One company’s corporate social responsibility strategy gives us a unique insight into where Australia’s compassions lie this week. Eftpos has committed to giveaway $2 million this year, and called for votes to determine where the money would go. The giveaway is generous initiative, one that sets a good example for others to follow. Over 45,000 voted on their preferred category of charity, and you can see the results below.

It’s good to see we’re concerned about a broad range of deserving issues. It’s applaudable that we want to support people working in areas of physical health and disadvantaged children. I guess we are very aware of our own vulnerabilities in the area of disease and general health problems and we want to give the welfare organisations in that sector as much help as possible. And perhaps disadvantaged kids pull at our heartstrings more than any other group in the community. A society that looks after its sick and its children is a society with good values in place. No doubt about that.

But if this is a snapshot of what we really care about, what does that say about us?

As much as I love pets and think that animal cruelty is a terrible thing, I have to question a society that values such creatures over those suffering from mental health disorders, homelessness, and people with disabilities. Animal and pet welfare came in second with just over 18 per cent of the vote! We would rather spend $2 million on looking after our pets than on relieving poverty?

At the risk of turning a whole lot of dog lovers on me, I have to say that I find that incredulous. Am I reading the numbers right? What is it that causes a culture like ours to turn its back on the most vulnerable and hurting people around us? I’m probably reading too much into this one piece of ‘research’ but it is a snapshot of our values and we need to keep our eyes open for other indicators of this type of prioritising. Am I being too cynical to suggest that we have become a culture so obsessed with ourselves and our so called ‘first world’ problems that we want to support (or, in this case, make sure that someone else supports) the things that are most likely to affect us personally, physical illness and problem pets?

When we turn to the Bible, what do we find? God is adamant, through his messenger Micah, that his priorities are those of justice, mercy, and humility (Micah 6:8). I feel sure that God is not here talking primarily about pet welfare. I am backed up by what James says in his letter many years later (James 1:27) where he states that the type of religion God is looking for is to walk with society’s most vulnerable, here described as ‘orphans and widows’. Jesus’ values were well understood by those he walked with while on earth. He was certainly concerned about physical health and healing and about children being treated well, so the call of Aussies for money to be spent in these areas fits well with Jesus’ ministry priorities. But he was also concerned with the myriad of social evils that disempowered the ‘little people’ who had no one else to make a stand for them.

To walk with Jesus is to walk with the powerless and there are no more powerless people in our society today than those suffering mental health disorders, or those affected by the dehumanisation of prison, or our refugee population. Charities working in these areas are desperate for extra funding for programmes to meet existing needs. If we don’t raise these needs on our list of priorities then our society may continue to enjoy rankings of most liveable cities, richest people per capita, and number one in lifestyle, but the number of disenfranchised people in that society will be on the increase and the wellbeing of our culture will suffer greatly.

Food for thought.

Dr David R Wilson is Director of Sophia Think Tank.