Faith Communites represented L to R: Bahai, Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu, Catholic, Muslim, Christian - Interfaith, Jewish
Over the past year a group of individual faith leaders has been deeply active in creating a new kind of interfaith presence in Los Angeles. Coming together under the guidance of the late Umar Hakim and The Muslim Public Affairs Council, The Multi-faith Coalition has quietly been examining their potential role of bringing the spiritual and moral voices of faith to the illegal and immoral actions of the current Administration.
The Multi-faith Coalition is different from the two excellent and effective faith organizations in Los Angeles that already actively confront and protest the illegality and immorality of the political and economic actions of local and national entities.
Interfaith Communities Uniting for Justice and Peace (ICUJP) was created by the late Rev. George Regas at the start of the Iraq war to speak out when the government goes astray. Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE Justice) brings together clergy and lay leaders of all faiths with the marginalized, the unheard, and the least protected—low-wage workers and immigrants—in the cause of a just economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top.
Many religious communities across the faiths of Los Angeles have their own ways of nonviolent resistance while honoring the line between Church and State. Each serves a purpose.The legal line that our communities cannot cross is engaging in partisan politics. That boundary has long kept many faith leaders wary of participating in any action that could jeopardise their status as a nonprofit.
Politics is about how we treat our neighbors
The role that we can and must serve in condemning policies that are inhumane has, at times, seemed blocked. We needed to find justification, a clear way forward for ourselves and our spiritual partners. James Talarico, a politician and one-time clergy candidate from Texas, opened a path with his statement: “Politics is about how we treat our neighbors.” EVERY faith speaks to the responsibility we have to our neighbors. Suddenly, everyone could join.
On March 11th the new Multi-faith Coalition presented “A Multi-faith Response to Our Constitutional Crisis” at The Episcopal Center in Echo Park. Introduced by Episcopal Bishop John Taylor, it featured Civil Rights Attorney Connie Rice and Director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, Salam Al-Marayati, who were joined by a number of others. Representatives of our colleagues across faiths brought blessings.
The Gold Missing from The White House Is The Golden Rule
The gathering was remarkably rich. Bishop Taylor’s powerful opening remarks on the Golden Rule set the standard not only for the day but for the way to proceed forward. The rule provides a baseline of compassion to be held up against the flood of cruelty unleashed throughout the country.
We listened to key speakers. We went away to think. And now we are beginning to come back together again to talk, to ponder, to strategize, and to ask prayerfully what roles there are for us, individually and together, to get back to the values that serve the ideals of our country, our neighbors and our souls.
The Guibord Center's Role
From the very beginning, The Guibord Center has kept asking itself a simple question: “What’s needed right now? What’s the most important thing we can offer?”
Lately, the answer has been pretty clear — people need help holding onto their hearts. They need support staying grounded so they don’t get swept up in the fear, frustration, or despair of the moment. We continue to help people to stay centered and brave in order to be able to help and to speak up wherever they can.
We now need to bring the voice of spirituality out into the public square. Into policy statements. Into every discussion. Every faith community has their own version of The Golden Rule. It’s time to listen to one another and to honor the wisdom in our hearts and the hearts of our neighbors.