Faith and Environmentalism

The Faith in Action Team

Introduction
This series discusses ways that faith and environmentalism are closely linked to each other.

“Environmentally… we must do more to protect our natural resources, enabling us to extend their economic value indefinitely through wise natural resource extraction policies that protect the beauty and diversity of our American ecosystems - our seacoasts, mountains, wetlands, rain forests, alpine meadows, original timberlands and open prairies….”
    General Wesley Clark
    100-year vision

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Don't we owe it to ourselves to be all that we can be as a people of faith?

To reach out and offer hope and opportunity to the least among us?

To preach peace and prosperity and to live equality and justice?

We cannot be afraid to embrace our faith and our ideals.

Not now -- not here -- not anywhere -- not ever.
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Wesley Clark

Posted by
Clearsky

The Gift

by RocketCityBev

Peace on Earth

The Faith in Action Team

Peace.  So hard to achieve, so elusive to find, yet so incredibly needed in the world today.  Peace is central to so many human faiths. Below are just a few quotes to demonstrate how universal peace is:

None of us is in a position to eliminate war, but it is our obligation to denounce it and expose it in all its hideousness. War leaves no victors, only victims.

      - Elie Wiesel

There is no way to peace; peace is the way. 

      - Mohandes Ghandi

Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God. 

      - Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 5:9)

This is not per se to offer discourse on anything too deep, but there are some observations here regarding the Conservative ideology from a traditional standpoint, and how in many instances it has worked to undermine efforts on a "global war on terror". There is also an argument here towards exactly why support for President Bush has gone by the wayside in the past couple of years.

What the War on Terror is: The War on Terror, if one really looks at it, is not based in military actions in the consideration of the root of its cause. Elements such as enforcement, and military actions are a major factor, but the largest underpinning of the effort lies in a propaganda war. In terms of the Conservative movement, they have been effective at prodding people here at home...yet, to a large degree, it is these very same tactics that have worked to undermine the effort on a whole over the long run. Conservative propaganda works by uniting people against a common enemy...but, this enemy in terms of the propaganda is not the terorists....but instead, the main adversary of conservative propaganda is "the liberals", or in other words, other Americans. A contributing factor to creating a divided populace after 9/11, the rift only got wider once Iraq was invaded.

Giving Thanks

The Faith in Action Team

   As this election season concludes, we have many reasons to give thanks. Of course, I (and probably many others from this site) are delighted the Democrats won, but I’m thankful on an even deeper level for other things as well.

   For all candidates who ran, especially those who ran honorable races, from both sides, for their willingness to serve their country.

   For all election judges, official and volunteers and everyone, from both parties, who did their part to ensure a safe and fair election. I especially give thanks for all of the people who are working so hard to continue the discussion around election integrity.

Values Voting

Hope, Faith and Football

The Faith in Action Team

Introduction

It may seem incongruous to host a series about hope and faith, since, as I write this, the United States Senate is currently debating whether or not to pass a bill on the legality of torturing enemy combatants.

Let me just say one thing. Torture is wrong. It is evil. It is un-American. If this bill passes, it will be a shameful blot on American history. It may seem that our country may never recover from it. As we await the results, I remember something Archbishop Desmond Tutu said when I was privileged to hear him preach a few years ago. He said that human evil is always defeated before it starts, because it goes against the natural order of creation. It just takes awhile for it to realize that it has really lost.

As RocketCityBev’s article below reminds us, hope and faith are essential. They are central points in just about every faith tradition on the globe.

We can draw strength from each other, from our shared convictions. We can spend time in the natural world, in some form of worship. We can draw strength from passions or activities – such as football.

What is important is that we draw strength. We keep having faith. We hope. And we go on.

Religious Freedom and Public Education

Welcome to the Faith in Action series! In this series, we will discuss ways that progressive faith is impacting issues and stances in the public sphere, both politically and beyond.

Why Faith in Action?

Our more conservative friends have done an excellent job of linking their faith and their positions on moral issues. Without a response from progressives, however, one of the unfortunate side effects from this is the belief that “All religious people vote this way,” or “This is the position all people of faith should take on this issue.” This just isn’t true. America was built on discussion, argument and dissension. This is the bedrock of our society. Our country is filled with people of faith who take a wide variety of positions on issues and to pretend otherwise is deceptive.