Poverty as A Structure of Sin in The Slums A Case Study of Mukuru Kwa Reuben Slum

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dc.contributor.authorMuriuki, Stanley
dc.date.accessioned2021-01-18T09:09:56Z
dc.date.available2021-01-18T09:09:56Z
dc.date.issued2003
dc.description.abstractAt the very mention of the word slum, what first comes into people's mind is poverty and crime. In our human and religious categories, poverty is looked at as an object of mercy and a misfortune that has befallen a person or group of people. Crime on the other hand is treated with resentment and one who participates in it is seen as an enemy of society. In my pastoral experience in the slums, one question however has been going on in my mind; why all these evils associated with the slums? Is it that Satan is more present there? In this paper, I am going to focus my investigation on how poverty in the lives of slum dwellers can be a structure of sin in the extent it influences the occurrence of the various evils that are rampant in the slums. Pope John Paul II talks of structures of sin as rooted in personal sin, that is, concrete acts of individuals who introduce and consolidate them, making them difficult to remove. Poverty is normally understood in the context of material things, and one who lacks enough to cater for his/her needs is seen as poor. I am going to treat poverty not only as a lack of material things but a whole interconnected network of deprivations that is characteristic of slum dwellers. Engbert Mveng could not expose this in a better way than he did in his article "Impoverishment and Liberation: A Theological Approach for Africa and the Third World": a kind of poverty which no longer concerns only exterior or interior goods or possessions, but strikes at the very being, essence and dignity of the human person'. He goes ahead to call this anthropological poverty. I will carry out this study in four chapters. The first will be a social analysis which is an outcome from interviews with the residents of Mukum kwa Rueben slum. This will be preceded by some background information about this slum, which consists of a section of the vast Mukuru slums in Embalcasi district of Nairobi province. The second chapter is going to be a theological background based on scripture and some specific documents of the church. The third chapter will be a set of reflections that makes a theological or Christian response to the problem of poverty based on the teaching of the Church. These are values and attitudes that can be very instrumental in an attempt towards salvation from the structures of sin that are the subject of our study. The last chapter presents a practical response towards a solution to poverty and its effects on the people. I am going to look at what is being done already in the fight against poverty, and what more could be done. In all this the church is called upon to collaborate, support, encourage and challenge the various bodies involved, be it the government or NG0s. My main goal in all this is to create an awareness that poverty is not only a problem by itself but a root cause of many other evils that pose a great threat to society and faith. It calls for a deeper understanding and more profound response that surpasses mere charity.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12342/1171
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherTangaza University Collegeen_US
dc.subjectPovertyen_US
dc.subjectSinen_US
dc.subjectSlumsen_US
dc.subjectMukuru Kwa Reuben Slumen_US
dc.titlePoverty as A Structure of Sin in The Slums A Case Study of Mukuru Kwa Reuben Slumen_US
dc.typeOtheren_US
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