Practices Search Results
Compassionate One, we pray that you will guide, sustain, and take care of those who are suffering as a result of economic inequality around the world. In the United States, there is the greatest gap between the rich and the poor since 1928.
Poll: Americans in the upper fifth of the income distribution earn 16.7 times as much as those in the lower fifth – by far the widest gap among the 10 advanced countries in a global attitudes survey. Yet barely half (47 %) of Americans think the rich-poor gap is a very big problem. (PewResearch.org)
God of Justice, in the United States, the death penalty is used as the ultimate form of punishment for heinous crimes. This barbaric practice is rejected in most other countries of the world.
Survey: Support for the death penalty [in the U.S.] is at its lowest point in 40 years — at 60 percent, down from a high of 80 percent in 1994. (Gallup Poll)
Miracle Worker, we pray that you will continue to help those with chronic diseases to find the supplemental resources they need for coping with their illnesses.
Fact: 45% of U.S. adults report that they live with one or more chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, but also less common conditions like lupus and cancer. They are more likely than other online adults to : 1) Gather information about medical problems, treatments, and drugs; 2) Consult online reviews about drugs and other treatments, and 3) Read or watch something online about someone else's personal health experience. (Pew Research Center)
Voice of Freedom, many immigrants living in the United States have expressed the desire to become citizens. We understand and applaud their aspirations.
Survey: 63% of Americans say they support legislation to create a pathway to citizenship for immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally.
18% want these immigrants to be identified and deported. (Public Religion Research Institute)
God of All Situations, we grow up believing that having a job is not only what we are supposed to do, but that it will be good for us.
Survey: Only 38.5 percent of Americans feel fulfilled by their jobs. Low pay, curtailed benefits, and disengagement from their labor are some of the reasons given for this workplace malaise. (Salary.com)
Compassionate One, in the United States and elsewhere around the world, mentally ill people and their families are not getting the help they need.
Fact: American states cut $4.3 billion in mental health services between 2009 and 2012, even though 10 percent more people sought care during that period. The U.S. per capita psychiatric bed population is now the same as it was in 1850 when the need to take care of mentally ill people was first recognized in the country. (The Daily Beast)
Protector of Refugees, after three years of civil war in Syria, this refugee crisis is bigger than the one caused by the Rwandan genocide. Look after these people who have lost their homes and livelihoods.
Fact: Numbering 300,000 last year, Syrian refugees now total 2.1 million and the United Nations predicts their numbers could swell to 3.5 million by the end of the year. (New York Times) Balm to the Weary, may the world send help to these who are suffering in this unrelenting crisis.
Perpetual Becoming, help us not to look down our noses at those who do not believe as we do and keep us both mindful and grateful for all who seek to do good in the world.
Poll: Many people think it is necessary to believe in God to be moral and have good values. This position is highly prevalent, if not universal, in Africa and the Middle East. In North America and Europe, more people agree that it is possible to be non-religious and still be an upright person. A Pew Research Center survey concludes that publics in richer nations tend to place less emphasis on the need to believe in God to have good values than people in poorer countries do. (Pew Research Center)
Giver of All, we are saddened by the news that the world's fish are in danger from overfishing by large commercial fleets. We know that when fish die off, all of marine life is threatened.
Fact: A 2003 scientific report estimated that industrial fishing had reduced the number of large ocean fish to just 10 percent of their pre-industrial population. A study of catch data published in 2006 in the journal Science predicts that if fishing rates continue apace, all the world's fisheries will have collapsed by the year 2048. (The Ocean - NationalGeographic.com)
Wise and Faithful Guide, we are worried about the future. Many of us will face money problems when we retire from work, if we are even able to retire from work.
Facts: A stunning 45 percent of all American households with people still in their working years have nothing at all saved for retirement. Among those aged 50 to 64, 75 percent have less than $28,000 put away. Even among the most prepared Baby Boomer households, savings average just $140,000, far too little to fund a 20-plus-year retirement. (National Institute on Retirement Security)