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Standing with Muslim Americans A wave of anti-Muslim sentiment is sweeping across the country. Lumping all Muslims in with terrorists, Sarah Palin said a proposed Islamic Center near Ground Zero in New York is a "provocation" that "stabs at hearts," and Newt Gingrich called it an "insult" to Americans. Our country is better than this. Our faiths are better than this. Sign our letter of support to the American Muslim community during this difficult time and help stand up for religious freedom. PHOTO: Protesting a Mosque in California. Via the New York Times SIGN THE LETTERJoin our Campaign -- and get a FREE bumper sticker!
Our goal: to counter the fear and the lies the Tea Party and extreme pundits are spewing this summer. Your task: to name our campaign! Hundreds of great slogans and thousands of votes later we have a winner. The winning slogan for our summer campaign is: "Driven By Faith, Not By Fear" by Heidi R. of Virginia! Now that we've got a great slogan, it's time to get to work on our summer campaign to "drive out" fear and hate in our communities. Take the first step by pledging to speak up for your values, stand up to hate and help set the record straight this summer, and we'll send you a FREE campaign bumper sticker. Find Out MoreGlenn Beck Attacks Social Justice
Last week, news broke of Glenn Beck making outrageous claims about people of faith. Beck linked social justice to communism and Nazism and urged people to leave their congregations, saying "I beg you, look for the words 'social justice' or 'economic justice' on your church Web site. If you find it, run as fast as you can." People of faith across the spectrum are fighting back against these outrageous smears, signing petitions and going on cable news to tell the truth about social justice, and now Beck has responded by ramping up his hateful rhetoric and threatening to bring down "the hammer" on those who challenge him. Beck and FOX News spend a lot of time cultivating a faith-friendly image, but airing smears against mainstream beliefs tells a different story. Help us find out where FOX News really stands. Ask them: Do you stand with Glenn Beck's defamatory comments, or with millions of people of faith who are answering God's call to justice? For a defense of social justice from a Christian perspective, check out this piece from David P. Gushee Find Out MoreNewt Gingrich Thinks You Don't Matter
Dividing the country into conservative religious Americans and "secular socialists" may help Mr. Gingrich sell books, but we know that's not what the faith community is actually like. Gingrich is trying to revive his political fortunes by cashing in on tired stereotypes about people of faith and tossing out conservative buzzwords like "socialism" at anything that doesn't fit in his narrow vision. Yet, if he actually spoke with any of our many members who work on important issues like healthcare in their communities every day, he would find a genuine faith commitment to finding real solutions to the suffering caused by our broken healthcare system. The religious community helped pass a healthcare reform bill that will start us on the road to healing that brokenness. We did our best to follow our faiths' call to justice - and we're proud of it. Will you join us in standing up for our faith and the millions of Americans like us who refuse to be stereotyped or categorized? Sign the petition: Tell Newt Gingrich you won't be dismissed. Find Out MoreSpeak out Against Violence
Since the historic vote on health care reform Sunday night, an outbreak of hateful speech and threats of violence directed at Members of Congress who stood up for health care reform has spread across the country. Bricks thrown through office windows. Voicemail boxes filled with death threats. Someone even cut the gas line to the house of Rep. Tom Perriello's brother, who has four small children.
As people of faith, we feel compelled to say: enough is enough. People of faith are leading by example. We are joining together as a community to reject violence and pray for peace, and we're calling on political leaders of all parties to join us. Our leaders need to take a stand, and show that combating hate and violence is not a partisan issue. Sign the petition: Ask Congressional Tea Party leaders to stand with the faith community in condemning violence. (Photo via Think Progress) Find Out MoreHealth Care Reform Passes
At long last, health care reform is ready to be signed into law - a major victory for our country and for the common good. The struggle was long and hard. During the final days of the debate, Tea Party protesters hurled racist and anti-gay slurs at Members of Congress. But thanks to Faithful America members and the great work of our key allies in the faith community, this is one of the last images Members of Congress saw as they walked to the House chamber to vote: .JPG) (Photo: People of faith stand in peaceful counter-protest to the Tea Partiers outside the Capitol before the health care votes on Sunday, March 21)
From the 300,000 people we turned out to listen to the faith community's health care call with President Obama, to television ads in key states, to the tens of thousands of calls and emails sent to Senators and Representatives -- the faith community has been recognized on Capitol Hill and in the media for playing an indispensable role in moving health care reform forward. While the work on health care is not quite done, what we have already achieved is historic. Find Out MoreAll that's missing is you
In just ten days, people from all over the country will gather on the National Mall to call on our leaders to make our immigration system more secure, just and humane. Faithful America, along with other faith organizations, is participating because people of faith will not stand by as our broken immigration system rips families apart and divides our communities. We're going to amplify the witness of thousands of on the Mall with a banner listing the names of our members who support immigration reform. We'll show our leaders people of faith across America are standing up for families and create the moral urgency political leaders need to address this pressing issue. Sign the petition: show our leaders they have no choice but to act. Find Out MoreDon't Spin Our Faith
We just saw video of former Bush administration staffer Marc Thiessen on the Catholic cable network EWTN defending torture ...and EWTN refused to correct the pro-torture spin. Thiessen repeatedly tried to cover up the truth by calling waterboarding and other inhumane tactics "enhanced interrogation" instead of what they are -- torture. And EWTN even let him get away with claiming torture is consistent with religious values. To make sure something like this doesn't happen again, Faithful America is launching the "Don't Spin Our Faith" campaign to monitor religious media of all traditions and hold them accountable for pro-torture spin. Email EWTN: we need the truth about torture from religious media. Find Out MoreNo Time to Quit
There's no denying last week was a tough one for health care reform. In a matter of days the political landscape changed, and our leaders are wavering. What hasn't changed: the needless suffering of families in our congregations and communities going without health care. These families are witnesses to the moral consequences of political calculations. We can't turn our backs on them now. Despite the setbacks, we're still closer to reform than we've ever been before -- we just need our leaders to stand up and fight for it. We're not giving up, and we can't let our leaders give up either! Today is a massive national call-in organized by the faith community to tell Congress they need to stay strong and not scale back or delay reform any longer. We need YOU to call Congress and tell them not to back down! Call TODAY: 1-866-279-5474 Find Out MoreNot in our Name
UPDATE: Our concerns have been heard! Manufacturer Trijicon has agreed to take the Bible references off the weapons! Just Monday, ABC news broke a disturbing story: guns used by the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan have been inscribed by their manufacturer with Bible verses. That's right. The high-powered weapons feature clear references to Christian scriptures like "2COR1:6" and "JN8:12." Branding tools of war with Christian messages is a dangerous misuse of faith falsely implying that America is at war with Islam in the Middle East. We can't let this be the face of American faith: Tell the Pentagon to Stop Using "Christian" Weapons. Our Faithful America community is made up of people from diverse faith traditions, but we all share a common call to seek and build peace, in our communities and across nations. Branding weapons of war with a message of faith goes against this call, and degrades all of our faiths by seeming to pit them against each other in the midst of war. Tell the Pentagon: Keep our faiths off tools of war. Our thanks to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation for breaking this story. Though the MRFF recieves the support of Christian organizations like California Church IMPACT, it is now being attacked as "anti-Christian," for it's important work in protecting religious freedom. (Image via ABC News credit defenseimagery.mil) Find Out MoreHelp for Haiti
By now you've heard the news from Haiti: heartbreaking destruction. Tens of thousands are feared dead, and hundreds of thousands are homeless amid the rubble. This news makes my heart just drop, and I know I'm not alone. People of faith have always been among those responding first to disasters and humanitarian crises -- let's make sure that's still the case. When disaster strikes, the response in the first few days matters the most. That's why I'm asking you to support organizations that already have staff providing relief on the ground in Haiti. Here are a few outstanding organizations -- please support them in this hour of need: Oxfam has four offices in Haiti and more than 200 experienced aid workers on the ground. They're sending badly needed emergency supplies including clean water, temporary shelters, and sanitation equipment from a base in Panama. Support Oxfam's assistance to Haiti. Numerous faith-based organizations run excellent relief services. If you would like to support relief in Haiti through a group affiliated with your religious tradition, click here for a list of organizations -- including many that are faith-based -- raising money and providing on-the-ground services. Thank you for helping the people of Haiti in this time of great suffering. I know that, together, we can aid the afflicted and speak for justice. Find Out MoreDouble your impact!
The uninsured mother who can't afford to get sick. The families kept apart by a broken immigration system. The developing nations who've already begun to bear the brunt of climate change-related disasters. They are the ones who stand to lose the most if partisan pundits on talk radio and special interests claiming to speak for people of faith are allowed to derail the debates on health care, immigration, and climate change. That's why from now until December 31st, a generous donor has agreed to match all donations up to $20,000 to help Faithful America fight twice as hard for our most vulnerable neighbors in 2010. Help us take advantage of this amazing opportunity. Click "donate" below to have your gift automatically matched dollar-for-dollar. Find Out MoreWe're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat
We're down to the wire on climate change. If we don't do something about it soon, we could be facing global catastrophe on a level not seen since, well, the Great Flood. That's why we're joining our friends at Avaaz.org to build a giant Ark on the National Mall. During this critical time of the UN Copenhagen climate talks, we need to remind our leaders exactly what's at stake. Sign the petition: Our leaders need to reach a real climate deal before we need another Ark! (photo courtesy of Action Factory DC) Find Out MorePass Health Care Reform!
UPDATE: House passes the Affordable Health Care for America Act 220-215 From the middle class to those most in need, Americans are feeling the health care crunch. Our insurance premiums have doubled in the past 10 years. And our uninsured neighbors have it even worse as they struggle to get by without the care they need. This bill is not perfect. Some in the faith community have concerns, and negotiators are working hard to resolve them as we speak. But here's the bottom line: this bill will provide health care coverage for 36 million people who don't have it right now and give support to millions more who are struggling with ever-rising costs. This bill is the best package on the table for low-income families, incorporating the strong affordability provisions the faith community has been promoting. With your support, we've sent tens of thousands of calls and messages to Congress urging them to pass strong health care reform. We've made real progress, but we can't let up now. Tell your Rep to vote yes on HR 3962. Find Out MoreStop the Devastating Effects of Climate Change
While we debate how to reduce carbon emissions and protect our future, climate change is already costing lives. Millions around the world are facing increased flooding, new disease outbreaks and dying farms. Climate change disproportionately affects the people who have done the least to cause it and have the fewest resources to help cope. Developing countries are 20 times as likely to be effected by climate-related disasters. But there is hope: new legislation in the Senate would provide targeted funding to support innovative solutions that are already helping people adapt to a rapidly changing environment. Sign our petition and tell the Senate to stop climate change and it's devastating effects! Find Out More |
In a recent interview, Newt Gingrich claimed that no real religious leaders supported health care reform. Anyone who did is just "socialist" and views healthcare as "one more opportunity to redistribute [wealth]."
