If you're poor it's your fault for not believing in God enough, says mayor of major US city

'It’s broken people – you know – people not being in [a] relationship with their Creator' says Mayor Taylor

A US mayor has been forced to defend her record for combating poverty after a video emerged in which she appears to connect being poor with atheism.

While speaking on a NOWCastSA forum on the impact of non-profit activities in San Antonio, Texas, earlier this month, Mayor Ivy R Taylor was asked by a member of a Christian coalition group, what her thoughts were on the causes of poverty.

The young woman asked: “What do you see as the deepest systemic causes of generational poverty in San Antonio?”

Mayor Taylor begins by saying she’ll "go ahead and put it out there”, before continuing with: “To me it’s broken people – you know – people not being in [a] relationship with their Creator and therefore not being in good relationship with their families and their communities and, you know, not being productive members of their society. So I think that’s the ultimate answer.”

Texas has one of the highest rates of unemployment in the country and San Antonio stands at 4.2 per cent – just 0.5 per cent off the national average. Almost 15 per cent of its population lives below the poverty line.

The mayor went on to say that her opinion, which is based on religious prerequisites, is not one she adopts in her capacity as a mayor, and concludes by saying that “education is the great equaliser”.

Her comments prompted a backlash.

Many, including her constituents, responded on social media:

Mayor Taylor released a statement, in which she claims the video was deliberately edited.

She wrote: "The video clip that surfaced on social media this weekend is a dishonest, politically motivated misrepresentation of my record on combating poverty. It was intentionally edited to mislead viewers".

"I have devoted my life to breaking the chains of generational poverty- as an urban planner, the District 2 Councilwoman, and now Mayor. I’ve done so because of my faith in God and my belief in Jesus’s ministry on Earth".

However, as people have pointed out, the initial video was a live stream, which means it could not have been edited in the way she claimed.

This isn’t the first time her views have been criticised. As a council member in 2013 she voted against protecting LGBT residents from discrimination from public and private business owners.

Her reasoning was that, though she believes that human beings deserve respect and should be "free from harassment", individuals "should be free to exercise their faith or moral values".