Building Faith in a Better Community

Faith penetrates our environment, providing a moral and ethical compass for most people. Evidence suggests that –beyond individual religious practice – faith is rapidly spreading into the public realm and may affect different facets of economic and social life. More and more often, people of religion are becoming significant participants in organizations aiming at tackling a broad range of global concerns – a sign of the important role of faith leaders and communities in bringing about social change.

The World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on the Role of Faith has studied, in its report Does Faith Matter? Some of how faith and hardwork have a positive impact on society. Findings shine a light on the place religious belief holds in public life and revitalize our collective understanding of religion in today’s society. Moreover, it reveals how faith or a belief in a higher power is widespread, yet this belief is not necessarily linked with a devotion to an organized form of religion.

The survey was taken by members of the Network of the Global Agenda Councils over ten months and concerned their views on the role of faith. This poll of global leaders and executives indicates areas where faith may make a difference by molding mindsets, influencing stakeholders, and organizing communities.

Here are five places where faith can make a difference:

Human rights

Important principles, such as the “golden rule” of reciprocity (treat others as you would expect to be treated) and respect, are shared between major belief systems and offer the essential basis for the modern concept of human rights. At times both supporting and harming human rights, people of faith have long been active actors in this sector and have shown how faith can be part of the solution and the problem.

In 19th-century America, for example, religious leaders were influential in promoting the rights of black people and women. Several notable Muslim scholars have stated that Islamic heritage supports fundamental human rights.

Peacemaking and conflict prevention

With religion generally viewed as being at the center of global disputes, data demonstrates that religion and faith can be essential in promoting tolerance, respect, understanding, and reconciliation. They constitute a tremendous beneficial influence in the prevention, management, and resolution of conflict.

To achieve permanent peace and political stability, we need to foster a heightened understanding of religion’s peace-building and the reconciliatory role and enhance the capacity of governments, faith communities, and corporations to work together. In 1992, for example, the Community of Sant’Egidio of Mozambique brought about an African peace pact.

Values

Research reveals that religion and faith can play a vital role in legitimizing societal ideals. World faiths represent global identities and the shared values that impact the way people live and act. Comprehensive knowledge of the living connectivity between religious and cultural values can help shine a light on the dynamic ways in which religion both shapes and is changed by society. According to our poll, most of the respondents feel faith may improve people’s values.

Anti-corruption

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Blue Collar Construction Workers Blessing The Community

Blue-collar workers are more likely than not to work in an environment other than an office (construction site, production line, driving, etc.). They rely on their hands and physical ability to carry out their responsibilities. Worker classifications that fall under the blue-collar category include construction workers, machine operators, millwrights, assemblers, and truck drivers.

The blue-collar job description does not specify the amount of expertise required or the type of compensation workers receive: they can be skilled or unskilled, waged or salaried, depending on the situation. It does imply that employees are more likely to work in environments where their garments can become dirty, such as soil or grease. Workers wore darker clothing than “white collar” workers during this period or dressed more resistant to the increased wear and tear of physical labor, such as blue denim. This is the origin of the term “blue-collar,” which dates back to the beginning of the twentieth century when these workers wore darker clothing than “white collar” workers or dressed more resistant to the increased wear and tear of physical labor, such as blue denim. Home health aides and cashiers are examples of people who could be classified as a blue-collar in some service-related occupations.

Under federal law in the United States, blue-collar workers are generally not excluded from overtime or minimum wage requirements under the FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act); however, some states may exempt specific types of blue-collar workers, such as truck drivers, from these requirements. We also recommend you to check Church Construction Update.

How many blue-collar workers do you think there are in the United States?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in the United States provides data on the number of people employed in every profession, including blue-collar employment. Construction laborers, for example, totaled approximately 1,405,000 in 2018, while workers in maintenance and repair numbered approximately 1,488,000.

Additionally, according to a 2018 Washington Post article, approximately 13.9 percent of workers are employed in blue-collar occupations.

Blue-collar job growth is depicted on a map on the Center for Economic and Policy Research website, which is based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data. According to several studies, employers have difficulty finding individuals for blue-collar positions.

What is the origin of the term “blue-collar”?

The term “blue-collar” was first used in a newspaper in 1924 to refer to workers in the trades. There are many different types of industrial and manual employees who wear blue denim or chambray shirts or jeans, overalls, and boilersuits. Some of these employees include welders, boilermakers, bricklayers, masons, and coal miners, to name a few. Colors with a deep hue, like blue, were supposed to assist conceal dirt and other elements on clothes that had become stained due to physical labor.

Workers in blue-collar jobs

Blue-collar employees are working-class persons who undertake any manual labor, as opposed to those who work in ‘white-collar occupations,’ primarily office-based positions. Employees in the blue-collar sector are often compensated hourly or project-by-project.

Blue-collar employees are primarily employed in warehouses, oil …

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