As of this morning, more than 1,009 Americans have been arrested to bring national attention to the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. This is what church looks like. Liturgy means "the work of the people" in service of the common good.
If President Obama permits the Keystone pipeline, thousands more will sit on his doorstep and in front of bulldozers. This movement doesn't have money to match the influence of oil companies, lobbyists, or politicians with conflicts of interest, but we do have our bodies and we are putting them on the line.
Here are what people of faith -- Jews, Christians, Buddhists, Quakers, Unitarians, and more -- are saying about why they have been or will be arrested to stop the Keystone XL pipeline:
"I'm celebrating my 60th birthday today. As a member of my church's Earth Ministry team, I'm called to protect our earth as an abundant home for all God's children. Being present at the White House was what I wanted to do to celebrate my birthday."-- Betsy Krogh, United Church of Christ
"Construction of the Keystone XL pipeline would significantly increase the production of oil from tar sands. This threatens to irrevocably damage the web of life upon which all life depends."- -Rev. Craig C. Roshaven, Witness Ministries Director, Unitarian Universalist Association
"The act of standing with a few sisters and brothers on behalf of all of us sends out shockwaves. It sets us free from the despair we all feel in a world rapidly deteriorating due to climate change. It reminds us that we're not alone -- that, in fact, we're growing. It builds a movement which will not only stop pipelines but save the planet. It's simple, and it's only just a start. But it's something." -- Tim Kumfer, Tell the Word ministry
"We must turn up the heat in a sustained effort against the scourge of climate change, which harms not just our land and water but people here and now, our human future and all earthly Creation." -- Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb of Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation
"Up to now, Congress and the president have failed to act against climate change, and things have reached a critical juncture. The tar sands pipeline, which promises to vastly increase carbon emissions, will bring us to a point of no return in terms of controlling climate change. Therefore, the time has come for us citizens to take matters into our own hands by engaging in acts of civil disobedience. I feel I must play my part in this effort. If I don't, then I will be a hypocrite." -- W. Malcolm Byrnes, Howard University College of Medicine
"Jewish tradition tells us to pursue justice and gives us the laws of 'bal taschit' to not destroy or waste resources unnecessarily. I am risking arrest because we have a moral obligation to act when justice of the well-being of creation are threatened." -- Laura Bellows, Tikkun Leil Shabbat
"My faith tradition as a Unitarian Universalist teaches me that we are all connected -- that what affects one affects all. I believe climate change is the most profound moral challenge of our generation." -- Pamela Sparr
"The Buddhist imperative is to protect all life
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