6.08.2004

Not the Usual Faces of the Faithful

While unfortunately, a faithful American has now come to mean Jerry Falwell and others who espouse hatred and limits in the name of God, Ben Cohen and True Majority are looking for assistance in putting together another type of faithful American, one which may better represent the majority of Americans who believe. Here's the letter from Ben:

Every great social justice movement in American history - abolition, labor rights, civil rights - has had progressive people of faith right up front. That’s why we’ve been working with the faith community to help launch a new online group called Faithful America. Their first major project is a great way for the people of America to speak directly to the people of the Middle East. I’ve endorsed the ad discussed below and hope you will too. Please share this with your friends.
    Dear Faithful American,

    The torture scandal continues to grow, and with it the outrage of the Arab world. As our leaders continue to blame a few rogue soldiers, a cycle of mutual suspicion and dehumanization between the Arab world and the United States deepens.

    We need to send a message directly from the people of the United States , to the people of Iraq and the Arab world, telling them that, as Americans, we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them in demanding justice for these sinful abuses committed in our name.

    To do this, we’ve filmed a television ad with Christian, Jewish and Muslim faith leaders to be broadcast on Arabic-language television in the Middle East. You can view the ad using the link below. If you feel the message expresses what is in your heart, let the world know by endorsing the ad. You can even donate to help put it on the air.

    www.faithfulamerica.org/AdClip.htm

    As the number of endorsers grows, we will add that figure to the end of the ad. The more people who endorse the message, the more effective it will be. Please send this e-mail to anyone you think might want to get involved.

    Blessings,
    The FaithfulAmerica.org Team

    P.S. Thanks to Medea Benjamin and Michael Schellenberger for bringing us this powerful idea.