The United Religions Initiative of the Mid-Hudson Valley strives to be an Interfaith voice for those who lack representation, are under privileged and subject to exploitation. Our work has always been focused on social, cultural, economic and environmental peace and justice. As part of the larger United Religions Initiative family, we abide by the principles of the URI preamble, which seek in the broadest sense to bring about spiritual cooperation on the many and diverse issues we face as a global community. In light of the recent upheavals in the United States as well as around the world, we the members of the Mid-Hudson Valley Cooperation Circle seek to highlight the two principles set forth in our preamble that call us to action regarding the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ movement. They are as follows:
We unite in responsible cooperative action to bring the wisdom and values of our religions, spiritual expressions and indigenous traditions to bear on the economic, environmental, political and social challenges facing our Earth community.
We unite to provide a global opportunity for participation by all people, especially by those whose voices are not often heard.
We, therefore extend our support to ‘Occupy Wall Street’ and the ‘Occupy Together’ movement by standing in solidarity with our sister and brother protestors in calling for a government that is responsive to the needs of its citizenry, the establishment of a society based on economic justice and freedom of expression including public assembly. We aim to bring our spiritual ideals into action by nurturing the emerging voices of this movement and providing fellowship as needed through our diverse religious expressions. We wish to express our ultimate hope for a global family comprised of 100% of an economically equitable and cooperative people.
Reverend Betsy Stang
