![\"\"](\"http:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/dno\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/commentary1.jpg\" "\\"commentary\\"")
Somehow we find ourselves in a society which thinks that the most important source of power \u2013 the control of money and land \u2013 is too difficult for most people to think about. Economics is a special field that you have to be an expert to understand.<\/p>\n
Few connections are made between economic issues and matters of faith \u2013 except perhaps the obligation to give to charity or to butter the mouth of the downtrodden, the have-nots.\u00a0 Faith is regarded as personal and spiritual only, while economics belong to the realm of politics.\u00a0\u00a0 So when remarks are made about poverty and wealth, people are chastised and fear to advance debate on those issues.\u00a0 Those who muster the strength, show wisdom and are fearless to inform the public need our praise and sympathy for so doing.<\/p>\n
Growing numbers of people in underdeveloped countries don\u2019t have the luxury of thinking that economic theories are boring or neutral.\u00a0 They are becoming experts at the sharp end, where economic policies of governments, World Bank, and IMF are having a daily and devastating impact on their lives.\u00a0 Families all over the world, who used to be able to manage their own lives and feed their children, are finding that now they can\u2019t.<\/p>\n
For them, those policies, which are supposed to lead their countries into economic health, translate into urgent questions.\u00a0 Can they afford medicine any more?\u00a0 Or schooling for their children?\u00a0\u00a0 Does the market price for their crops make it worth the effort of harvesting them at all? Why are a few continuing to amass riches, while the majority is grindingly becoming poorer? Why are the Kalinago People, who discovered this land Dominica, fought the colonialists and shed their blood to ensure today its \u2018Nature Isle\u2019 status, are in this 21st<\/sup>. century so indigene (extremely poor)? Why are these things happening?<\/p>\n So economic policies are neither boring nor morally neutral.\u00a0 They have a human impact which is crying out to be addressed. . The bible has always known this.\u00a0 Its teaching about wealth and poverty is extensive \u2013 a great many parables, laws, prophetic sermons and dire warnings, both general and specific, are found to deal with economic matters.<\/p>\n Jesus is known to have made several uncomfortable remarks about wrongful acquisition of wealth.\u00a0 In the same vein, many early Christian writers agonized about whether or not the rich people in their communities could be saved at all.\u00a0 The tradition of moral neutrality towards the use of money is actually an odd modern phenomenon.<\/p>\n Morality applies to both institutions and individuals.\u00a0 Old Testament laws always apply to the moral sickness or health of a whole society and calls for a transformed community on earth.\u00a0 If we accept powerful financial systems to further impoverish small island states or those with political and\/or economic power to enrich themselves without questions, we may fall in sin.<\/p>\n The bible constantly offers visions, articulated by those who are poor or persecuted by present reality, about how things could be different.\u00a0 So while we are told to sacrifice, be patient, God will take care of our well-being, the meek shall inherit the earth, many are exhibiting impatience and greed and doing anything and everything to become rich overnight.\u00a0 They can\u2019t wait.\u00a0 They have long thrown the biblical saying, \u2018By the sweat of thy brow, thou shall eat bread,\u2019 out of the window.<\/p>\n DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of the management and staff of Dominica News Online and its parent company.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Somehow we find ourselves in a society which thinks that the most important source of power \u2013 the control of money and land \u2013 is too difficult for most people to think about. Economics is a special field that you…","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16561","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n