wfn.org | Presiding bishop joins 'moral response' to energy policy

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2001-130

Presiding bishop joins 'moral response' to energy policy

by James Solheim

     (ENS) Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold joined 38 of the nation's church 
leaders in sending an open letter May 21 to President George W. Bush, Congress 
and the American public, calling for a moral response to the nation's energy 
policy.

     Drawing on biblical language and invoking a moral authority, the heads of 
denominations and senior leaders of several faith groups described energy 
conservation as "a personal and public virtue--a comprehensive moral value" in 
their letter, "Let There Be Light: Energy Conservation and God's Creation."

     The religious leaders urged Americans to "reflect carefully and speak 
clearly from their deepest moral and religious convictions" about the President's 
recently announced energy plan. Acknowledging that they were not scientists, 
energy experts or policymakers, the religious leaders asserted that decisions on 
energy policy raise "fundamental moral and religious questions."

     Citing the call in Genesis to "till and to tend the garden," (Genesis 2:15), 
the letter argues for "a moral obligation to choose the safest, cleanest and most 
sustainable sources of energy to protect and preserve God's creation." 

Purpose not just policy

      "Far more than rolling blackouts and gasoline price increases are at stake: 
the future of God's creation on earth; the nature and durability of our economy; 
our public health and public lands; the environment and the quality of life we 
bequeath our children and grandchildren. We are being called to consider national 
purpose, not just policy," the statement said.

     The statement pointed to a number of factors that complicate the issue--
global warming, population growth, the aspiration of the developing world, 
advances in technology that make renewable energy an option. "WE must take time 
to engage this challenge as a moral people at a pivotal, historic moment," the 
religious leaders warned.

      "The United States has a moral responsibility to lead a transition to a new 
sustainable global energy system," the statement concluded. "Everything we do to 
assure safe and sustainable energy domestically must at the same time promote it 
internationally… Preventing climate change is a preeminent expression of the 
faithfulness to our Creator God."

     The religious leaders called on their leaders and congregants to carefully 
consider the moral values which "should guide our individual energy choices and 
by which we should judge energy policy options. In securing human wellbeing by 
preserving creation and promoting justice, conservation is a personal and a 
public virtue--a comprehensive moral value--a standard for everything we do 
assure energy for a wholesome way of life."

Rally urges conservation

     As part of three days of meetings in Washington, representatives of 
environmental justice ministries from 39 states held a rally on Capitol Hill 
under the Genesis theme, "Let there be light."

     Participants at the rally formed a "human bar graph" on the Capitol lawn to 
emphasize the connection between energy policy and climate change and to 
dramatize the disproportionate level of greenhouse gas emissions in the United 
States when compared with the rest of the world.

      "Conservation should be the centerpiece not an afterthought, a solemn vow 
not a concession," said the Rev. Robert Edgar, general secretary of the National 
Council of Churches which organized the rally and has been organizing climate 
change campaigns on the state level. "U.S. energy use is causing global warming--
and the president's plan is only going to make the planet hotter."

     Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-Ct) told the rally that "energy and the 
environment are not just politics," but matters of faith. "If we believe in God 
the creator, we have a special responsibility toward the natural environment and 
toward each other as well."

--James Solheim is director of Episcopal News Service. This article is based on 
news reports from the NCC.