| Religious Witness for
the Earth (RWE) is an inter-religious grassroots
network of clergy and laity whose members are committed
to nonviolent public witness in defense of the
Earth. Open to people of any spiritual persuasion
or religious tradition, RWE carries out its role
as “witness” through outdoor worship,
civil disobedience, and political action. RWE’s
efforts on behalf of the Earth include circulating
petitions, testifying at state and federal hearings,
meeting with members of Congress, and organizing
nonviolent protests, conferences, and prayer services.
Based in New England, RWE is currently working
to expand its reach, forging alliances with other
religious and secular environmental groups and
encouraging the formation of local, state, and
regional chapters nationwide. |
| Inter-religious: Christianity |
| United States of America |
| 2001–Present |
| Feeling “called” to
embolden religious people to speak and act more
strongly in defense the earth, Reverend Fred Small,
pastor of First Unitarian Church in Littleton,
Massachusetts, contacted Reverend Andrea Ayvazian,
Dean of Religious Life at Mt. Holyoke College,
in January
of 2001 to discuss what might be done. Sharing
a desire to mobilize the religious community around
pressing environmental issues within a framework
of non-violent public witness and civil disobedience,
Small and Ayvazian met in February and established
RWE. In March, they connected
with long-standing environmental advocate Rabbi
Fred Scherlinder Dobb, of the Shalom Reconstructionist
Congregation of Bethesda, Maryland. Together these
three individuals became the co-chairs of RWE.
Since its founding, RWE has
taken
an
impressive number of actions, particularly around
the issues of climate change and oil-drilling in
the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In May of
2001, it held a prayer service and demonstration
outside the United States Department of Energy
in Washington D.C., where twenty-two individuals
(including clergy) were
arrested for engaging in civil disobedience. Through
RWE, religious leaders have spoken with members
of Congress and testified at hearings on wilderness
protection and energy conservation. The organization
co-sponsored Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) protests
in Northampton, Massachusetts and Lynn, Massachusetts
and held a conference in Northampton, Massachusetts
called “Celebration,
Prayer, and Planning” with a keynote presentation
by Bill McKibbon. RWE has also issued an "Interfaith
Call in support of the Climate Action Plan of New
England" and has planned interfaith prayer
and witness services at each state capital in New
England.
In November 2003, RWE haeld an inter-religious service of "repentance and renewal"
at the United Nations (UN) to express regret for
the failure of the United States RWE is currently
planning an inter-religious service of "atonement" to
be held at the United Nations (UN) to express regret
for the
failure
of the United States (US) political leadership
to join with other nations
in addressing pressing environmental problems such
as climate change. The event drew close to 300
people and clery from various religious traditions. |
| “Religious Witness
for the Earth (RWE) is a national interfaith network
dedicated to public witness in defense of Creation.
Seeing climate change and environmental devastation
as issues of justice, RWE invokes the loving spirit,
selfless courage, and moral authority of the civil
rights movement. Through prayer, education, and
nonviolent action, we join hands to protect the
Earth, our beloved home.” |
Clean Water Action
Massachusetts Climate Action Network
Massachusetts
Climate Action Project
Massachusetts Interfaith
Environmental Network
Massachusetts Interfaith
Power and Light
United States Climate Action Network |
| None Listed |
| None Listed |
| None Listed |
Religious Witness for
the Earth
P.O. Box 642
Littleton, MA 01460-2642
Email: religiouswitness@att.net |
