While the National Prayer Breakfast received significant attention today, members of Occupy Faith DC offered their own “People’s Prayer Breakfast.” Characterizing the national breakfast as an elite, exclusive event, the organizers framed their version as an egalitarian alternative to pray for the concerns of the 99 percent. The overarching theme of the breakfast was “Enough for Everyone,” emphasizing the Occupy Movement’s emphasis on resource shortages and wealth disparity created by the abuse of economic power.
The event featured clergy from all denominations, including this Buddhist nun who offered a prayer:
In December, we blogged about Clergy for Tolerance, the new group of interfaith leaders in Tennessee pushing back on anti-immigrant rhetoric and legislation in their state.
The clergy coalition has seen major growth lately. According to Kathy Chambers, co-organizer of CFT, at the most recent meeting “almost half the attendees were new to Clergy for Tolerance, which shows this issue is gaining traction within the Middle Tennessee faith communities.”
She also explained that the 180th Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee had adopted a resolution vowing to stand with immigrants and advocate for their protection. Most of the authors of the resolution attended the event.
Also at the meeting, members screened a new documentary produced by EthicsDaily.com on faith and immigration called “Gospel Without Borders.” The documentary highlights stories from five states dealing with the issue of immigration and its intersection with faith.
Following the film, a panel including Lutheran bishop Julian Gordy discussed the challenge facing the religious community in Southeastern states:
Tennessee has not passed any restrictive immigration legislation yet, Gordy said, but such has been proposed, and it will be proposed again this year. Alabama and Georgia (states in the ELCA’s Southeastern Synod) have passed laws that Gordy called “very mean-spirited.”
“In those states, almost all religious communities have come together, at least officially, to oppose what the state has done,” said Gordy. “Now granted, most of the people who proposed and passed those laws were also members of the congregations of those churches that came together to oppose it.”
