[NCC News] NCC's Edgar joins interfaith global warming action
Washington, D.C., May 22, 2007--The Rev. Bob Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches USA (NCC), is among leaders of many faith traditions who are calling upon the U.S. government to take immediate action to reduce global warming.
"This is an historic moment when Jews, Christians and Muslims stand together in solidarity with a shared sense of moral purpose on global warming. We accept the overwhelming scientific evidence which forecasts extreme consequences for the Earth and all its inhabitants if we fail to act," says an open letter to President Bush and the U.S. Congress.
The 400 word statement [available at www.theregenerationproject.org] was published today in two Capitol Hill newspapers, Roll Call and Politico. The interfaith statement came out of meeting in San Francisco of faith leaders last month.
"Any Christian who reads the Gospel of John knows that Jesus, as the Word of God, was present at the creation of the universe and the planet," said NCC's Edgar. "We must keep that in mind as Christians work together with people of many faiths to protect and care for the planet, for God's creatures who inhabit it, and for the generations to come."
"Global warming is not just a scientific or political issue--it is a moral issue," said the Rabbi David Saperstein. "It is time for the moral voice of religion to speak up loudly to demand action," said Saperstein, director of Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism.
"Muslims heed the call to protect the earth and its inhabitants," said Sayyid Syeed from the Islamic Society of North America. "We are committed to working with our Christian and Jewish brothers and sisters to reduce global warming pollution."
More faith leaders are signing on to the statement at FaithfulAmerica.org [http://ga3.org/campaign/climatesummit], the online advocacy community of the NCC.
The NCC is the ecumenical voice of America's Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican, historic African American and traditional peace churches. These 35 communions have 45 million faithful members in 100,000 congregations in all 50 states.
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