Religion, Poverty and Wealth
Poverty is now a problem on a global scale, and Hinduism has needed,
and will continue to need, to undertake an ongoing state of change and
adaptation. Many of the beliefs Hindus held only a couple of centuries
ago have been altered or even removed altogether. The globalisation of
Hinduism, bringing it into contact with a wide range of other cultures
and religions, has influenced this a lot. Hinduism, however, is full
of variations itself, so what is said of Hinduism may be true for some
Hindus, and false for others. Hinduism is less a religion, than a
culture, and way of life. This way of life affects how they view
poverty and wealth, and what there reactions to it are, as outlined
below.
Unlike many other societies, where the caste system is based on power
or wealth, thus giving the poorest the least power, Hinduism has four
set castes, which a member belongs to by birth. These groups are
called varnas, and each has its own set of rules and duties to live
by, known as dharma. Too much inter-varna mixing, especially
intermarriage, is strongly disapproved of. The first, and highest
varna is that of a Brahmin-priests, teachers, and wisemen. The next is
Kshatriya-warriors, rulers, and leaders. The third is Vaishya-traders,
merchants, agriculture, and other work involved with commerce. The
final, and lowest varna is Sudra-manual labour and service. In many
societies, the difference between the high and the low, in terms of
social status, has caused great troubles, due to discontentment of the
poor and weak to continue living like they are. In Hinduism, however,
this problem is avoided, by the promise o...
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... many Hindus to make a small donation
to the poor, and will give old clothes or shoes away, rather than
throwing them out.
MK Gandhi changed many old Hindu beliefs with his teachings. He taught
that it is wrong to think that a poor person is only getting what they
deserve. He believed that everyone was a part of God, and people
should recognise that they share the same world and should care for
one another. He taught that service to others was the best way to find
God and comprehend fully the human condition. This had a profound
effect on the treatment of the poor in India today. There are many
charities set up for helping the poor in India, such as the Hindu
Mission Hospital and Prison Fellowship India. These receive many
donations from many Hindus-even those overseas will often send back
money to help the poor.
nothing, I feel that the world is alright the way that it is and that
...ness. We should just “love our life, poor as it is” as poor people would yield “the most sugar and the most starch.” Therefore, we should be unique and should never care about money in this material world.
Religion is a symbolic representation of society. The sociological approach to religious belief looks at how society behaves on a whole, to answer the question, “Why are people religious?” We express our participation in religious events through plays, acts of confession, religious dances, etc. To begin to understand why we have such term, let’s understand the common elements of religion. There are different types in which people believe in or follow and that is: animatism, animism, ancestral spirits, god and goddesses, and minor supernatural beings. Beyond these different elements, such one is to have religious leaders to follow.
Christian Response to Third World Poverty and Injustice b) Every disciple, every authentic Christian, must be on the road: not yet arrived or perfect, but moving, striving, falling and restarting in hope, and this ethos applies to the tackling of Third World poverty and injustice. Over one billion people are living in poverty today. The gap between rich and poor is getting wider. All over the world, disparities between rich and poor, even in the wealthiest of nations is rising sharply.
Living a life of poverty is seen as shameful in this day and age but
to say that there is no wrong in taking someone from a low class and
Religion in Latin America has always been tied closely to Catholicism because of the influence of Europeans who came to settle South America, bringing along their Catholic foundation. With the early formations of governments in Latin America, church and state were closely linked. The church had significant influence over what happened in the political realm of the countries’ relations. The case was no different for Colombia. The Catholic church has played a significant role in the history of Colombia, assuming an esteemed status in the country and exercising control over different areas of the government and public affairs, but as time passed its role in power has taken a slight downturn.
that someone else calls it a luxury that they cannot afford, he or she can't
brought to an end in a variety of places. This would mean a lot of
Social stability is the capstone of a fully-functioning society. Social stability is about the condition of freedom from social disorder that is commonly manifested in the custom of inter-group conflict and violence (Sengupta, p. 5103, 2004). It is the condition of sustainable development, and welfare, whereas, society would be free of poverty, hunger, corruption, exploitation and inequality (Sengupta, p. 5103, 2004). It is premised on social development, freedom, and harmony (Sengupta, p. 5103, 2004). There are many components which assist in the achievement of social stability; one being social justice through religion. The purpose of this paper is to examine social justice advocated through religion in an effort to attain social stability.
In the world today there is a lot of poverty. There is a great divide
“Religion is a ritualized system of beliefs and practices related to things defined as sacred by an organized community of believers.” (Basirico et.al. 379). Religion is an important element in the society because it influences the way individuals act and think. It has shaped the relationship and bonding among families as well as influenced the decision made in economics and politics. Religion in general has contributed to shape a society and a government structure which will influence the way the individuals under certain governmental structure behave. Sociologists are interested in religion mainly because religious belief is heavily rooted in individuals’ lives and it helps sociologists to interpret human’s actions, expression, and experiences. Due to its significance in society, sociologists try to study religion in depth to explain and understanding religions beyond science. Supernatural belief, which is the core of religion, cannot be explained using science which relies only on facts and data. According to Emile Durkheim, religion consists of three elements, a system of beliefs and practices, a community or church, and sacred things which are common throughout all religions. Although a lot of people may have thought that sociological studies in religion will undermine one’s faith towards their beliefs, in my opinion, sociological perspective in religion will have no effect on one’s faith toward their beliefs.
How do we define religion? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of religion is as follows: “the belief in a god or in a group of gods, an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods, or an interest, a belief, or an activity that is very important to a person or group” (Merriam-Webster.) My personal definition of religion is that it is a set of beliefs and practices that generally pertain to the worship of one or more than one spiritual being or representation of a spiritual power. Religion can be a personal belief or an organization or group of people who have similar beliefs and values. There are many different types of religions in the world and have been since the beginning of mankind.
Christianity and Wealth 'Jesus said to the rich young man, "Go, sell all that you have and
Religion, a word shrouded with mystery, confusion and complexity. For some it is the answer to everything, a path to guidance and hope. For others it is the reason for all evil or just a manmade phenomenon for people who refuse to understand that everything happens for a scientific reason. Whatever the case is, it is a topic that is quite controversial and much debated among scientists, cultural theorist and conspiracy theorists. Religion plays a major role in functioning and forming social and psychological behavior of a society. It is connected more towards the emotional side of a person and everyone has their own perspective about it. Therefore religion has become an important part of human identity.