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How Mainstream Religious Organizations Cause Poverty - What Can World Leaders Do About It? ( Part 1)
Over 150 million children under the ages of 5 are stunted, some 100 million are underweight and some 5 million die annually. All of this is a result of children and families not having access to food resulting in severe malnutrition and death. The root cause of poverty in the US and globally is mainstream religious organizations.
The most recent example can be seen in the Russia and Ukraine conflict, which nearly launched the world into a modern-day world war. Early in the conflict that has thus far cost some 14,400 lives according to the United Nations, the Russian Orthodox Church declared the Russian assault as "God ordained" and thus encouraged, endorsed, and supported Russian President Putin. How exactly has this impacted global poverty?
As reported in Brookings, Before the war, Ukraine exported on average about 6 million tons of agri-commodities monthly to countries in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. What was the result after the war? Brookings states, “price spikes and supply chain disruptions significantly undermining food security in poor importing countries.”
Brookings added that in 2021, Ukraine provided some 69.82 million tons (11.3 percent) of cereals to the world. Global cereal and oilseed markets were tight even before the crisis due to shrinking stocks leading to upward price trends. This new supply shock led to prices almost doubling compared with two years ago. Agri-commodity market demand is inelastic—people have to eat—and this leads to dire consequences in poor importing countries. The number of people whose food supply is insecure (about 800 million) and people facing hunger (about 44 million) will most likely grow. This will result in increased poverty and threaten social stability in poor importing countries."
And who would be behind that increase in poverty and food crisis? The Russian Orthodox Church, which has long used its influence on Russian rulers to manipulate and instigate oppression, human rights violations and is now the backbone facilitating the spreading of global poverty.
What of the Catholic Church? Have they too contributed to global poverty? While it is not known how much personal wealth Vatican citizens have, the state is free of poverty according to sources but this has come at a cost to Catholics throughout the world who are encouraged and expected to cover the expenses of the church at great cost to themselves.
For example, Brazil remains the largest Roman Catholic country in the world, followed by Mexico, the Philippines, and the United States. In Brazil, 8.5% of the population (16.2 million) lives on less than $1.50/day. Despite that, Brazilian Catholics are expected to contribute to church function and expenses that could easily be covered by the Vatican. In addition, The Vatican's political involvement and influence in Brazil have contributed to the county's poverty. According to USAID, inequality in land distribution is a major factor contributing to poverty levels in Brazil. Brazil's poor have inadequate access to desirable land, and NPR reported in 2015 that one percent of the population controls 50 percent of all the land in Brazil. With 275 particular churches in Brazil, it's no guess who makes up that 1%. So, it can be said that the Catholic Church single-handedly is responsible for poverty in Brazil. And that's just Brazil!
So is the Catholic church behind Mexico's poverty? The facts show a combination of uneven distribution of wealth and resources sponsored by economic and political agendas to favor the rich and powerful. In that the Catholic church owns some 92,924,489 church buildings in Mexico, wealth is certainly on their side. Still today, the Catholic vote is key in Mexico where 80 percent of the population identifies as Catholic. In that the Catholic church holds extreme wealth and political agenda figuratively in her hands, she is historically and verifiably the cause of extreme poverty in Mexico.
What about the United States? Different factors contribute to poverty in the US including economic and healthcare, that have been created by the Catholic and Protestant churches.
While many families were negatively impacted by COVID 19 many small business owners found themselves being denied government support via PPP Loans. What does that have to do with the Catholic Church? You probably didn't know that as reported by the Associated Press, the Catholic Church received $1.4 billion from the U.S. government's Paycheck Protection Program.
The AP reported, “The Archdiocese of New York, for example, received 15 loans worth at least $28 million just for its top executive offices. Its iconic St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue was approved for at least $1 million.
In Orange County, California, where a sparkling glass cathedral estimated to cost over $70 million recently opened, diocesan officials working at the complex received four loans worth at least $3 million.
And elsewhere, a loan of at least $2 million went to the diocese covering Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia, where a church investigation revealed last year that then-Bishop Michael Bransfield embezzled funds and made sexual advances toward young priests.”
Funds that could have been given to impoverished small business owners to stimulate the economy were instead granted to a billion-dollar religious entity, thereby contributing to US poverty.
In addition, political agendas backed by religious majority churches including the Catholic and Protestant churches have a longstanding history of favoring the wealthy which contributes to poverty in the United States. For example, in 2021, at least 294 members of Congress were Protestant and 158 Catholic. Congress members have often rallied together to provide tax benefits to the wealthy while raising taxes on the poor, thereby contributing to US poverty. In that those Congress members have always been backed by their church and have used their church and religious influence to gain votes to secure their spots, it can be stated with certainty that those mainstream religious organizations have been solely responsible for the tax breaks on the wealthy, thereby contributing to economic instability and poverty in the United States of America.
How exactly has poverty impacted the US? According to SLATE, “in recent years, researchers have found that suicide rates are the highest among the poorest people. The children of people on welfare are twice as likely to die by suicide. Homeless people kill themselves about 10 times as often as people with housing.”
In addition, during the 1980s and early 1990s, when concepts such as the “greed” of the privileged few and austerity for the many were supposed to be fashionable, most Americans supported a government-run national health care program (Shapiro and Young 1986). However, Congress, run by mostly Catholics and Protestants, did not provide one.
According to SoapBoxie, more than “45,000 people die in the U.S. every year—that's one every 12 minutes—because they have no access to healthcare, or because the healthcare they receive is substandard due to an inability to pay.”
We will compile a more extensive global report, however, even now it is evident that mainstream religious organizations are the root causes of global poverty. But what can be done about it? The answer is not as complicated as one may think.
Recently, US President Joe Biden initiated an agenda to forcefully address popular tax cuts that the rich have scrupulously benefited from, which he calls "unfair." But can the US President do more legally to address US poverty and by extension global poverty to promote international change?
Yes, but to do so would require an understanding of international law and a determination to use those laws on behalf of the poor.
One international law that he can use is the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights' adopted by the United Nations member states in 1966 and which provides multiple articles that U.N. member states have legally bound themselves to abide by. Entities or persons in violation of those articles can and should face legal consequences.
Which articles of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights' have mainstream religious organizations violated as they pushed the world into global poverty?
Article 1
Article 1 states that “all peoples have the right of self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.
In that the Catholic and Protestant churches have held a monopoly on US wealth through Congress, Americans do not have the freedom to legally pursue economic development, thereby making those religious organizations in violation of Article 1.
Article 2 & 3
Articles 2 states “where not already provided for by existing legislative or other measures, each State Party to the present Covenant undertakes to take the necessary steps, in accordance with its constitutional processes and with the provisions of the present Covenant, to adopt such laws or other measures as may be necessary to give effect to the rights recognized in the present Covenant.”
Article 3 states “Each State Party to the present Covenant undertakes:
(a) To ensure that any person whose rights or freedoms as herein recognized are violated shall have an effective remedy, notwithstanding that the violation has been committed by persons acting in an official capacity;
(b) To ensure that any person claiming such a remedy shall have his right thereto determined by competent judicial, administrative or legislative authorities, or by any other competent authority provided for by the legal system of the State, and to develop the possibilities of judicial remedy; (c) To ensure that the competent authorities shall enforce such remedies when granted.
These Articles give world government leaders including US President Joe Biden the power to enact laws to ensure that Article 1 is abided by.
In that global poverty has now constituted a state of global emergency Article 4 also applies.
Article 4
Article 4, section 1 states “in time of public emergency which threatens the life of the nation and the existence of which is officially proclaimed, the States Parties to the present Covenant may take measures derogating from their obligations under the present Covenant to the extent strictly required by the exigencies of the situation, provided that such measures are not inconsistent with their other obligations under international law and do not involve discrimination solely on the ground of race, colour, sex, language, religion or social origin.”
In that poverty has contributed to inhuman conditions and the premature death of million as a result of lack of adequate health care and suicide, and since those conditions exist largely due to the Catholic and Protestant church's political monopoly in Congress, those mainstream religious institutions violate Articles 6 and 7.
Article 6
Article 6 states, “every human being has the inherent right to life. This right shall be protected by law. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his life.”
Article 7
Article 7 states, “no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. In particular, no one shall be subjected without his free consent to medical or scientific experimentation.”
In that global poverty instigated by the mainstream religious Catholic and Protestant organizations, has systematically limited access to adequate housing, Article 12 applies.
Article 12
Article 12 states “everyone lawfully within the territory of a State shall, within that territory, have the right to liberty of movement and freedom to choose his residence.”
And although Article 18 states that “everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.” It does not make allowances for the Catholic and Protestant mainstream religious organizations to sway politics and impoverish US and U.N. member state citizens without facing legal consequences.
Global poverty is a reality and has been spearheaded by the Catholic and Protestant churches in the US and abroad. However, US President Joe Biden CAN enforce the legalities of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights' adopted by the UN in 1966, eliminate the tax-free status of those organizations, seize their assets and use those funds to boost and stimulate a hurting economy.
Since most members of Congress are Protestant and Catholic, the best move for US President Joe Biden to do this is through the United Nations.
Why would the UN get involved to end global poverty? In that mainstream religious organizations all over the world have the wealth to eliminate poverty but instead hoard that wealth, it is in the best interest of the United Nations to support US President Joe Biden in this regard.
Research shows the Vatican is sitting on over 15 billion net worth. The Pope alone has a 15 million net worth, making $32,000 a month. Hindu temples take in 180 million annually. Buddhist temples and Jewish temples also take in millions annually. Muslim mosques are sitting on top of trillions of tax-free dollars. These mainstream religious organizations that have in many cases created and perpetuated global poverty, hoard their wealth while the masses in their own communities suffer and die, identifying the flaw in government laws aimed at protecting these organizations while global poverty gets worse.
Therefore, it would be in the best interest of world leaders including US President Joe Biden to follow the legal recommendation of Human Rights Investigator Joseph Bonner who spoke at the U.N. back in August of 2021, and urged “all members of the states of the United Nations give their power and support to the United Nations to globally enact a law to abolish the tax-free status of all mainstream religious organizations who have violated their tax-free status through their political involvement and use such wealth to eliminate poverty once and for all under established international law.”
In short, Mr. Bonner insisted that mainstream religious organizations be penalized for their political involvement that has contributed to global poverty and has violated the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights' articles adopted by the U.N. member states in 1966. In that, they violate this treaty. He argued that since all mainstream religious organizations have legally revoked their tax-free status, government member states seize their assets and use those funds to stimulate economic development and growth in their respective counties.
This move would be both legal and sound and could thus set the global precedent for international peace and security. If US President Joe Biden acted in the interest of global peace and security he would go down in history as the 1st US President to achieve world peace in these regards, thereby uniting the world in the common goal of global economic stability through the elimination of mainstream religious organizations that for far too long have been the root cause of global poverty.