--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ... our reality teaches us that, as…" description: "\"... our reality teaches us that, as Christians, we must create a Church of the poor, that we don't need a Church imposed from outside which knows nothi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc0/rigoberta-menchu-13774_christian_our-reality-teaches-us-that-as-christian_1102822.png" --- # ... our reality teaches us that, as Christians, we must… ![“... our reality teaches us that, as Christians, we must create a Church of the poor, that we don't need a Church imposed from outside which knows nothing of hunger.” quote by Rigoberta Menchu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc0/rigoberta-menchu-13774_christian_our-reality-teaches-us-that-as-christian_1102822.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc0/rigoberta-menchu-13774_christian_our-reality-teaches-us-that-as-christian_1102822.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc0/rigoberta-menchu-13774_christian_our-reality-teaches-us-that-as-christian_1102822.png) > “... our reality teaches us that, as Christians, we must create a Church of the poor, that we don't need a Church imposed from outside which knows nothing of hunger.” [Rigoberta Menchu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberta-menchu/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She argues that true Christian faith must prioritize the poor, not be imposed by external institutions unaware of hunger. **In simple terms:** Faith should serve the poor, not be distant. Key Takeaway Focus on serving the marginalized. Themes faith poverty social justice church reform Mood compassionate critical Type theological social When to use this quote - community service - faith-based outreach - policy reform - education - advocacy Key Concepts theology empowerment grassroots activism Questions to Reflect On - What does a “Church of the poor” look like in practice? - How can institutions stay connected to those they serve? A Different Perspective May undervalue institutional structures that can aid the poor. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Hunger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hunger/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [The word of God teaches that Christians suffer in order that they might glorify God in their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/the-word-of-god-teaches-that-christians-suffer-in-order-that-they/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [I don't want to start a movement that mirrors religion. I don't want to create the church of the non-believers where I'm the preacher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/i-don-t-want-to-start-a-movement-that-mirrors-religion-i-don-t-want/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [“Friend, the Son of God did not die on the cross to create a church full of watchers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-hise/friend-the-son-of-god-did-not-die-on-the-cross-to-create-a-church/) [Pete Hise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hise/) > [Oh, how I would like a poor Church, and for the poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/oh-how-i-would-like-a-poor-church-and-for-the-poor/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [The Church of the Apostles was a Church of the poor; of silver and gold it had none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-parry-liddon/the-church-of-the-apostles-was-a-church-of-the-poor-of-silver-and/) [Henry Parry Liddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-parry-liddon/) > [Nightclubs are the equivalent of a Catholic Church in a poor country. You hear a lot of stuff about churches filled with gold while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-hijuelos/nightclubs-are-the-equivalent-of-a-catholic-church-in-a-poor-country/) [Oscar Hijuelos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-hijuelos/) > [I felt that the Church was the Church of the poor,... but at the same time, I felt that it did not set its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/i-felt-that-the-church-was-the-church-of-the-poor-but-at-the-same/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > ['The Hunger Games' takes place in Panem, a country which is part of America. It's post-apocalyptic. There's been a global war. The Panem country…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-hemsworth/the-hunger-games-takes-place-in-panem-a-country-which-is-part-of/) [Liam Hemsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-hemsworth/) > [You get those hunger pains. 'I am so hungry. We don't have any food. What are we going to eat?' Your stomach hurts. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-mclemore/you-get-those-hunger-pains-i-am-so-hungry-we-don-t-have-any-food-what/) [Ben McLemore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-mclemore/) > [I was focused on The Hunger Games movie with my director, with the studio, and with the cast and crew. We all just focused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-jacobson/i-was-focused-on-the-hunger-games-movie-with-my-director-with-the/) [Nina Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-jacobson/) > [Hundreds of millions of human beings on our planet increasingly suffer from unemployment, poverty, hunger, and the destruction of their families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-kung/hundreds-of-millions-of-human-beings-on-our-planet-increasingly/) [Hans Kung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-kung/) > [Joel Lane documents a life we don’t quite live, in a city we can’t quite find: half glimpsed and half imagined, we know it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaz-brenchley/joel-lane-documents-a-life-we-don-t-quite-live-in-a-city-we-can-t/) Chaz Brenchley > [If people should ever start to do only what is necessary millions would die of hunger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/if-people-should-ever-start-to-do-only-what-is-necessary-millions/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [“if you cannot control your hunger and appetite, good luck managing your blood chemistry, metabolism, waistline, and, in the bigger picture, the prospect of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-perlmutter/if-you-cannot-control-your-hunger-and-appetite-good-luck-managing/) [David Perlmutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-perlmutter/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) ## More by Rigoberta Menchu > [I resolutely believe that respect for diversity is a fundamental pillar in the eradication of racism, xenophobia and intolerance. There is no excuse for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberta-menchu/i-resolutely-believe-that-respect-for-diversity-is-a-fundamental/) [Rigoberta Menchu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberta-menchu/) > [This is why Indians are thought to be stupid. They can't think, they don't know anything, they say. But we have hidden our identity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberta-menchu/this-is-why-indians-are-thought-to-be-stupid-they-can-t-think-they/) [Rigoberta Menchu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberta-menchu/) > [In Guatemala, the gap between rich and poor must be eliminated, or we will continue to be the example of conflict in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberta-menchu/in-guatemala-the-gap-between-rich-and-poor-must-be-eliminated-or-we/) [Rigoberta Menchu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberta-menchu/) > [The priests say the new dawn will be like the rain that fertilizes the soil before we begin to plant our corn. It will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberta-menchu/the-priests-say-the-new-dawn-will-be-like-the-rain-that-fertilizes/) [Rigoberta Menchu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberta-menchu/) > [unless a religion springs from within the people themselves, it is a weapon of the system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberta-menchu/unless-a-religion-springs-from-within-the-people-themselves-it-is-a/) [Rigoberta Menchu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberta-menchu/) > [The culture of death is imposed by economic and political interests, the arrogance of power, corruption. I blame the first world for having taken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberta-menchu/the-culture-of-death-is-imposed-by-economic-and-political-interests/) [Rigoberta Menchu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberta-menchu/) > [“Este mundo no va a cambiar a menos que estemos dispuestos a cambiar nosotros mismos”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberta-menchu/este-mundo-no-va-a-cambiar-a-menos-que-estemos-dispuestos-a-cambiar/) [Rigoberta Menchú](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberta-menchu/) > [For me, to celebrate the twelfth of October is the absolute expression of triumphism, occupation and presumptuousness, and I think that history will remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberta-menchu/for-me-to-celebrate-the-twelfth-of-october-is-the-absolute-expression/) [Rigoberta Menchu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberta-menchu/) > [I wasn't the only orphan in Guatemala. There are many others, and it's not my grief alone, it's the grief of a whole people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberta-menchu/i-wasn-t-the-only-orphan-in-guatemala-there-are-many-others-and-it-s/) [Rigoberta Menchu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberta-menchu/) > [There is not one world for man and one for animals, they are part of the same one and lead parallel lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberta-menchu/there-is-not-one-world-for-man-and-one-for-animals-they-are-part-of/) [Rigoberta Menchu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberta-menchu/) > [Let there be freedom for the Indians, wherever they may be in the American Continent or elsewhere in the world, because while they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberta-menchu/let-there-be-freedom-for-the-indians-wherever-they-may-be-in-the/) [Rigoberta Menchu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberta-menchu/) > [...instead of giving a rifle to somebody, build a school; instead of giving a rifle, build a community with adequate services. Instead of giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberta-menchu/instead-of-giving-a-rifle-to-somebody-build-a-school-instead-of/) [Rigoberta Menchu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberta-menchu/) > [... only those of us who carry our cause in our hearts are willing to run the risks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberta-menchu/only-those-of-us-who-carry-our-cause-in-our-hearts-are-willing-to-run/) [Rigoberta Menchu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberta-menchu/) > [I think that nonviolence is one way of saying that there are other ways to solve problems, not only through weapons and war. Nonviolence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberta-menchu/i-think-that-nonviolence-is-one-way-of-saying-that-there-are-other/) [Rigoberta Menchu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberta-menchu/) > [It is said that our indigenous ancestors, Mayas and Aztecs, made human sacrifices to their gods. It occurs to me to ask: How many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberta-menchu/it-is-said-that-our-indigenous-ancestors-mayas-and-aztecs-made-human/) [Rigoberta Menchu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberta-menchu/) [Explore all 49 Rigoberta Menchu quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberta-menchu/) ## More Christian quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. 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Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/) [Browse all 14,306 Christian quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "... our reality teaches us that, as Christians, we must create a Church of the poor, that we don't need a Church imposed from outside which knows nothing of hunger.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rigoberta Menchu" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberta-menchu/our-reality-teaches-us-that-as-christians-we-must-create-a-church-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Christian" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberta-menchu/our-reality-teaches-us-that-as-christians-we-must-create-a-church-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc0/rigoberta-menchu-13774_christian_our-reality-teaches-us-that-as-christian_1102822.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc0/rigoberta-menchu-13774_christian_our-reality-teaches-us-that-as-christian_1102822.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc0/rigoberta-menchu-13774_christian_our-reality-teaches-us-that-as-christian_1102822.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“... our reality teaches us that, as Christians, we must create a Church of the poor, that we don't need a…” — Rigoberta Menchu", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Rigoberta Menchu", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberta-menchu/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "... our reality teaches us that,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberta-menchu/our-reality-teaches-us-that-as-christians-we-must-create-a-church-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberta-menchu/our-reality-teaches-us-that-as-christians-we-must-create-a-church-of/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```