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→Biblical quotes referring to poverty: standards
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.<ref>Matthew 19:16-24</ref>
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.<ref>Matthew 19:16-24</ref>
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==Poverty standards==
The level at which a person or group is considered to be living in poverty is largely relative, and the ways in which they are impoverished can vary. A person who would be judged to be living in poverty in the West, in particular in the [[United States]], would typically be considered rich by [[third world]] standards. Yet a person living in poverty in most undeveloped countries would be considered to be far better off than most in a country like [[North Korea]].
As far back as 2004, of households defined as "poor" by the Census Bureau, forty-six percent owned their own homes, with only six percent being overcrowded, seventy-six percent had air conditioning, almost seventy five percent owned a car, with thirty percent owning two or more cars. Ninety-seven percent had a color television, with over half owning two or more color televisions, with 62 percent having cable or satellite TV reception, while seventy-eight percent also possessed a VCR or DVD player. Seventy-three percent owned a microwave oven, and a third had an automatic dishwasher.
However, poverty covers a wide spectrum of income levels in the United States, and includes those who have little of the above, none at all.<ref>http://www.heritage.org/Research/Welfare/BG1713es.cfm</ref>
Robert Rector, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, reported that President Obama's administration plans to create a new index of poverty, in which poverty would be determined comparatively, the level of which would increase as the income of all in one's country increases.
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The current poverty measure counts absolute purchasing power — how much steak and potatoes you can buy. The new measure will count comparative purchasing power — how much steak and potatoes you can buy relative to other people. As the nation becomes wealthier, the poverty standards will increase in proportion....In honest English, the new system will measure income inequality, not poverty.
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He notes that this would have the effect of statistically ensuring that “the poor will always be with you” (Mark 14:7), no matter how much better off they get in absolute terms.<ref>[http://article.nationalreview.com/print/?q=ZGY1OWZhZGY1NjM3MGUzMzdjNjc2MjAwNzExZWEyOTE www.nationalreview.com, ''New ‘Poverty’ Measurement''], March 8, 2010 4:00 A.M.</ref>
== References ==
== References ==