Faith Group Delivers 2,000 Reflection Guides to OH Voters Tackling Moral Issues at Stake in 2016 Election
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 11, 2016
CONTACT
Michelle Nealy, mnealy@faithinpubliclife.org, 202-735-7123
Amanda Hoyt, ahoyt@faithinpubliclife.org, 614-483-3168
Faith Group Delivers 2,000 Reflection Guides to OH Voters Tackling Moral Issues at Stake in 2016 Election
COLUMBUS, Ohio — As presidential candidates ramp up outreach to religious voters in battleground states, prominent faith leaders are equipping their congregations with a non-partisan voter reflection guide. More than 250 Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders support the guide. It will be distributed Columbus-area congregations as part of efforts to educate and register voters. For a full list of participating churches, click here.
The guide highlights the need to address growing economic inequality, climate change, a broken immigration system, mass incarceration, gun violence and confronting terrorism “without abandoning our values” as believers.
Prominent leaders who endorse the guide include Rev. Jim Wallis, President & CEO of Sojourners; Jim Winkler, President and General Secretary, National Council of Churches; Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director, Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism; Sister Simone Campbell, Executive Director of NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, Rev. Gabriel Salguero, President, National Latino Evangelical Coalition; and Rev. Sally Bingham, President and Founder, Interfaith Power & Light.
“A presidential election should be a time for moral courage and clarity,” said Rev. Tim Ahrens, Senior Minister at the First Congregational Church in Columbus, OH. “Sadly, the toxic rhetoric directed at Muslims and immigrants divides Americans when we should unite to build a moral economy that serves the common good. This guide is a refreshing antidote to the ugliness of our current politics and will be an indispensable resource for my congregation.”
The guide calls for public policies that support a “pro-family economy,” which include living wages for workers and paid parental leave. It underscores the diverse religious support for comprehensive immigration reform, challenges candidates to address gun violence, and asks voters to reflect on how mass incarceration disproportionately impacts African Americans. Climate change is “a threat to Creation and our children’s future,” the guide reads, noting that over 18,000 faith communities are working with Interfaith Power & Light to green their facilities, teach and preach about global warming, and mobilize for policy change.
The full guide can be found here.
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