3056 In Defense of Creation
Clara Barton District

3056 - In Defense of Creation
Speakers: Rev. Jenny Justice and Rev. Fred Small

How can UUs carry our reverence for the earth out of our homes and sanctuaries and into the public square? The Rev. Fred Small believes in nonviolent resistance in the spirit of Gandhi and Martin Luther King. However, in these days of heightened security, Small recommends warning security officers so they know what to expect. At most installations, the security agency will make polite arrangements to arrest you in relative safety, if not comfort.

"How could you not have known, and knowing what you know how could you not act?" This question was asked of slave owners and will be asked of us. How could you not know what our generation is doing to the environment and how we are stealing from our children and our children’s children? How many species of animals are we prepared to extinguish as a result of global warming? The Rev. Jenny Justice led us in a meditation to grieve our losses in the environment. For a copy of her meditation, send and email message to justicejenny@earthlink.net.

The workshop combined soul with strategy: conserve energy; turn it off; recycle; and improve energy efficiency. Next, investigate alternative fuels. For extensive information on these subjects, see http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/efficiency/energy_savings.htm.

In recognition of the importance of the global-warming problem, the Rev. Mel Hoover, director of the UUA’s Faith-in-Action department, has been asked to take part-time responsibility for leading the UUA on environmental issues. Some attendees of the workshop felt the task requires a full time UUA staff member. Statements of Conscience don’t necessarily result in action, Small noted; sometimes it takes the mandate of a business resolution to spur the UUA.

Reporter Mike McNaughton

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