Ragamuffin: 3 thoughts on poverty

1

The first response to poverty or human suffering is the emergency attitude of dealing with the symptoms. Huge amounts of food and other supplies are poured into a disaster-stricken area, and those on the giving end believe this Band-Aid approach will, temporarily, deal with the problem. We can’t diminish the importance of this approach to dealing with the plight of the poor, especially since it is positively supported by many scriptural exhortations.

Proverbs 19:7 | “If the relatives of the poor despise them, how much more will their friends avoid them? The poor call after them, but they are gone.”

Matthew 25:37-40 | “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?’ And the King will tell them, ‘I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

But while works of mercy and charity have an important place, if we do not ask why the poor are poor, we might by playing a part in the problem. We must not destroy local resourcefulness or local farming. We must not cause a continual dependency on foreign or external aid that will not easily be broken.

2

The second approach to dealing with poverty is the idea of development. We need to recognize there are good development projects that build solid and lasting infrastructures within a community. At its best, the idea of development builds on the concept that while aid might enable the starving to eat now, if you teach people how to fish rather than giving them the fish, they have the opportunity to become self-sufficient. This might be neighbor-love at its best.
Matthew 22:39 | “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

3

The third approach dealing with poverty raises the issue of justice, which also is a scriptural command.
Psalm 82:3 | “Give fair judgment to the poor and the orphan; Uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute.”
Micah 6:8 | “The Lord has already told you what is good, and this is what he requires: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”

The world is dominated by powerful interest groups and even though we might teach the poor how to be more resourceful with the newest fishing techniques, the best development theory and projects will come to nothing if the water is polluted or the rich want to take the land. We cannot sidestep the issue of politics when we deal with poverty.

Dealing with poverty with short-term solutions can be temporarily helpful, but for lasting effects we need to look into serving more than emergency needs.

Ragamuffin is Capt. Jay Davis, corps officer in Des Plaines, IL, USA. Click here to read a more complete bio of Jay. Ragamuffin appears every Monday on theRubicon and has his own blog.

To get more involved with these ideas and issues, Ragamuffin suggests visiting this site.

Photographs of The Salvation Army tsunami relief operation in Sri Lanka, 2005, by Bramwell Ryan

2 Comments to Ragamuffin: 3 thoughts on poverty

1. Thank you very much for your concise descriptions. It’s easy to think we all know what we’re talking about, or that one aspect of response is more important than another…

   About a year and a half ago, I was at a conversation of women officers, mostly nationals of Eastern Europe Territory, re: trafficking. While some (Westerners) were keen to see “poverty” as the issue and teaching skills as the solution, “teach to fish”…

   When I said - maybe we need to think about why people aren’t “fishing”. If you’re not allowed to sell the fish, or you’re not allowed to use the water because of mafia, etc., skills aren’t the issue. And I got this look of gratitude from a national officer. “We know HOW to do things” is so often what we’re hearing from people in Eastern Europe, skills aren’t the issue. The greed of the ruling corrupt class is, and the way that it pervades and corrupts across the board have far more to do with explaining why people are poor here than “lacking skills”.
   The nationals agreed in some cases, people have lost the skills they used to have because they haven’t been able to use them. In other cases, they have skills, but no way to use them safely, honestly, etc.

   Which then brought the ladies to the next question, “we’ve been poorer before - after the War, for example, but we never had this thirst for material things so bad that girls were willing to become prostitutes abroad or go abroad for a job as a nanny and leave the family and everything they know behind”.
Maureen Diffley on October 22nd, 2007

2. How true your words ring ?
   Greed is probably, IMHO, the main reason why poverty still exists or should I say “sin” .
   People want more and more material goods, money, power and do anything to get it even if their next door neighbour is in abject poverty.
   When I read about Emergency Aid being stolen by the greedy rather than going to those who need it. When I see water and land being wasted rather than being used for food. When I see “cows” and other anaimals being treated godlike rather than being used to provide food. When I…. and so on it goes.

   Thanks for the reminder today.

   John Stephenson
John Stephenson on October 22nd, 2007

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