This letter appeared on Sunday in The St. Louis Post Dispatch. It will run again on Tuesday. I was glad for the opportunity to add my name to the list of signers.
As religious leaders from congregations in the St. Louis area, we wish to add our voice to the public dialogue about the future of our city, our state and our nation in this election year. As we see it, religion is being frequently used to justify military aggression, to restrict civil liberties, to support economic policies that favor the rich and to encourage fear of “others.” We believe that our religious traditions teach a far different set of values. Study, prayer, experience and dialogue lead us to affirm the following:
Because God's blessing is pronounced on peacemakers, we look for
political leaders who seek non-violent solutions to conflict and treat war as a last resort.
Because God calls us to be advocates for those who are most vulnerable in society, we look for political leaders who work for economic justice and attempt to reduce the growing disparity between rich and poor.
Because each person is created in the image of God and is of infinite worth, we look for political leaders who actively promote racial justice and celebrate this nation's racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity.
Because the earth belongs to God and is intrinsically good, we look for political leaders who affirm the human responsibility to protect God's creation.
Because people around the globe are related in God's one human family, we look for political leaders who regard AIDS in Africa, to take only one example, as an urgent concern.
Because one of God's commandments is to welcome strangers, we look for political leaders who uphold fair immigration policies and speak out against the fear of those who are "different."
Because every neighbor, as a child of God, deserves opportunity for fullness of life, we look for political leaders who support first-rate public education for all students and promote adequate, affordable health care for all citizens.
Because God calls the human family to live in community, we look for political leaders who strive to eliminate the violence and despair that erode community life in America's cities.
Because all persons can be transformed by the power of God's love, we look for political leaders who champion restorative justice, not capital punishment, and who seek to change a penal system that perpetuates oppression of African-Americans.
Because our traditions admonish us not to bear false witness, we look for political leaders who conduct their campaigns according to principles of fairness, honesty, and integrity.
We offer these affirmations as a basis for conversation and as a possible framework for evaluating candidates and policies in this election season.
Signed,
Jerry Armiri
Meredith Anderson
Heather Arcovitch
Mark Arnold
Peg Atkins
Janice Edwards Barnes
Bernard Becker
Janet Becker
Angela Boyd
Ronice Branding
Brian Brandsmeier
Pastor Ron Brooker
The Rev. Cynthia S. Bumb
Barbara Byorum
The Rev. Tim Carson
The Rev. Dr. Warren E. Crews
Chuck Currie
Helen Davis
Philip Deitch
Mary B. Diboll
The Rev. Dr. John Dorhauer
The Rev. Dr. Martha S. Due
The Rev. Dr. Ron Eslinger
Members of the Ethical Society of St. Louis
Karen Farthing
James Fish
Eric Fistler
Rabbi Randy Fleisher
Carla Leeds Fletcher
Rabbi John A. Franken
Cari Frus
Dorothy Gannon
Virginia Gilbert
Darla Glynn
Paul & Shirley Godt
The Rev. Dr. David M. Greenhaw
The Rev. Jeff Groene
Rabbi Steve Gutow
The Rev. Daniel Handschy
Barbara Hause
The Rev. Dr. Richard Hause
Barbara Henley
Dan Henley
Rita D. Hill
The Rev. Dr. Michael Hoy
Dori Hudson
Craig Jan-McMahon
Don Johnson
Linda Wallace Jones
Richard B. Jones
The Rev. Jerry Keeney
The Rev. Bob Keller
The Rev. Donna Kendrick-Philips
The Rev. January Kiefer
The Rev. Katherine Kinnamon
The Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon
Wes Knight
The Rev. Doug Kraus
Laura Law
The Rev. Sue Leary
Josh Longbottom
The Rev. Dr. Joretta L. Marshall
The Rev. Ben C. Martin
Selma Mayer
James McCaffrey
The Rev. Dr. J. Clinton McCann
The Rev. Sarah Fredriksen McCann
Jennifer McCann
Julie McDowell
The Rev. Suzanne Meyer
Jack Michael
Dianne Modrell
Alex Molozaiy
The Rev. Dr. Charles H. Morris
Timothy Murphy
The Rev. Canon Susan K. Nanny
The Rev. Dr. Holly Nelson
Rich Nelson
Keela Neumann
The Rev. Brian Q. Newcomb
Lydia Oberschelp
Chuck Orme-Rogers
The Rev. Gene Ostendorf
Howard F. Park III
The Rev. Robert B. Patterson
The Rev. Margie Pride
Rebecca Ragland
The Rev. Jane Rand
The Rev. David Riebeling
Teacher Kathryn Riebeling
The Rev. Dr. John W. Riggs
Aaron Roberts
The Rev. Dr. Penny Ross-Corona
Jessica Rowley
Joseph Rowley
The Rev. Jason Samuel
The Rev. Ron Serino
The Rev. Dr. Wally M. Shearburn
Rocky Sheneman
Rachael Smith
The Rev. Dr. Marilyn L. Stavenger
The Rev. Carleton Stock
Elizabeth Sublette
The Rev. Dr. George Sublette
Jessica Taft
Rabbi Susan Talve
Dr. Rance Thomas
Fred Tilinski
Frederick Tuttle
The Rev. Michael Vosler
Brenda Waters
The Rev. Dr. Suzanne Webb
The Rev. Gloria Weber
Lora Whitten
The Rev. Dr. Barbara G. Willock
Joanne Wilson
Raleigh Wilson
The Rev. Dr. Diane Windler
The Rev. Charlsi Woodard
Jo Wright
Cathleen Yost
Jeffrey Young
An electronic version of this letter is available at www.eden.edu/WHATSNEW/whatsnew.html.
Additional materials for the election year can be found at www.allgodspeople.us.
