From the Interfaith Moral Action on Climate Change
A Moral Challenge: Moving From F to A+ on Climate Change
by Peter Adriance, HuffPost Religion, May 7, 2012
The Islamic call to prayer resonated from the balcony of the historic New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, once regularly attended by Abraham Lincoln in Washington, D.C. The cry of "Allah-u-Akbar" proclaimed the greatness of God. The piercing blast of the Jewish shofar – a ram's horn blown with both reverence and conviction -- affirmed the sacredness of the gathering.
Following the service at New York Avenue Presbyterian, the congregation walked to Upper Senate Park. Photo: Pamela Sparr
For me, as well as others, it was a stirring and fitting beginning to an extraordinarily diverse multifaith worship service with a common theme: the healing of the climate. By the time the service ended Bahá'í, Baptist, Buddhist, Catholic, Evangelical, Hindu, Jewish and Muslim traditions had contributed readings, reflections and prayers supporting that mission. Indigenous tribal leaders had further graced the ceremonies.
The service was part of a day of religious activities organized by Interfaith Moral Action on Climate Change, a collaborative initiative of religious and faith-based leaders, groups and individuals of goodwill who are compelled to lead the call for urgent action to address the deepening climate emergency as a moral imperative. The day began with a vigil at the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial and ended with visits of multifaith delegations to members of Congress. [READ MORE…]
The Interfaith Moral Action on Climate Change is a collaborative interfaith political action initiative to wake up politicians in the United States and begin taking responsibility for the disaster of climate change. You can endorse the call at IMACC’s website.
* * *
As people of faith and spirituality we are deeply concerned about the effects of climate change ravaging our planet, and we are compelled by our traditions and collective conscience to take action together on this deeply moral challenge.
Therefore, we call for interfaith actions across the USA to awaken our nation’s elected officials, as well as all civic and business leaders and households, to the urgent need for immediate and effective action to address the climate emergency.
As a first step, we call on our leaders to enact policies that dramatically reduce wasted energy and significantly shift our power supplies from oil, coal and natural gas to wind, solar, geothermal and other renewable energy sources. We must equitably phase-out all fossil fuel subsidies. We also call on our leaders to enact policies to help people here and abroad prepare for and withstand the terrible impacts of climate change that are already occurring and that will grow much worse in the years ahead.
We are compelled to heed Martin Luther King Jr’s call to appreciate the “fierce urgency of now” and his warning that “in this unfolding conundrum of life and history there is such a thing as being too late.”