By Rev Kirkley Sands, For The Guardian

Historically, there has always been a relationship of interdependence between organized religion and the Bahamian economy. This has been particularly true of Christian churches and denominations with highly educated, well-trained and full-time stipendiary clergy who have been involved in the education of the nation's youth, social outreach and the gainful employment of qualified lay professionals while, at the same time, promoting a Christ-like lifestyle and an honest and productive work ethic.

It is well-nigh impossible to quantify these services in terms of dollars and cents. However, given the spiraling cost of living and its aggravating effect on the plight of the nation's poor, is there anything more that the religious sector can and should do to alleviate the economic burden of those at or below the poverty line?

Some religious leaders have been accused of preaching a "gospel of prosperity" while others are accused of being "pimps in the pulpit." What the two of these accusations seem to have in common is money.

"Seed planting" and much else of 'popular religion' seem to have the acquisition of money and creaturely comforts as the chief end of religion.

If this is in fact the case, then it's the opposite of the "gospel of abject poverty" which seems to encourage the poor to accept their impoverishment while yearning for the "pie in the sky" when they die.

On the one hand, what ought to be a personal relationship with God that is rooted in faith and mutual self-giving love, seems to be a relationship fraught with ulterior and selfish motives. On the other hand, abject poverty seems to be confused with Christian virtue. Both extremes are un-Christian! In the one case, they subtly treat people as a means to an end instead of as an end in themselves and in the other. As a result, they offend the God-given dignity of human nature.

Christians may well promote the Old Testament principle of tithing as the norm for Christian giving. However, we should do so within the context of the stewardship of the whole of one's life, not simply the stewardship of one's time, talents and treasures.

Life is more complex and inclusive than time, talents and treasure. We should also encourage those who tithe to be thrift and to manage the other 90 percent of their salary, stipend, wage or income responsibly, including saving and/or investing at least 10 percent of the said monies.

Once the faithful have given their tithes, they should not be coerced into giving any more of their money to either the church or their pastors. From a religious point of view, there is a short step, if any at all, between coercion and extortion!

However, if the faithful freely choose to give over and above their tithes to the church or their pastors, their freedom and their choice should be respected and gratefully accepted.

Among the other things that religious-based communities can do to help grow the national economy and alleviate poverty, is to promote a sense of honesty, hard work and pride on the part of employees and fairness, respect and a safe and health-affirming working environment on the part of employers. An honest day's work for a fair day's wage!

While the spiraling cost of living is having a negative effect on job opportunities, it also has implications for a nation's ability to feed itself. For The Bahamas, this could be more of a challenge than a problem.

Fortunately, the Bahamian population, though scattered, is comparatively small and should therefore, still be manageable. The 100,000 square miles of Bahamian sea is teeming with a rich and wide variety of edible and health-affirming marine life.

Much of our roughly 5,400 square miles of land space, particularly in Andros (roughly the size of Trinidad), Abaco and Eleuthera, is conducive to agricultural production. Our challenge includes adequately policing our borders, protecting our marine resources, curbing illegal immigration and, at the same time, diversifying our economy.

Tourism and Financial Services will undoubtedly remain our leading industries for a long time to come but if we are not able to feed ourselves, the rising cost of living will only plunge more of our people, including the children, into poverty with its attendant social implications.

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime," is indeed a wise saying. Education, affordable healthcare and economic empowerment are chief among the means of elevating the poor from the indignity of abject poverty.

But organized religion can only do so much. The Bahamas Government can only do so much. More Bahamians need to recognize and accept the fact that ours is a blessed country. We must also look around us and see the many opportunities which are presently available to us.

If the illegal immigrants in our land had these opportunities in their respective countries, it is highly unlikely that many, if any, of them would be risking their lives on the high seas to get here and, while here, have their labor exploited.