Dignity Wordscape
Art Courtesy of Michael Zimmerman
Communities are stronger, and the individuals within those communities are healthier, both physically and spiritually, when people are not needlessly pitted against one another. Clergy Letter Project members represent religious leaders from many faith traditions. Although we do not always agree with each other, our traditions all adhere to the Golden Rule. We listen to each other and we treat each other with respect.
Values central to the mission of The Clergy Letter Project are respect for truth, for science, for diverse faith traditions, and for the dignity of all persons.
The thousands of religious leaders, from a broad array of religious traditions, who comprise The Clergy Letter Project urge individuals in our country, especially those who hold political power, to think carefully about how their actions may be divisive and harmful.
The Value of Human Dignity: The Clergy Letter Project has regularly spoken out forcefully, from both religious and scientific perspectives, about how all human beings are worthy of respect and fair treatment, how we are all part of one species, and how attempts to divide us are counterproductive and immoral. Respect for human dignity means that all individuals, regardless of their place of birth, their sexuality, their gender identity, their race, their class, or their ethnicity should be valued. The diversity arising from these differences enriches our communities, makes us stronger, and should be celebrated rather than denigrated.
The Value of Truth: Both religion and science recognize and promote the pursuit of truth as a foundational value for all their endeavors. While politics is often not the best place to find truth, lack of respect for truth and the constant use of deception to advance a political agenda must be recognized and rejected. While we might differ on policy, we should be able to have civil and meaningful conversations about those differences. To do so, however, we must agree that basic facts are distinct from opinions.
The Value of Science: The Clergy Letter Project recognizes that the knowledge provided by scientists has transformed society and will continue to do so if we respect the scientific process. Vaccines, for example, including those designed to combat Covid-19, have saved millions of lives and have reduced untold amounts of suffering worldwide. Attacking the scientists performing this critical work is both counterproductive and dangerous. Similarly, the scientists studying climate change and providing us with both warnings about what the future might bring and suggestions for actions to avert the worst of those possible futures, should be honored and respected rather than abused and disparaged. Scientific education should neither be censored nor replaced by or paired with religious dogma; both must retain their individual and distinct identities.
The Value of Religion: Members of The Clergy Letter Project value the individual and collective wisdom of our religious traditions. We affirm the meaning those traditions bring to the lives of so many individuals, the good they can deliver to communities, the spiritual enrichment they may yield, and the awe they inspire. Respect for different religious traditions is a core tenet of members of The Clergy Letter Project. When religious leaders are attacked, demeaned, and disrespected for promoting mercy, forgiveness, respect, and tolerance by political leaders, the damage inflicted goes well beyond what is experienced by one individual. The meaning of religion itself is belittled, and our broader social fabric is unraveled.
Members of The Clergy Letter Project urge the American people in general and our political leaders in particular to consider how any actions that censor good science, render some individuals invisible, and spread messages of hate in place of love, work to destroy our communities, harm the most vulnerable among us, forsake our most precious shared values, and force a significant portion of the population to live in fear. Members urge everyone to think carefully about their actions as well as their words, and to be guided by both civility and humility. We believe that if we were to make full use of the combined power of religion and science, we could create a fairer, greener, healthier, more humane, and more truthful world. Members believe that, as a nation, we can and should be on a better path to advance these goals. Our faiths demand that we try to move in that direction.
More information about The Clergy Letter Project, including a list of the thousands of clergy who have signed our Clergy Letters, can be found at www.theclergyletterproject.org
Founder and executive director of The Clergy Letter Project, Ph.D. in ecology, promoter of the liberal arts, long-time academic administrator