Christianity and Poverty: correlation or causation?

[Freeman]

Christianity and Poverty: correlation or causation?

The CIA Fact Book statistics on poverty in developing nations is indeed an interesting description. Sure enough, when we look at the numbers, we can clearly see a definite correlation between the spread of Christianity and rates of poverty in nations. An observed correlation, however, merely describes a population or event. Correlation alone does not prove a cause and effect relationship between two events or variables. The criteria of causation include three conditions, one of which is correlation. In other words, correlation only suggests a possibility of causation.

I think we can try and make this hypothesis more meaningful by considering one or two other events or variables. By no means am I claiming that they are, therefore, the causal factors associated with poverty on nations. If we add the dimensions of race and colonialism to this, we get a clearer perspective on the problem. When we examine the list of nations with high poverty rates that are predominantly Christian, we see that virtually all of them have a colonial past and are all non-White populations. The entire sub-Saharan Africa and South America were colonized by the Europeans. In fact, if we consider South American/Latin American and the Caribbean nations, we will see that the indigenous populations are disproportionately represented in the low-income category. While churches dot every nook and corner in the Caribbean islands, families and marriages have become more or less defunct, with nearly 80 to 90 per cent of children without ever acknowledging a father figure and an alarmingly high incidence of HIV. Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, South Africa are all strong supporting cases of this hypothesis. Not only do these nations consist of large indigenous populations, they also were colonized for long periods of time by Europeans.

In Asia, we see that Philippines (Spanish), Macao (Portuguese), and now Timor, are the only Christian societies in the entire continent. Macao is now part of mainland China. Contrary to the ‘stock & barrel’ conversion claims by evangelical Protestants, South Korea still has a non-Christian majority. Indeed, these three regions show highest levels of economic strain and social break-down. One only has to walk the main streets of Hong Kong to understand the pathetic plight of Philippines, especially their women, who serve as maids in the rich homes of the host country. On Sundays, the ground level of HSBC Bank in Hong Kong seems like a perfect place for tens of thousands of maids to gather and socialize with their sisters after six days of hard and onerous labor. They even conduct street side beauty pageants! Macao earned fame for gambling and other enticing leisure. These are clear indications to any one that, for whatever reasons, the much extolled Christian morality and promise have not helped these populations progress in any direction. Meanwhile, the rest of Asia is making giant leaps. And the ones taking the lead – Japan, China, and India – are all conspicuously non-Christian!
World Poverty From A Religious Perspective [Archive] - TTonline.org - Trinidad & Tobago Online Community

it's quite interesting to note that the spread of christianism in Asia was harmful more than beneficial.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

it's quite interesting to note that the spread of christianism in Asia was harmful more than beneficial.

By who's standards? What about the comparable spread of Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism? Did any of those result in a higher standard of living? How about the spread of atheism under the Soviet Union and China? Did those result in a higher standard of living? Or is the truth simply that poverty did not spread nearly as fast as wealth did in most Western nations, and the resultant skewing of the world poverty line made things look worse, when conditions actually improved across the board? For example, most of the world today has cell phones, yet just a few years ago those same people did not have landlines.

I think I told you to read about confirmation bias once before. Apparently you did not pay any attention then. I expect the same attention to detail now.

 

[JBeukema]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca_MEJmuzMM[/ame]
Long-haired preachers come out every night,
Try to tell you what's wrong and what's right;
But when asked how 'bout something to eat
They will answer in voices so sweet

Chorus
You will eat, by and by,
In that glorious land above the sky;
Work and pray, live on hay,
You'll get pie in the sky when you die


And the Starvation Army, they play,
And they sing and they clap and they pray,
Till they get all your coin on the drum,
Then they tell you when you're on the bum

(Chorus)

Holy Rollers and Jumpers come out
And they holler, they jump and they shout
Give your money to Jesus, they say,
He will cure all diseases today

(Chorus)

If you fight hard for children and wife-
Try to get something good in this life-
You're a sinner and bad man, they tell,
When you die you will sure go to hell.

(Chorus)

Workingmen of all countries, unite
Side by side we for freedom will fight
When the world and its wealth we have gained
To the grafters we'll sing this refrain

Chorus (modified)
You will eat, by and by,
When you've learned how to cook and how to fry;
Chop some wood, 'twill do you good
Then you'll eat in the sweet by and by

The chorus is sung in a call and response pattern.

You will eat [You will eat] by and by [by and by]
In that glorious land above the sky [Way up high]
Work and pray [Work and pray] live on hay [live on hay]
You'll get pie in the sky when you die [That's a lie!]

Thus the final verse becomes

You will eat [You will eat] by and by [by and by]
When you've learned how to cook and how to fry [How to fry]
Chop some wood [Chop some wood], 'twill do you good [do you good]
Then you'll eat in the sweet by and by [That's no lie]

 

[FA_Q2]

it's quite interesting to note that the spread of christianism in Asia was harmful more than beneficial.

It's also quite interesting to note that virtually all the major superpowers in the world are largely Christian nations. Or that most of the most powerful ones are as well. On second thought it is not interesting at all. Rather, it is pointless conjecture that attempts to combine two facts that have ZERO to do with each other and then attempt to look for something linking the two.

 

[LumpyPostage]

Hong Kong and Macau are not economically prosperous but Japan is?