Haiti and the poor

I wrote a little about Haiti last week, indicating I would revisit the topic.  As I studied Scripture, I began to think more and more that what happened in Haiti is a wake-up call for us.

We are so rich here.  Other countries are so poor, with Haiti being the poorest in the western hemisphere.  Do we care?

Do we really care?  Or just give lip service to caring, such as giving our dutiful ten dollars to help earthquake victims?

Do our churches care?  Do they really care?  How much of church money is given to the poor on a regular basis?  How much church time and energy is devoted to the needs of the poor, as opposed to other endeavors?

How many Christian Americans give their 10% tithe, but nothing else?  A tithe, by the way, is actually Biblically defined as 10% of gross resources.  How many give not even a tithe?  Offerings are to be given after the tithe has been met (the tithe going to the believer's home church); offerings, in contrast, can go where they are needed.

But neither of these are actual commandments in the New Testament.  They are commandments in the Old Testament, but still represent worthwhile standards for believers.  God tells us in the Old Testament that the tithe requirement is the only commandment on which we can "test" God.  We can start out giving less, with a cheerful heart, and see how God continues to provide.

Anyhow, it's disheartening that American homes overflow with things that fall into the "wants" category.  Our credit card balances prove that we're greedy.  I believe the average balance is about $5000 per family.  We're fat on "wants", while the poor deal with daily insufficiency.  With daily hunger.  (Some people have had to put mortgage payments on credit cards since the recession started.  The $5000 figure probably represents those who live beyond their means in a good economy.)

So, do we really care then, about the poor?  Does God want us to care more and buy less?  Save more and give more?  YES!

And the images from Haiti are a wake up call!

Some say that the Voodoo religion practiced in Haiti may be the culprit. God is punishing them for it, right? That's why they are so forsaken, surely.

Well, it is true that God doesn't want us dealing with spirits.  There probably aren't any Evangelicals practicing Voodoo in Haiti.  Voodoo mixes with Catholicism there, as in some other countries.  I would venture to guess that it's practiced out of ignorance by unbelievers.

The bigger problem in God's eyes is us rich people here in America (and elsewhere).  God is ashamed of us.

And our government?  Has it helped?  We gave 2.7 billion in aid to Haiti, from 2002 through 2009.  What happened to it?  Why did we give it, continually, to a corrupt government?  Why not to legitimate sources instead?  Why not care enough to invest in people who would track the aid, to see if it was benefiting the poor in Haiti?  What work have our envoys been doing, in regards to tracking aid? The American taxpayer money was wasted, for the most part.  Why give money so irresponsibly?  How much of foreign aid is given irresponsibly?  These questions need to be answered.  The poor need us to get it right.  

What percentage of Scripture is about the needs of the poor, and about our responsibility to them?  How does God view the poor?

I want to offer an article that thoroughly answers the question of how God views the poor.  It was written by what appears to be an Independent-minded American who has issues with the Republican Party.  Despite some political content, it is a very good presentation.  Scripture makes up the bulk of the article.

As an aside, I don't think every Republican begrudges poor people their entitlement benefits.  There are certainly plenty who do, but I don't like this author's assumption that all Republicans champion the causes of the rich. Read it for the Biblical content--there is much truth there.