Rich and Poor Essay Example

Rich and Poor Essay Example Rich and Poor Essay Rich and Poor Essay The divide between the rich and the poor can be roughly divided into the rich north and the poor south. The north consists of first world countries like the USA, England and France. The south consists of third world countries like India, Kenya and Brazil. The jobs available in third world countries are mainly in shoe or clothe factories. In these places workers are treated as a commodity. Christians believe this is wrong and Christian aid agencies like CAFOD aim to get fair working hours and wages for these people. They also help towns and villages to build their own wells and schools. Without these agencies the rich would get richer and the poor would get poorer.A recent example of the third world being exploited is the case of the Brazilian shoe makers. In the case of Leo she has been working in a shoe factory for seven years and like all workers is paid a meagre wage for work that could be hazardous to health. Christian aid agencies strive to rectify this problem by campaigning fo r fair wages and sensible working conditions for those employed by shoe manufacturers. However one of the problems with the workforce is the fact that if one employee makes a stand they are fired, there are always many more willing workers to take the persons place.Christians feel that this is very unfair as the worker is only standing up for their rights as a citizen of humanity. Leo says, I really want workers to be valued and not treated as commodities which can be discarded. Without us no shoes would be made, yet our own children dont even wear shoes! One day I hope to see all workers receiving a just wage and not being humiliated.In 1948 the UN (United Nations) declared these basic human rights:* Everyone has the right to attend attend meetings and join associations (trade unions).* Everyone has the right to work under just and favourable conditions.* Everyone has the right to equal pay for equal work.* Everyone has the right to fair pay to enable him/her and his/her family to live with self-respect.Employment is a basic need for everybody because people who are employed are paid and people need money to buy food and shelter for themselves and their families. Without those basic requirements we would die so is it fair that these people are forced to nearly kill themselves working so they can survive? Christians also ask this question and to rectify this problem they help to build buildings and show people how to grow their own crops using more modern methods. This makes the third world more self-sufficient and so they are not relying on jobs in the factories so much. Christians believe that every single human being is made in the image of God. The factory managers by destroying people from the inside out are effectively destroying a part of God that should be treated with respect like God intended for all his creations.In the Bible we are taught that to enter in to eternal life we must sell all we have and give everything to the poor. All these rich facto ry owners are giving the poor is inadequate wages and health problems, whether physical or emotional. These workers are being enslaved virtually because they cant do anything about it. The Bible tells us that all people are equal in the eyes of God however some are choosing to ignore this and are ignoring the needs of the poor. In the story of the rich man and Lazarus we are told that the rich man went to Hell because he did not help the poor. He didnt go to Hell because he treated Lazarus badly but because he ignored his needs as a human being. Christians are taught that they should help those less fortunate and those in distress because it is the right thing to do and otherwise they will go to Hell. It is every humans right to live under favourable conditions and Christians believe that everyone should help those that arent.Christians try to emulate Jesus as closely as possible in their daily lives. Jesus was very poor and was so since his birth in a stable. Christians try to live as he did by giving all they have to charities that can then help those in need. Perhaps Jesus would be shocked, if he came back in the twentieth century, by Christians giving to charities rather than directly helping those in need. However I do not think Jesus would have a problem with this as he taught that everyone should be equal and the charities are helping those in need.Some Christians are so involved in helping the poor that a movement called Liberation Theology has emerged. This is a group of people that believe the Gospel tells us to fight actively against the oppression of the poor. Such people include Archbishop Oscar Romero. He spoke out against the abuse of human rights in his sermons and was eventually assassinated in 1980 by four masked gunmen during one of his sermons. His last words were May Christs sacrifice give us the courage to offer our own bodies for justice and peace.Jesus was not a political figure in the normal sense, however he did hold some extremely po litical views. Jesus did not openly challenge the government in, for example, a debate but did fight for people freedom and rights as human beings. He did challenge the government but from the homes of the people. He did everything from the peoples perspective, so he knew exactly what was wrong where. Jesus fought against the poverty of the people and the ignorance of those in power but only through words. Jesus never resorted to violence and even taught that fighting was wrong. Christians realise this and do not fight against the government physically but instead use words and peaceful protests to make themselves heard and understood. However this isnt always enough in the modern world and some Christians ignore the teachings and use violence instead but only as a last resort. These people are known by some as terrorists, by others as freedom fighters it depends on whom theyre fighting.Some Christians are members of organisations such as CAFOD Christian Agency For Overseas Developm ent. Organisations such as these rely on the support of people in general, not just Christians to donate money. CAFOD has many campaigns for fair trading and equal rights. CAFOD has a game called Trading Trainers. By playing this game people are encouraged to think about how much money hard workers in the third world are being cheated out of. By doing this CAFOD encourages us to take a more active part in campaigning for fair pay. CAFOD also pesters big companies to sell products at a price that will give the workers a fair wage and encourages manufacturers to adopt codes of conduct which will improve working conditions and Christians state of mind.