American Prayer Hour a Success

Hundreds of people of faith gathered on Thursday, February 4th in more than 20 cities around the country for the American Prayer Hour, an interfaith response to the National Prayer Breakfast, which also took place on Thursday morning. The National Prayer Breakfast is organized by the conservative and secretive religious group, The Family (also known as The Fellowship).


Members of The Family have been linked to the “Kill the Gays” bill, legislation proposed in Uganda that, if passed, could mean mandatory imprisonment or even the death penalty for anyone accused of being homosexual or protecting someone who is. The organization Full Equality Now, DC sponsored a Wednesday night protest at the Family’s headquarters on Capitol Hill that was covered on The Rachel Maddow Show.


Civil rights advocates had asked the President not to attend the Prayer Breakfast because of the Family's ties the Ugandan legislation. Although President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did attend the event, they took the opportunity to speak out against the use of religion to justify violence and cruelty. The President decried the targeting of gays and lesbians anywhere in the world and expressed his disgust for laws that would do so in Uganda and elsewhere.


Back in Washington, D.C. a diverse group of religious leaders and people of faith attended the American Prayer Hour at Calvary Baptist Church. Imam Daayiee Abullah of the Al-Fatiha Foundation, which serves bisexual, gay, lesbian and transgender Muslims, called the event a “rebuttal to cruelty and violence in God’s name,” and Rabbi Elizabeth Richman of Jews United for Justice declared that each one of us will not be safe, secure and valued until we live in a society where everyone is safe, secure and valued.

Rev. Elizabeth Lerner, of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Silver Spring, (pictured above right with Sharon Groves, a member of All Souls Church, Unitarian), said that Thursday’s service reminded us that the only family that truly matters is our human family, and that the gathering made “a powerful statement condemning the strategies and bigotry of ‘The Family,’ and affirming that [the] persistent and triumphant message across the world's religions is always transparent love in service of human dignity and peace.”

May that spirit of peace and dignity accompany all those in Uganda and around the world whose lives and families are endangered by those who would seek to silence and harm them.

From the First Earth Day to the Climate Change Movement Today

As I’ve been working on the Earth Day Resources for congregations to plan actions around the 40th anniversary of Earth Day this year, I’ve been reminded of the history of Earth Day and the environmental movement in the US. The movement’s start in the late 1960s, early 1970s led to the creation of the first Earth Day, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Scientists warned that the pollution in the water was killing the lakes and streams; the Cuyahoga River even caught on fire. Air pollution was seriously degrading the environment. Both were impacting public health. But if I have learned anything from that movement, it was the amazing commitment of everyday people all over the country that demanded environmental improvements and made them happen.

One year after that first Earth Day, William D. Ruckelshaus reflected:

"We came to realize the human dimensions of antiseptic statistics.

We came to realize that the more than 1400 pounds of air pollution per person which rides the wind and rain across this continent is a hazard to health and life and the human spirit.

We came to realize that more than 50 trillion gallons of hot water, millions of tons of organic and chemical pollutants, enormous amounts of fertilizers, pesticides, and most of all, sewage every year are spoiling rivers once celebrated in our art and literature and history. The Hudson and the Potomac, the Missouri and the Monongehela, the Snake and the Androscoggin - all rivers rich in history - are today rivers rich in industrial and municipal wastes.

We came to realize that the more than 7 million automobiles, 20 million tons of paper, 48 billion cans and 26 billion bottles a year which litter our landscape means that almost nowhere on this continent can man escape the impact he has had on nature.

We came to realize too that we were not alone in our disregard for the delicate balance of life."

Now is that time for climate change.

In December 2009, the EPA announced an endangerment finding, allowing EPA regulation of greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. On January 21st, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) introduced a disapproval resolution, which is expected to be brought to the Senate floor sometime this month. If passed, it would block the EPA from regulating greenhouse gases and dirty coal, and furthering US contributions to the environmental injustices that contribute to climate change. Supporting the Clean Air Act is the best way we already have under current law to limit the environmental justice impacts of climate change and to help our country shift to a clean energy economy. This is, without a doubt, the way of the future. Please contact your Senators and tell them to support the Clean Air Act.

This is only the first step. Together, we can, and must, work towards a world where the environment is healthy for all who live there. The people who receive the least of society's benefits and have the least power to affect changes are the ones who feel the environmental impacts first and most severely. Climate change is already being witnessed by people who work closely with the land. Together, we must love urgently and work towards climate justice.

What food choices can Unitarian Universalists make to build a planet that is both sustainable and just?

If you walk into an average supermarket these days, you’ll find thousands of choices of things to eat. Some things may be grown or produced in low-impact ways at a nearby farm, but chances are that many items for sale contain ingredients whose production has negatively impacted the Earth and her people. As Unitarian Universalists, we are committed to living in ways that respect the inherent worth and dignity of all people as well as the interdependent web of life of which we are a part. With so many choices, how can we find ways to eat ethically?

Fortunately, people all over the United States are thinking about just this right now. Several best-selling books have been written about authors’ deliberations about what to eat, and UU congregations have been engaging in the current Congregational Study/Action Issue, "Ethical Eating: Food and Environmental Justice." For the 40th anniversary of Earth Day this year, the UU Ministry For Earth (UUMFE) is asking members of all congregations to think about what they eat and what food choices are available to those in their communities. While Earth Day isn't until Thursday, April 22nd, resources for planning your Earth Day events are already available on the UUMFE website to help you plan both worship and social justice projects. Check them out!

American Prayer Hour - Protesting the National Prayer Breakfast

This week, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender activists and faith communities are uniting in Washington DC and around the country to protest the involvement of members of the international organization The Family, (also known as the Fellowship) a religious group with disturbing ties to proponents of anti-LGBT legislation in Uganda.

The Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2009 is currently under consideration by the Ugandan parliament. The bill was put forth by parliamentarian David Bahati and initially backed by President Yoweri Museveni. If passed, the new law would unleash a vicious campaign of persecution against LGBT citizens in Uganda. Bahati and President Museveni are key members of The Family in Africa. The Family hosts the annual National Prayer Breakfast, which is scheduled to take place this year on Thursday, February 4th at the Washington D.C. Hilton. President Obama is scheduled to speak at the National Prayer Breakfast.

A coalition including Faith in America, the Human Rights Campaign, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and Full Equality Now DC, an organization the emerged from the National Equality March, is responding with the American Prayer Hour. On the morning of February 4th, people of faith across the country will gather at American Prayer Hour events to affirm our inclusive values and show that cruelty and extremism have no place in our communities. A list of events is available at the American Prayer Hour website.

A press conference announcing the National Prayer Hour will take place at the National Press Club on Tuesday, February 2nd. Scheduled speakers include Moses, a gay Ugandan man seeking asylum in the United States, Bishop V. Gene Robinson of the Episocpal Church, and Harry Knox, director of the HRC Religion and Faith Program.

Full Equality Now DC has also organized a protest and rally on Wednsday, February 3rd at 5:30pm at the Family’s “C Street House” headquarters at 133 C Street SE, Washington, DC.

If there is an American Prayer Hour event in your city, please consider attending. If you are in Washington, DC, please come the rally on Wednesday night as well. For more information, see www.americanprayerhour.org.

IARF Chapter Conference Report

From Doris Hunter, Chair, US Chapter, International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF):

The conference, "Reconciliation with the Earth, Each Other and the Stranger" was held at the Clearwater Unitarian Universalist Church from January 14-17th with over fifty people attending plus speakers and invited guests.

The US Chapter and the World Congress of Faiths sponsored the conference with the assistance of the Clearwater Congregation and its minister, the Rev. Abhi Janamanchi. The conference opened with an interfaith worship service led by Abhi; its message set the tone for the conference.

The next day we had a major address by Dr. Paul Rasor and a panel on “Racial Justice in a Post-Racial Society, Myth or Reality" led by Dr. Roy Kaplan. In the afternoon we had several workshops including "100 Years of Interfaith Work" focusing on the IALRW with Kathy Matsui and Jopie Boeke.

The Rev. Eric Cherry from the UUA also presented a workshop on "Charting the Future of International Relations." Then the conference broke up into its circle groups exchanging introductions and opinions. In the evening we had an Interfaith Music Program that included music from so many different faith traditions.

The next day opened with worship service led by the Rissho Kosei-Kai followed by lecture by Dr. Hal French. Following the lecture, Dr. Thomas Mathew from India, presented a power point about the coming Congress and information about the program of the Congress. In the afternoon, the conference concluded with lectures by Dr. Mozella Mitchell and Dr. William Schulz followed by a panel discussion and response. Sunday morning there was a special worship service honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with Dr. Schulz giving the sermon.

We were very pleased to have the presence of Dr. Thomas Mathew during the entire conference and also the presence of the Rev. Eric Cherry from the UUA. The Chapter sponsored one young adult, Mr. Sri Kota. We wished that we had more time to arrange a young adult conference at the same time but being such a small board with a limited budget, we felt the need to concentrate on the conference itself. Perhaps in the future this can be planned.

Many participants spoke enthusiastically about the coming Congress, hoping that they might be able to attend. We are so grateful that all went as planned and that the program was appreciated and well attended by the participants.

You can view videos taken during the IARF Chapter Conference online, including:

• Panelist introductions
  
• Risho Kosei-Kai Mantra/Chanting
• Allahu
• Bahai Song
• Matsuri Daiko
• And more!
  

Urge Debt Relief for Haiti

We have all watched in horror the images and stories of death and destruction in the wake of Haiti’s January 12 earthquake. And many of us have responded with generosity, giving what we can to the relief efforts: my own UU congregation collected $15,000 in the days after the quake for the UUSC relief efforts. In addition to responding with compassion with relief aid, our Unitarian Universalist faith also demands that we seek justice for the Haitian people in the wake of this tragedy – justice which has been a too small a supply for Haiti for far too long.

A first step toward a just recovery for Haiti is for the international community to cancel Haiti’s debt.

This isn’t just a natural disaster, but a disaster caused by global economics and politics that have resulted in of Haiti’s poverty and environmental damage for years and years. In this small Caribbean country, eighty percent of the population lives in abject poverty. One out of nine children dies before reaching her fifth birthday.

For decades the country was forced to pay out tens of millions of dollars in debt payments, instead of investing the money in building hospitals, schools, or other infrastructure – resources that could have helped in the aftermath of the earthquake.

The debts dated back to 1825, shortly after Haiti won independence from France and abolished slavery. France threatened to reinvade and re-establish slavery unless Haiti paid “reparations” for the loss of the “property”, including slaves, forcing Haiti to pay the equivalent of $21 billion today. This cycle of unjust indebtedness continued through Haiti’s history and included the brutal dictatorships of the Duvaliers. On top of that, harmful economic conditions imposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) exacerbated the country’s poverty and path to development.

The Unitarian Universalist Association is member of the Jubilee USA Network, a coalition which worked for years to secure debt cancellation for Haiti. We celebrated last June, when Haiti finally received cancellation of $1.2 billion of its debts owed to the IMF, World Bank, and the US and other governments – a sum equal to about 60% of its total debt.

In the wake of this unimaginable tragedy, one obvious and simple step toward a just recovery is for the international community to cancel Haiti’s $1 billion in remaining debt. And it should go without saying that all of the assistance that Haiti receives should be in the form of grants and not loans. However, yesterday the International Monetary Fund approved an additional $102 million loan to Haiti. While the IMF Managing Director has stated his intention to work for Haiti’s debt to be cancelled, we clearly must keep up the pressure.

Please add your voice to the growing chorus today: Drop Haiti’s Debt Now and No New Debt for Disaster.

In addition, congressional leaders are circulating a letter to Treasury Secretary Geithner with this message. Click here to send a message to your Representative encouraging him/her to sign the letter.

Melinda St. Louis
Deputy Director, Jubilee USA
Congregant All Souls Church Unitarian in Washington, DC

Our Last Chance to Protect Women's Health Coverage

Senate and House leaders are in the final stages of negotiating the content of the health care reform bill that could be voted on in both houses next week. A new article on UUA.org details the experiences of three Unitarian Universalist religious leaders as advocates for reproductive justice and abortion rights and describes the harmful provisions in the current reform bills:

The Stupak-Pitts amendment in the House health care reform bill prevents women from using their own funds to purchase an insurance plan that includes abortion coverage in the new health insurance exchanges -- taking away essential coverage that most insurance plans provide today.

Senator Ben Nelson's addition to the Senate bill is an unworkable and unfair approach to abortion coverage by imposing arbitrary hurdles to secure coverage for abortion care. Under this provision, women would be forced to write two different checks to their insurance provider – one for abortion coverage and one for the rest of their insurance package.

Nelson’s provision makes it less likely for insurance companies to offer abortion coverage at all and presents a significant security risk to women purchasing this coverage. Both provisions would take away the coverage that most women have today and as such, they violate the very spirit of health care reform – extending comprehensive health insurance coverage to those who are most in need.

You can read the full article on UUA.org.

The UUA believes that we all have the right to make decisions about our own bodies based on our own values. Poor women, immigrant women and women of color are among those who are already disproportionately impacted by lack of access to safe and affordable contraception and abortion care, as well as by current laws restricting the use of public funds for abortion. If either of the current restrictions in the House and Senate bills pass with the final legislation, millions more women could lose the abortion coverage that they have today. Health care reform is about expanding coverage, not taking it away.

January 22nd is the 37th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade court decision, which will be commemorated in Washington, D.C. by a rally sponsored by the D.C. Chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW). Find out how women's organizations in your area are commemorating this day by searching online or contacting them.

No matter where you live there is still time to raise your voice as a person of faith who supports health care reform. Please call your members of Congress today and urge them to strike the Stupak-Pitts amendment and the Nelson check provision from the final bill.