

  • Dignity and respect for all people

  • Justice and equality for everyone, challenging unfair and unequal structures that prevent people from breaking free from poverty

  • Cooperation and partnership between all people, religious and non-religious, including governments and other faith groups

  • Stewardship and accountability for the earth’s resources

Attribution:

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Muslim attitudes to wealth and poverty

Muslim attitudes to wealth

• Islam teaches that all wealth belongs to Allah. Humans are caretakers (khalifah) and will be judged on how they gain and use their money

• Wealth is seen as a test, not a sign of Allah’s favour

• The story of Adam and Hawwa (Eve) shows that Allah originally intended humans to have what they needed

• Wealth must be earned honestly

  • Gambling (qimar) and gaining money through chance are forbidden

• Interest (riba) is forbidden, as it exploits the poor. Islamic banks offer interest-free loans so Muslims can borrow ethically

• Wealth must also be used wisely

• Muslims must not hoard wealth or ignore the needy

• The Qur’an teaches generosity and sharing

• The Hadith teaches that “the upper hand is better than the lower hand”, meaning it is better to give than to receive

• However, Muslims should give with the right spirit. They should:

  • Give sincerely for Allah alone, not for praise

  • Give secretly where possible (Qur’an 2:271–274)

  • Be humble and avoid reminding people of their generosity

Muslim attitudes to poverty

• Islam teaches that followers have a responsibility to help the needy, wherever they are

• The Qur’an also calls caring for the poor and needy as “true righteousness”

• Muslims believe that those who help others will gain favour with Allah

  • They believe that Allah sees all that they do and that they will be rewarded for sharing with others

• The Hadith also promises reward, saying that “the generous person is near God … ”

• Helping the poor is an essential Islamic duty because:

  • Allah created all humans equal

  • All wealth ultimately belongs to him

  • Muslims will be judged on their compassion and generosity

  • Supporting the poor strengthens justice and the global ummah

• Islam promotes four types of giving

  • Zakah: The third pillar of Islam. All Muslims are to give 2.5 per cent of their annual earnings to help those in poverty (Sunni and Shi’a Muslims)

  • Khums: 20 per cent of savings given to Muslim scholars and community leaders for community welfare (Shi’a Muslims)

  • Sadaqah: Voluntary donations of money, food or clothes to those who need it (all Muslims)

  • Zakat-ul-fitr: Donation at the end of Ramadan, so even those in poverty can share in a meal during Eid al-Fitr

Muslim actions to alleviate poverty

• Several Islamic organisations work to help people in need in the UK and overseas. Examples include Islamic Relief, Muslim Aid and Muslim Hands 

• Muslim Hands is a UK-based organisation that helps British Muslims facing poverty. It works to:

  • Help people get out of poverty

  • Provide support for prisoners

  • Help women who are experiencing exclusion and marginalisation

  • Help vulnerable young people, those suffering from addiction and the elderly

The work of Islamic Relief

• Islamic Relief was founded in the UK in 1984

  • It now works in over 40 countries

• It provides emergency aid in disasters and long-term development projects

• It aims to enable people to break out of poverty and secure their future without the need for charity

• Islamic Relief helps all people regardless of religion

  • It particularly supports orphans, women and vulnerable families

• Its work reflects Islamic values

  • Compassion

  • Justice

  • Stewardship

  • Sincerity

  • Excellence