Ohio Faith Leaders Deliver Petition Demanding Ohio Lawmakers Protect Democracy
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 2, 2021
MEDIA CONTACT
Austin Schuler, aschuler@faithinpubliclife.org, (540) 280-3393
Ohio Faith Leaders Deliver Petition Demanding Ohio Lawmakers Protect Democracy
Rev. Dr. Jack Sullivan, Jr., “As a Christian, I have two questions for lawmakers who also identify as Christians. Who would Jesus silence? No one. Who would Jesus block? No one. Neither should you.”
Lima, OH – On September 2nd, Ohio faith leaders delivered a petition, signed by 300 leaders, addressed to Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman and Speaker of the House Bob Cupp and signed by nearly 300 Ohio faith leaders and over a dozen faith organizations, in an effort to protect democracy from GOP-sponsored bills HB294, HB22, SB16, and others. Since Sen. Huffman and Rep. Cupp do not have in-district offices, Ohio pastors delivered the petition to their hometown newspaper, the Lima News and their hometown TV station, WLIO.
The petition reads, “Religious and civil liberties are in grave danger in the state of Ohio. As people of conscience and people of faith, we cannot stay silent in the face of the worst existential threat to First Amendment freedoms in our state’s history. Our legislature has introduced bills designed to discourage public witness, protest, and dissent. Laws that would criminalize churches and nonprofits that engage in public witness have been proposed alongside restrictions that will make it harder to vote.”
For the full petition and full list of signers, click here.
For video of the event, click here.
Rev. Dr. Jack Sullivan, Jr., Ohio Council of Churches (Columbus)
“As a Christian, I have two questions for lawmakers who also identify as Christians. Who would Jesus silence? No one. Who would Jesus block? No one. Neither should you. In the name of fairness and morality, I join fair minded Ohioans and people of faith across the state in calling for the protection of democracy.”
Rev. Joan Van Becelaere, Unitarian Universalist Justice Ohio (Worthington)
“Whatever our color, our background, or our zipcode…Americans across the country value our freedoms. We want the freedom to vote in a transparent process we trust so we can elect leaders who will deliver for us…We demand that our elected Ohio leaders protect our democracy and our freedoms and build a better future for all of us, no exceptions.”
Rev. Dan Clark, Faith in Public Life (Columbus)
“There’s no two-ways about it, two Lima residents, Senate President Matt Huffman and Speaker of the House Bob Cupp are overseeing efforts to pass modern-day Jim Crow laws targeted at disenfranchising Black voters and we say no more. As people of faith, we must work together across race, place, gender and class to make sure everyone can exercise their freedom to vote.”
Pastor Brandi Slaughter, Ohio Council of Churches (Columbus)
“These attacks on democracy are being promoted by rich and powerful groups that are determined to win at all costs. Why is that? To maintain the status quo, a status quo that has long neglected so many of us, a status quo which has had the knee in our proverbial neck. One that seeks to maintain systems and institutions of oppression. I’m here today on behalf of the 17 denominations that the Council represents to say no more!”
Pastor Ronald Fails, Grace Church Worldwide Ministries (Lima)
“As faith leaders, we cannot stand down and we cannot stand back. We must engage. It is a requirement that we believe in.”
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Faith in Public Life is a national movement of clergy and faith leaders united in the prophetic pursuit of justice, equality and the common good. Together, with a network of over 50,000 leaders, they are leading the fight to advance just policies at the state and federal level that affirm our values and the human dignity of all.