4.1 Parsell & Stambe - Christianity Helping People... + Religion & Poverty Alleviation Lecture Notes

Agarian / Newly Industrialized

PH is a ____ Society. This influences how development orgs interact with the PH

Secular Theories of Poverty

• Brandy 2019 - Poverty & Destitution

• Collier 2007 - Poverty Traps

Brandy 2019 Poverty & Destitution (BSP)

Behavioral Theories (early pregnancies, career choice)

Structural Theories (reduced livelihoods)

Political Theories (upper decision-making, tax systems)

Collier 2007 Poverty Traps CNLB

Conflict trap that prevents economic activities

Natural resource trap

Landlocked with bad neighbors

Bad governance traps

Multivocality

• Multiple voices and concerns across religion traditions about ideals of human and social progress

• Each religion offers ways of achieving this progress

• They can impede changes when religions felt that these ideas can go against their core teachings

How religions engage in poverty alleviation activities

• Short term: Relief-oriented charitable work

• Long term: Depending on resources & values - Providers of education, health, drinking water, livelihoods & education

Zakat (Islam)

Charitable giving 2.5% of disposable wealth every year

Dana (Buddism)

Selfless giving principle

When all religions think they’re the true versions of knowledge

Where can we base our development framework if religions have different voices from within?

(Tomalin, 2013) Religion Thinking’ Causes of Poverty (HotSexyFun)

Human Greed

Selfishness

Failure to act in accordance with sacred writings

Relationships

___ is presented as a vehicle to change people in poverty.

___ don’t doesn’t change people but give benefit to the giver.

They are an end in and of themselves.

Relationships are the Ideal Form of Help

• Represented as true meaning of help

• Not just about “fixing” or “changing” people but providing a space for them

• Interweaving spiritual elements of her helping practice

Central to Christian Teachings

• To help those in poverty

• Unconditionality. No background makes anyone exempt from help.

• However, people do not like “imposing” religion into relationships

The Challenge of Building Relationships to Help the Poor

• Many people in poverty REJECT relationships with Religious since they’re here for the charity goods, not rlly the relationships

• Don’t want to be hassle or “feel transactional”

• Don’t have the capacity to engage in conversation

animated

Relationships are understood as ______ by genuineness, vulnerability, and embodiment.

Ethical relationships, equal footing

For Christian pastors and volunteers, _____ must be built on ____, whereby people who are living in poverty have greater capacity to assert and shape the relatuionships they participate in.

Shari’ah law

Religious law that forms the Islamic tradition based on scriptures of Islam, particularly the Qur'an and hadith

Islamic understanding of poverty

Goes beyond mtrl world and traces into spiritual well-being

Islam Revivalism

Reassertion of Islamic principles that were believed to be sidelined by Western models of doing life

Islamic Needs

Dharuriyyat (necessities)

Hajat (convenience)

Kamaliat (refinements)

Unable to meet necessities = poor. Unable to meet at least 2, destitute

Dharuriyyat

Necessities

Hajat

Convenience

Kamaliat

Refinements

Caste System BKVS

• Brahmin (priests)

• Kshatriya (warrior)

• Vaishya (merchants)

• Shundra (servants)

Society divided into jatis (occupations) acc. to actions in previous life (karma)

People converted to buddhism to escape the caste system

no one religion

There is ___ conducive to economic development or doomed to economic destiution

Hetereogeneous

Religions are ___ and they all offer different views in understanding and solving poverty

Religiously-inspired Financial Techniques

Sharia Law

Al-Amanah Islamic Bank

Prosperity Ethic