World Religions

In Jesus’ time, people who had disputes with others often asked a rabbi or Jewish spiritual leader, to solve the dispute. Because Jesus was seen as a wise teacher, people sometimes asked him to settle their disagreements. One day, a man asked Jesus to settle a dispute about money. Jesus refused, saying, “Who made me a judge or divider over you?” (Luke 12:14) Then he told them this parable, which is found in the Bible.

The land of a rich man brought forth plentifully; and he thought to himself, “What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?” And he said “I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones; and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.” But God said to him, “Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. (Luke 12:16-21)

What do you think is the meaning of this parable?

1. What does it mean to say that distributive justice exists in a society?
2. Describe how the story of Lazarus and the rich man is a parable of global distributive injustice today.
3. How does omission play a role in the creation and maintenance of distributive injustice?
4. Describe three avenues by which individuals can affect distributive justice.
5. Find an article that points out the gap between rich and poor people in Canada. Write a brief response to the article.
6. List some types of omissions by privileged people that can cause injustice to flourish for poor people.
7. Research and compare government spending on military versus the needs of children.