globalbriefs


News and resources to inspire concerned citizens to work together in building a healthier, stronger society that benefits all.


Cultural Roots Status of Religious Diversity in the U.S.


The United States is often described as a religiously free and diverse country, but a new Pew Research Center study reveals that 95 percent of the populace identifies itself as either Christian or unaffiliated (athe- ist, agnostic or having no particular religion). This ranks the U.S. 68 out of


232 countries and territories in the Pew Religious Diversity Index. Singapore is the world’s most religiously diverse country, followed by Taiwan and Vietnam. The study treats Christian denominations as members of the same religion,


which if counted separately, would increase the ranking. But Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Judaism all have internal diversity, as well, and are considered as single religions in the study. There’s an important distinction between religious diversity and religious free-


dom, which the report does not measure. The First Amendment to the U.S. Consti- tution guarantees the right to free exercise of religion, which is not always the case in other countries.


Source: PewResearch.org


Youth Activists World Peace Caravan to Travel in the Middle East in 2015


The World Peace Caravan, founded by the nonprofit D. Gary Young Foun- dation, is a global peace movement scheduled to conduct a 12-day camel caravan from Petra, Jordan, to Jeru- salem, Israel, from December 15 to 26, 2015. It will be spearheaded by a delegation of 12 youth ambassadors, ages 16 to 24, selected from a world- wide pool of candidates. Their goal is to foster an online


youth community to provide young people everywhere a platform to share ideas, voice opinions and educate and learn from their peers. The youths intend to collaborate on solutions-centered projects to help eradicate poverty and hunger, ensure environmental sustainability and attain healthy lives for all. Inspired by a recurring vision,


D. Gary Young, CEO of Young Living Essential Oils, chose the ancient Frankincense Trail upon which the Queen of Sheba once journeyed to bring peace offerings to King Solo- mon. This modern-day journey for peace invites people of all cultures, faiths and backgrounds to retrace the steps of that pioneering peace move- ment, culminating in a blockbuster World Peace Caravan Concert for Peace in Jerusalem.


For more information, visit WorldPeaceCaravan.org.


10 NA Twin Cities Edition NaturalTwinCities.com


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