Health Through Faith and Community A Study Resource © 1998 Ed Canda

Health Through Faith and Community Session 7 Faith and Global Well-Being © 2004 Canda © 2004 Ketchell © 1999 Canda © 2000 Canda © 2004 Ketchell © 2003 Canda

Health Through Faith and Community Overhead 7.1 – Questions Regarding Moral Code 1. In what ways does your moral code (ethics, moral principles, standards of right and wrong or justice and injustice) guide your behavior regarding the treatment of others? How has your faith influenced these values? Share some examples.

Health Through Faith and Community Overhead 7.1 – Questions Regarding Moral Code 2. In what ways does your moral code guide your behavior regarding the treatment of others who are different from you (e.g., people with disabilities, different races)? How has faith influenced these values? Share some examples.

Health Through Faith and Community Overhead 7.1 – Questions Regarding Moral Code 3. In what ways does your moral code guide your behavior regarding others who are in need (e.g., living in poverty, suffering injustice)? How has your faith influenced these values? Share some examples.

Health Through Faith and Community Overhead 7.2 – Poverty and Hunger Poverty The wealthiest one-fifth of the worlds people consume 86 percent of all goods and services, while the poorest one-fifth consumes 1 percent. (United Nations Development Programme, Human Development Report 1998.) Of the 6 billion people living in 2000, 1.2 billion live with less than $1 per day. (World Bank, World Development Report 2000/2001)

Health Through Faith and Community Overhead 7.2 – Poverty and Hunger Poverty The amount of money that the richest 1 percent of the worlds people makes each year equals what the poorest 57 percent make. (United Nations Development Programme, Human Development Report 2002.) Approximately 2.4 billion people lack access to basic sanitation, and 900 million people lack access to adequate health services. (UNICEF, State of Worlds Children 2002; United Nations Development Programme, Human Development Report 1998)

Health Through Faith and Community Overhead 7.2 – Poverty and Hunger Hunger In developing countries, 91 children out of 1,000 die before their fifth birthday. By comparison, in the United States, 8 children in 1,000 will die before turning five years old. (UNICEF, The State of the Worlds Children 2000) More than 800 million people in the world are malnourished – 777 million of them are from the developing world. (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, The State of Food Insecurity in the World, 2000; UNICEF, The State of the Worlds Children 2001)

Health Through Faith and Community Overhead 7.2 – Poverty and Hunger Hunger Virtually every country in the world has the potential of growing sufficient food on a sustainable basis. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has set the minimum requirement of caloric intake per person per day at 2,350. Fifty-four countries fall below that requirement. Most of these countries are in sub-Saharan Africa. (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Mapping of the Food Supply Gap 1998)

Health Through Faith and Community Overhead 7.2 – Poverty and Hunger Hunger Malnutrition can severely affect a childs intellectual development. Children who have stunted growth due to malnutrition score significantly lower on math and language achievement tests than do healthy children. (UNICEF, State of the Worlds Children 1998)

Health Through Faith and Community Overhead 7.3 – Faith and the Mission of Helping Every faith tradition is actively involved in doing good works that help to contribute to societys health. In addition, each elaborates a set of principles that stem from their faith that then serve as a moral guide for their actions. The following example reflects a general statement of principles regarding social actions as offered by the United Methodist Church: (

Health Through Faith and Community Overhead 7.3 – Faith and the Mission of Helping The Natural World All creation is the Lords, and we are responsible for the ways we use it and abuse it. Water, air, soil, minerals, energy resources, plants, animal life, and space are to be valued and conserved because they are Gods creation and not solely because they are useful to human beings. All creation is the Lords, and we are responsible for the ways we use it and abuse it. Water, air, soil, minerals, energy resources, plants, animal life, and space are to be valued and conserved because they are Gods creation and not solely because they are useful to human beings.

Health Through Faith and Community Overhead 7.3 – Faith and the Mission of Helping The Nurturing Community The community provides the potential for nurturing human beings into the fullness of their humanity. We believe we have a responsibility to innovate, sponsor, and evaluate new forms of community that will encourage development of the fullest potential in individuals. The community provides the potential for nurturing human beings into the fullness of their humanity. We believe we have a responsibility to innovate, sponsor, and evaluate new forms of community that will encourage development of the fullest potential in individuals.

Health Through Faith and Community Overhead 7.3 – Faith and the Mission of Helping The Social Community The rights and privileges a society bestows on or withholds from those who comprise it indicate the relative esteem in which that society holds particular persons and groups of persons. We affirm all persons as equally valuable in the sight of God. The rights and privileges a society bestows on or withholds from those who comprise it indicate the relative esteem in which that society holds particular persons and groups of persons. We affirm all persons as equally valuable in the sight of God.

Health Through Faith and Community Overhead 7.3 – Faith and the Mission of Helping The Economic Community We claim all economic systems to be under the judgment of God no less than other facets of the created order. We claim all economic systems to be under the judgment of God no less than other facets of the created order.

Health Through Faith and Community Overhead 7.3 – Faith and the Mission of Helping The Political Community While our allegiance to God takes precedence over our allegiance to any state, we acknowledge the vital function of government as a principal vehicle for the ordering of society. Because we know ourselves to be responsible to God for social and political life, we declare the following relative to governments: basic freedoms and humans rights, political responsibility, freedom of information, education, civil obedience and civil disobedience, criminal and restorative justice. While our allegiance to God takes precedence over our allegiance to any state, we acknowledge the vital function of government as a principal vehicle for the ordering of society. Because we know ourselves to be responsible to God for social and political life, we declare the following relative to governments: basic freedoms and humans rights, political responsibility, freedom of information, education, civil obedience and civil disobedience, criminal and restorative justice.

Health Through Faith and Community Overhead 7.3 – Faith and the Mission of Helping The World Community Gods world is one world. We commit ourselves to the achievement of a world community that is a fellowship of persons who honestly love one another. Gods world is one world. We commit ourselves to the achievement of a world community that is a fellowship of persons who honestly love one another.