The Rev. Carol McKinley is a Unitarian Universalist community minister who serves as coordinator of Washington State UU Voices for Justice, a statewide legislative advocacy organization. She writes:
I believe political and economic issues are, first and foremost, moral and spiritual issues. I believe that the true test of the moral integrity of our society is how justly it deals with the most vulnerable and least powerful among us. I believe that care of the environment, an end to poverty and homelessness, and health care access are religious issues. Although not all faith communities agree on answers to these difficult questions, we come together on many issues. I am privileged to work on these concerns with many interfaith colleagues, including those from Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Jewish, Methodist, and Quaker traditions.
Faith and action are not separate rooms with closed doors between them; they are inextricably interrelated. For many of us, they call us to live out the religious imperative articulated centuries ago by the Hebrew prophet Amos, who called for a land in which justice rolls down like water, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
In the face of devastating budget cuts to social service and environmental protection programs, it is essential that we bring our faith perspectives to the making of public policy, urging both lawmakers and citizens to look beyond benefits to a particular interest group and work for legislation that serves the common good. READ MORE
