[Dialogue] [Fwd: [BPFNA] Lights for Human Dignity]

[Colleen Smith]

thought some of you might be interested in  this, if nothing else, the 
simple act of lighting a candle will remind us that we are not alone in 
the night. 
Colleen
Denver Colorado

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	[BPFNA] Lights for Human Dignity
Date: 	Fri, 28 May 2004 07:59:05 -0400
From: 	Jim Lowder <fogdwellers at earthlink.net>
Reply-To: 	Jim Lowder <fogdwellers at earthlink.net>
To: 	bpfna list serve <BPFNA at earlham.edu>



The Interfaith Alliance is urging individuals, organizations and houses 
of worship to burn a light or candle through the night of May 30, the 
eve of U.S. Memorial Day, to demonstrate common values of faith and 
patriotism, while also bearing witness to a commitment to peace and 
goodwill in Iraq, the U.S., and around the world.

Below is a full press release and a list of participating organizations. 
BPFNA has also signed on as a participating organization. We encourage 
all of you to join in this action on Sunday night.

Jim Lowder, BPFNA Interim Executive Director

The Interfaith Alliance 
For Immediate Release                                                  
May 20, 2004                                                           
Media Contact:  Don Parker, (202) 639-6370, ext. 106                    
                                        
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Interfaith Response to Atrocities in Iraq Announced Lights for Human 
Dignity: A nationwide initiative, May 30-31

What: "Lights for Human Dignity"

How: Light up your homes, houses of worship, communities, businesses

When: Sunday night till dawn Monday, May 30-31, 2004; Memorial Day Eve

Where: All across America and everywhere people believe in human dignity

Who: A growing list of religious and community organizations, 
individuals, and businesses
See list at www.lightsfordignity.org

Why: Recent images from Iraq have disclosed actions that are horrific 
and dehumanizing. These actions violate core civic and religious values 
that are embraced by people of every heritage, including our commitment 
to basic human dignity and the spirit of creation. We encourage people 
of faith and good will to reflect prayerfully on how we can demonstrate 
compassion to all victims of violence and foster reconciliation within 
our human community. We also invite participation in a public 
acknowledgment of our anguish and our need for self-examination.

On the Sunday night before Memorial Day (May 30th), as we prepare to 
remember the sacrifices made by those who have fought our nation's wars, 
please turn on the lights or light candles in your houses of worship and 
in your homes. Leave them on through the night, until the dawn comes on 
Memorial Day. By this simple action, we can demonstrate to the world 
that we share common values as people of faith and as patriots. We will 
also bear witness to our commitment to peace and good will in Iraq, in 
the United States, and around the world.

For more information and to sign up to participate, visit 
www.lightsfordignity.org or email us at info at lightsfordignity.org.  We 
encourage all individuals, organizations and houses of worship around 
the country to endorse this effort as well as participate.

Participating Organizations as of May 20, 2004:
 
Board of Directors of The Interfaith Alliances of Ocala & Marion County 
Chapters, Florida
Clergy Leadership Network
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA)
Gulf Coast Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Guru Gobind Singh (Sikh) Foundation
Interfaith Freedom Foundation
M.K. Gandhi Institute For Non Violence
Muslim Public Affairs Council
National Council of the Churches of Christ (USA)
National Sikh Center
Pacific School of Religion
Qworks, LLC
Sikh Council on Religion and Education
The Episcopal Church (USA)
The Interfaith Alliance
The Interfaith Alliance of Colorado
The Interfaith Alliance of Idaho
The Interfaith Alliance of Long Island
The Interfaith Alliance of Mississippi
The Interfaith Alliance of Oklahoma
The Islamic Society of Tulsa
The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy
United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society
 
For more information on The Interfaith Alliance:
www.interfaithalliance.org

Founded in 1994, The Interfaith Alliance (TIA) is a non-partisan, 
grassroots organization dedicated to promoting the positive and healing 
role of religion in the life of the nation and challenging those who 
manipulate religion to promote a narrow, divisive agenda. With more than 
150,000 members drawn from more than 75 faith traditions, and 47 local 
alliances, TIA promotes compassion, civility and mutual respect for 
human dignity in our increasingly diverse society.

Kamal Abu-Shamsieh

Organizer, Congregational Partnership Program
The Interfaith Alliance/The Interfaith Alliance Foundation
1331 H Street, NW  11th Floor
Washington, DC  20005
Office: (202) 639-6370
FAX (202) 639-6375
Alternative telephone: (626) 354-3367
kshamsieh at interfaithalliance.org <mailto:kshamsieh at interfaithalliance.org>
www.interfaithalliance.org

-- 
"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed."
President Dwight D. Eisenhower
April 16, 1953