People of Faith and Goodwill Urged To Leave
a Light On . . .
For Dignity, For Peace, For Reconciliation
In response to the troubling
recent events, The Interfaith Alliance, the nation’s largest interfaith organization,
launched Lights for Dignity a faith-based, grassroots campaign.
Article was added to FaithandValues.com
in May 2004.
Over the past couple of months, many friends and supporters of The Interfaith
Alliance have written to us to express concern over the violence in Iraq. In
recent weeks, the disturbing images coming out of Iraq have grown overwhelming
and impossible to just label as the consequences of war. Indeed, they are
images that shook this nation to its core.
In response to the troubling recent events, The Interfaith
Alliance, the nation’s largest interfaith organization, launched Lights for Human Dignity, a
faith-based, grassroots campaign to demonstrate to the nation and to the world
that people of faith and goodwill are watching the catastrophic events overseas
with an eye toward an immediate and peaceful resolution.
We at The Interfaith Alliance urge you to participate in
this campaign through a simple act of conscience by leaving a visible light
turned on the night of May 30th. Just as important, tell a friend! Supporters
and friends of The Interfaith Alliance are urged to become Light Bearers by
personally appealing to TEN friends to participate in the campaign! Pass this
action alert on to as many people as possible in your various networks. Only
through this direct person-to-person contact will the Lights for Dignity
campaign be successful.
Make a Difference!
- Organize a neighborhood or community meeting to talk about the Lights for Dignity campaign.
- Forward
this alert on to any list serve that you are a part of along with a
personal message and appeal made directly by you.
Working together, one by one, we will light up street
corners, houses of worship, community centers and landmarks on May 30, sending
a visible symbol to community leaders that we care and that we are watching
with concern.
We welcome community or personal stories of your
activities. The Lights for Dignity Message of Peace is below. Thank you for
participating!
_______________________________________________
Lights for Human Dignity
Recent images from Iraq have disclosed actions that are horrific and
dehumanizing. These actions violate core civic and religious values that are
embraced by people of every heritage, including our commitment to basic human
dignity and the spirit of creation. We encourage people of faith and good will
to reflect prayerfully on how we can demonstrate compassion to all victims of
violence and foster reconciliation within our human community. We also invite
participation in a public acknowledgement of our anguish and our need for
self-examination.
On the Sunday night before Memorial Day (May 30th), as we
prepare to remember the sacrifices made by those who have fought our nation's
wars, please turn on the lights or light candles in your houses of worship and
in your homes. Leave them on through the night, until the dawn comes on
Memorial Day. By this simple action, we can demonstrate to the world that we
share common values as people of faith and as patriots. We will also bear
witness to our commitment to peace and good will in Iraq, in the United States,
and around the world.
Visit the Lights for Dignity website at www.lightsfordignity.org/