Dear interfaith friends,
Last night in Newark my wife, Alice, and I attended an organizing meeting of Occupy Delaware. Occupy Delaware is a sub-organization of Occupy Wall Street, a movement that started in New York City and is spreading to cities across the country.
Alice and I, because of our Christian faith, are committed to working with others to reform politics in our country. We want to see a more just sharing of wealth. We want a just tax system, and just and efficient health care for all. We want to break the dependency of politicians on big money. These are just some of the goals which we, as retired people, share with the mostly young participants in the Occupy Wall Street movement.
Alice and I are encouraged by the spirit and determination of the people we met, and the people we have learned about through newspaper articles and Web news. OWS is a social-change movement influenced by the non-violent spiritualities and tactics of Ghandi and King. As we observed the process of decision making in last night’s meeting we were encouraged by organizers’ determination and schooled discipline to preserve respect, openness, and fairness. Today’s young people face so many problems, much larger than those Alice and I faced in the 60s. We are encouraged, however, by their determination to persevere with non-violent tactics, and civility toward adversaries. We believe that OWS is a movement that deserves the support of people steeped in the way of the Hebrew prophets and numerous way-showers dear to people of faith.
Occupy Delaware will begin occupying Fletcher Brown Park at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 5th. Alice and I invite you to come there and join us.
— Rev. Thomas C. Davis
Thank you for the info.
Due to issues still dealing with from Irene, we’ll be busy at home.
Will this be on-going?
Will there be weekdays I could come?
For various reasons I would not be spending nights in a park at this point.
Would it be alright if I brought a sign with scripture verses on it? At least one would be OT.
Hi, Tim
Alice and I are not “camping out” either. Old bones creak enough in the morning! Yes, you can help on weekdays. I’ll post upcoming events at this InterfaithReflections blog, on the events page. I’ll be doing some videos of people who are participating in the movement from a faith perspective. So yes, you’re welcome to put scriptures on signs, I would say, so long as they are respectful of other faith traditions/perspectives.