Spiritual Advice and Guidance Blog: Urantia Book

Q: Is poverty is a curse to people? For example, the poor nations of Africa or Haiti are considered to be the poorest island in the caribbean. Why were and are these people's ancestors and offspring still going through this ordeal. especialy when innocent children are involved? If God is allowing this to happen...why? Or could there be another reason? Thanks for your opinion on this question.

A: That's an interesting question and I'll offer a personal opinion colored by my association with the teachings of The Urantia Book. Let's discuss curses first. I believe curses can be effective, but only when the recipient believes that they are as well. I don't believe there's any power inherent in a curse or in evil; the power is in the influence which the recipient allows to affect them.

Through the evolutionary struggle humans have evolved beyond countless misconceptions and superstitions -- like the evil eye and curses. And although there are people who still believe in them they are misconceptions. While it's true that Haiti and nations in Africa are the poorest on earth, there is no real thing such as a generational curse. These countries are poor because of exploitation and the politics that govern them; the men, women and children there, their ancestors, and future generations suffer as long as as those conditions continue to exist. God is not responsible for creating the conditions -- that's the affairs of men who have been given the gift of free will. Those in power used their free will to subjugate the people within their sphere of influence -- their free will was directed in purely selfish ways.

Poverty is called a curse since it can make life so much harder than we would like it to be. In much of the world it's extremely difficult to rise above poverty but there are many examples of people who have done just that. And here in the United States it's almost necessary for someone to intentionally choose poverty in order to acquire that particular "curse".

The teachings of The Urantia Book help clarify and make sense of so much that seems senseless today. May I recommend that if you're not already signed up that you consider subscribing to the Quote of the Day from our site. It's a free service that offers a daily quote from the incomparable teachings of this marvelous book along with a beautiful and inspiring image, a great way to start one's day as well as to begin to understand the teachings of the book. To subscribe go to the upper right corner of our home page, click on Quote of the Day and follow the instructions.

Thank you for your question.

Larry Watkins
Truthbook.com

Labels: curses, free will, Larry Watkins, poverty, The Urantia Book