Faith in the Public Square

 Members of local religious groups are gathering at the Rip Van Winkle Bridge in Hudson on Sunday, October 17 to promote climate justice. The event is part of an international project called Faiths 4 Climate Justice . According to a news release from the organizers, “thousands of people of faith with support from over 200 high-level faith leaders are calling on political and financial leaders to meet a series of ambitious climate demands that get at the heart of the problem.” Those demands include an end to new fossil fuel projects and tropical deforestation; universal access to renewable energy; policies creating green jobs and a just transition for impacted workers and communities; support for those forced to migrate due to climate impacts; and reparations from the countries and industries responsible for the lion’s share of the problem.   The local event is sponsored by GreenFaith and the Buddhist Action Network. Participants are asked to park on either the of the bridge at...

Jonathan Kuttab, a Palestinian Christian and human rights activist who served as the head of the Legal Committee negotiating the Cairo Agreement of 1994 between Israel and the PLO, will discuss the current crisis in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on Sunday, October 21, at Trinity Community Center, 705 Curry Road in Rotterdam. Billed as a Community Conversation entitled "Beyond the Two-State Solution," the session is hosted by Messiah Lutheran Church of Schenectady, with support from the New York State Council of Churches.   In this YouTube video , Kuttab explains that the two-state solution (that he supported) is no longer viable. He proposes a one-state solution that challenges both Zionism and Palestinian Nationalism.    Kuttab is the co-founder of the Palestinian human rights group Al-Haq and co-founder of Nonviolence International. A well-known international human rights attorney, he practices in the United States, Palestine, and Israel. He serves on the Board of Be...

 The Capital Region Interfaith Creation Care Coalition (CRICCC) has announced the passing of its founder and first chair, David Cullen, following a seven-month long battle with lung cancer. From the announcement: David had a gentle, all-inclusive leadership style. He listened intently and offered good direction, two qualities that encouraged others to take action. He will be sorely missed. A memorial service will take place sometime in October. According to his obituary , David also was   one of the founders of Covenant House in New York City. Memorial donations in his memory may be made to CRICCC, checks payable to  CRICCC , 1 Marion Avenue, Albany, New York 12203.

Several faith-based agencies working with refugees are not happy with the way the Biden administration has chosen to leave Afghanistan. Religion News Service (RNS) reports  those groups include Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service , World Relief , Church World Service , the Episcopal Church (which resettles refugees through Episcopal Migration Ministries ) and HIAS (founded as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society). According to RNS, in June, those organizations  urged  President Biden to implement plans to evacuate Afghan translators, soldiers, cultural advisers, embassy clerks and others who have worked with American armed forces, media or nonprofits and allies and to authorize as many SIVs as necessary to make that possible. President Biden told the nation this week that one reason for the turmoil was that “some of the Afghans did not want to leave early, still hopeful for their country. And part of it is because the Afghan government and its supporters discouraged us...

Earlier this week, an interfaith group met informally at Al-Hidaya Center in Latham to begin planning a strategy to support passage of a bill in Congress “to promote justice, equality and human rights for Palestinian children and families by prohibiting Israeli authorities from using U.S. taxpayer funds to detain and torture Palestinian children, demolish and seize Palestinian homes, and further annex Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank.” Known as HR 2590, the bill is endorsed by a wide range of national organizations that include the American Friends Service Committee, Church World Service, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, National Council of Churches USA, Oxfam America, Pax Christi USA, Presbyterian Church (USA), Reformed Church in America, The Episcopal Church, The United Methodist Church - General Board of Church and Society, and the United Church of Christ. Supporters of the bill say that “Israel has the dubious distinction of being the   only country in the wor...

  The Office of Government Relations of the Episcopal Church has weighed in on both the For the People Act and the  John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, and is urging people to speak out publicly on the importance of voting rights for all. Their website states: As a Church, we have policy on most – although not all – of the issues in the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. Primarily, we oppose voter suppression and encourage voting access.  General Convention Resolution  2018-D003  calls on  all states to cease and desist efforts to suppress the voting rights of American Citizens . We “call on governments on all levels to create policies to enhance voter participation by, among other strategies, seeking to implement policies that will increase early voting, extend registration periods, guarantee an adequate number of voting locations, allow absentee balloting without the necessity of having an excuse, and prohibit forms of identif...

Beginning today, Reform Jews across the United States will   meet virtually with their U.S. Senators   to advocate in support of the   For the People Act   and the   John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act   as part of the Reform Movement’s   Racial Justice Campaign .   According to the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism  (RAC): Despite the ongoing pandemic and   a patchwork of barriers to the ballot box across the country , more than 159 million Americans voted in the 2020 elections, the highest rates seen in over a century. However, some state elected officials want to roll back this progress by creating more barriers to vote. That is why we need federal legislation to protect the freedom to vote. Noting that the right to vote is fundamental in a democracy, the RAC urges people to ensure that elections are accessible for all. "The For the People Act (H.R.1/S.1) is a broad bill, that among its provisions, will protect the freedo...