Religious ideals of poverty: Signposts in a commercialised world?

We live in a profit-oriented world in which religious ideals of poverty can cause irritation, although there is certain potential for inspiration.

The tension between making money and ideals of poverty

In recent years, money has become increasingly important. The reasons for this are manifold. One of them is the growing poverty worldwide and increasing social inequalities.^[1] However, much is influenced by the need to make money. This includes matters like healthcare, education, sports, and even spirituality.^[2] Healing stones and counselling books are sold in order to make a profit.^[3] Even religious organisations that do not usually focus on making money are affected. They need to collect money through donations and fundraising in order to survive.^[4]

Ideals of poverty in so-called mendicant orders

Despite this certainly necessary adaptation of religious communities to the conditions of postmodern life, the so-called mendicant orders still exist today. The mendicants (mendicare means ‘to beg’ in Latin) emerged from the mediaeval poverty movements of the church. They were formed in the course of the socio-economic and socio-cultural changes of the 12th and 13th centuries, simultaneously with the upswing of the cities. Their original ideal was the realisation of the evangelical following of Christ through a simple life of poverty and penance, renouncing property.^[5]

In view of the just described situation that the paradigm of commercialisation has actually reached every area of life, first the question arises, what exactly is to be understood by religious ideals of poverty? Furthermore, and related to this, another question becomes apparent. What significance can they have today in a largely commercialised world? Is it possible that they could represent a kind of signpost with regard to views that show an alternative to the omnipresent principle of commercialisation, or even counter it?

In order to explore these questions, it is helpful to first look at the origins or history of the mendicant orders. Inspired by the Gospel, many people in the late Middle Ages wanted to live like the poor Jesus and his apostles who proclaimed the Good News. After all, the poor were among the addressees of Jesus’s message in a particular way.^[6]

Christian example: ideals of poverty in the Franciscan Order

Over time, the understanding of poverty came to be realised in different ways. For the founder of the Franciscan Order, Francis of Assisi, poverty meant first and foremost humility, which should ultimately lead to spiritual poverty. This should help to free oneself from worldly attachment and “all ego addiction”^[7] in order to be able to engage completely in a relationship with God.

For the Dominicans, on the other hand, poverty was rather a means to realise their main concern, to be able to work through pastoral care and preaching. By not possessing anything, their credibility would increase, and they would be freed from material burdens to free up more room for pastoral care.^[8] The Capuchin Community, a reform branch of the Franciscan order, focused in particular on poverty in solidarity. This is a community of followers in the footsteps of Jesus, whose characteristics include radical solidarity and fraternal sharing as well as a contemplative and ascetic lifestyle.^[9]

In general, poverty was understood in mendicant orders as a possibility of liberation from self-centredness. Ideally, this was to be transformed into a radical forgetfulness of the ego, so that a disempowerment of the self and an inner becoming free for God and fellow human beings were to occur.^[10] Radical renunciation should lead to more capacity for action; after all, less ballast allows for more flexibility. Poverty was understood as a spiritual attitude to life, which turned against too much and against a life of abundance. Reduction should lead to contemplation.^[11]

A broadening of perspective: Sufism and Buddhism

Ideals of poverty also play a role in other religions. For example, in Sufism, the so-called ‘Islamic mysticism’, poverty is an important category. It is self-chosen in order to come closer to God and is therefore not a goal in itself, but the path to closeness to God. However, unlike in the Christian tradition, there is no ‘theology of poverty’ in Islam. For the Sufis, poverty is first and foremost a way to come closer to God.^[12]

Furthermore, according to Sufism, poverty represents an aspect of human existence: in relation to God, man is poor, because God is rich in the sense of absolute and perfect. Through God’s nearness, man overcomes his existential poverty and shortcomings.^[13]

Ideals of poverty also play an essential role in Buddhist traditions. For example, according to the original Indian regulations, Buddhist monks wear a ‘dirt-coloured’ (often yellow or reddish) monk’s robe. The monks shave their hair and live as ascetics who move from place to place. They spend their days in meditation and teaching disciples, and live on the meatless food they beg for daily during their morning alms walk, which they must eat before noon.^[14] This simple, very reduced way of life should contribute to contemplation and serve to concentrate on what is of central importance in human life.

The inspirational potential within the idea of poverty

But what is most important in human life? This is certainly a question that quite a few people ask themselves in today’s world, which is, after all, strongly marked by crises such as armed conflicts or the destruction of the environment. Since it is precisely in times of crisis that a review of the status quo is often undertaken, the socially so present principle of commercialisation often comes under criticism, which leads to a search for alternative ways of life.^[15] It is possible that religious ideals of poverty can offer potential for inspiration here, especially when it comes to the aspect of concentration on the essentials or reduction, when the superfluous is recognised as such and renounced. Moreover, voluntary poverty or voluntary renunciation always means a form of solidarity with those who are really materially poor and forced to renounce. In this respect, ideals of poverty can still have a guiding function today.

Maike Domsel

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Sources

^[1] Erstmals seit 30 Jahren wächst die globale Armut wieder

^[2] Kommerzialisierung: Der Druck ist enorm

^[3] Domsel, Maike Maria: Hinter dem Horizont. Zum spirituell-religiösen Selbstverständnis von Religionslehrkräften, Stuttgart 2023, 170-200.

^[4] Kuster, Niklaus, Nichts besitzen und alles teilen. Solidarische Armut der frühen Kapuziner, in: Möllenbeck, Thomas / Schulte, Ludger (Hg.), Armut. Zur Geschichte und Aktualität eines christlichen Ideals, Münster 2015, 171-192.

^[5] Bettelorden

^[6] Springer, Klaus-Bernward, Betteln und Predigen – Predigen und Betteln. Zu Armut und Evangelisierung bei Franziskanern, Dominikanern und Kapuzinern, in: Möllenbeck, Thomas / Schulte, Ludger (Hg.), Armut. Zur Geschichte und Aktualität eines christlichen Ideals, Münster 2015, 193-218.

^[7] Sölle, Dorothee, Mystik und Widerstand. Mit einer Einleitung von Fulbert Steffensky, Freiburg im Breisgau 2014, 40.

^[8] Springer, Klaus-Bernward, Betteln und Predigen – Predigen und Betteln. Zu Armut und Evangelisierung bei Franziskanern, Dominikanern und Kapuzinern, in: Möllenbeck, Thomas / Schulte, Ludger (Hg.), Armut. Zur Geschichte und Aktualität eines christlichen Ideals, Münster 2015, 196-201.

^[9] Kuster, Niklaus, Nichts besitzen und alles teilen. Solidarische Armut der frühen Kapuziner, in: Möllenbeck, Thomas / Schulte, Ludger (Hg.), Armut. Zur Geschichte und Aktualität eines christlichen Ideals, Münster 2015, 171.

^[10] Sölle, Dorothee, Mystik und Widerstand. Mit einer Einleitung von Fulbert Steffensky, Freiburg im Breisgau 2014, 282.

^[11] Springer, Klaus-Bernward, Betteln und Predigen – Predigen und Betteln. Zu Armut und Evangelisierung bei Franziskanern, Dominikanern und Kapuzinern, in: Möllenbeck, Thomas / Schulte, Ludger (Hg.), Armut. Zur Geschichte und Aktualität eines christlichen Ideals, Münster 2015, 196-201.

^[12] Armut aus Sicht des Sufismus

^[13] Armut aus Sicht des Sufismus

^[14] Buddhistische Mönche

^[15] Warum Utopien scheitern