Seems reasonable to me Steven. But I think it's important to keep in mind that religious organizations also do a lot to help feed the poor and disadvantaged. Additionally, the Catholic church in particular, has been helpful in preventing the spread of AIDS in many areas of the world.
The contribution of the church has also played a positive role in many peoples lives, such as helping turn alcoholics, drug addicts, and others toward more productive ways of living. As well as helping to foster a common vision of morality, laws and family.
As you say, the root cause lies outside the purview of the church to a large extent, so focusing on the churches influence regarding population levels, misses the most important reason for the existence of poverty.
Would we really be concerned about population levels if every nation had a standard of living comparable to the United States, Japan or Germany? Probably not. Therefore, the blame (if any exists) is misplaced.
The blame lies squarely at the feet of tyrants such as Castro who seek power and control over people, instead of economic freedom. Spreading freedom is the key to unlocking the potential of mankind. And it's one of the reasons I find it so disgusting that America went to bed so effortlessly with Castro, in the case of Elian, instead of highlighting to the world why freedom is important and deserving of consideration.
Michael |
