Poverty interacts with faith and spirituality in interesting ways. Beyers (2014) proposes three functions that religion can have regarding poverty: (1) religion can shift a society's focus onto spiritual rather than material concerns, (2) religion can provide an overarching ethical framework for more equitable economic systems, and (3) religion can play an active role in the alleviation of material poverty. Beyers' proposal suggests that faith and spirituality can have important roles in both coping with and alleviating poverty.
Resources
The Effect of Religion on Poverty
On Promoting Climate Justice and Ending Poverty in Canada Faith Communities in Canada Speak Out