United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights |  Article 18 Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance. SACRED TEXTS One word which sums up the basis of all good conduct . . . loving-kindness. Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself.  Confucianism | Confucius, Analects 15.23 “Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God’s Law and Prophets and this is what you get. Christianity | Matthew 7:12 Not one of you truly believes until you wish for others what you wish for yourself. Islam | The Prophet Muhammad, Hadith That which is hateful to you do not do to another; that is the entire Torah, and the rest is its interpretation. Judaism | Talmud, Shabbath 31a This is the sum of duty: do not do to others what would cause pain if done to you. Hinduism | Mahabharata 5:1517 DEVOTION Freedom to choose and practice the religion of your choice means having no fear of persecution simply because you celebrate your faith in a different way than someone else. This should be true even in countries that have an official religion. Our God is greater than our insecurities. I’ve so often felt that one focus of our faith walk should be the exploration of commonality among the various celebrations of the Eternal. As the various examples of sacred texts that I listed above show, as a follower of Christ, just as we are instructed in Matthew 7:12, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets,” this truth is a lesson shared in all major religions. So . . . I wish for your happiness and joy. I wish for your health and mental peace. I wish for your financial security. I wish for you the love of family and friends. I wish for your true freedom – of faith, of expression, of artistic license, to love whomever you will, and to vote. I wish for your gifts to shine. I wish for you the flexibility to follow your calling, your passion, your purpose. And, I wish, I pray, for God’s love to cover you and those you love. I thank God for you all, friends and yet to be friends. Peace be with you.

Our Right to Freedom of Thought, Conscience & Religion | A Devotion

United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights |  Article 18 Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance. SACRED TEXTS One word which...

From Sojourners Voice and Verse Verse of the day Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their toil. - Ecclesiastes 4:9 Voice of the day Often, we simply trust that our shared mission and shared intentions will inform our interactions. But that kind of group cohesion is often illusory, because it’s based on a collective idealization of one another, rather than an effort to truly understand one another, and cultivate expectations that we can all consent to. - Kelly Hayes, “To Transform Conflict in Movements, We Must Learn How to Stay in It Together” Prayer of the day Lord, may we make the efforts to truly understand those we labor and work with. May we not settle for idealized unity or shallow peace. Personal Note We must include the relationship work in our social justice work to secure the cohesion needed for the long fights.