http://cjoccupology.blogspot.com/2011/12/c-word-no-were-not-camping-or-are-we.html
This is not an official statement of the Interfaith Guild of Chaplains.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
"Camp" is not a four-letter word
By Sarah Morrigan
http://cjoccupology.blogspot.com/2011/12/c-word-no-were-not-camping-or-are-we.html
http://cjoccupology.blogspot.com/2011/12/c-word-no-were-not-camping-or-are-we.html
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Trinity Wall Street calls NYPD on OWS occupiers
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| Image via Wikipedia |
Occupy Wall Street protesters have been desperately searching for a new home in Lower Manhattan ever since they were violently evicted from Zuccotti Park. And Trinity Wall Street Episcopal Church has a vacant lot just a mile away that could be an ideal location.
As a group of occupiers put it in an open letter, "We have asked the Church time and time again to grant us political sanctuary on their unused lands. It is time for Trinity to decide whether it is a Church or a real estate company. "
The group began a hunger strike on the site over the weekend, and Trinity responded by calling the New York Police Department and having the protesters arrested.
Pertinent contact information for immediate actions:
The Rev. Dr. James Herbert Cooper, rector of Trinity Wall Street
jcooper@trinitywallstreet.org
212-602-0810
The Rev. Canon Anne Mallonee, vicar for mission and ministry
amallonee@trinitywallstreet.org
212-602-0803
The Rev. Matthew Heyd, director of Faith in Action
mheyd@trinitywallstreet.org
212-602-0711
The Rt. Rev. Mark S. Sisk, 15th Bishop Ordinary of New York
Diocese of New York
212-932-7363
bpsisk@dioceseny.org
The Rt. Rev. Catherine S. Roskam, Bishop Suffragan of New York
Diocese of New York
202-316-7408 (fax 212-932-7345)
bproskam@dioceseny.org
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop and Primate
The Episcopal Church
800-334-7626
pboffice@episcopalchurch.org
Friday, December 2, 2011
Occupy City Hall - a prayer vigil for human rights
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| Image via Wikipedia |
Safe sleep is the most basic of human rights. End homelessness or end the camping ban. A round-the-clock vigil will continue until the ban is lifted or until we re-occupy in defiance of the ban.
ALL faiths and ALL forms of prayer to ALL available Powers are welcome. There's plenty of space on the Prayer Warrior Schedule, sign-up for a shift. No sleeping, but we can kneel, sit, walk, and stand all blessed day and night. Chant Down Babylon! G-d (or whatever you believe in) help us!
Portland City Hall, 1221 SW Fourth Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97204
Contact: (503) 453-9937
This is not an official IGC action; however we encourage everyone to support in solidarity as their capacities allow. Thank you.
#OccupyPortland Spiritual Life Newsletter, Dec. 2, 2011
The #OccupyPortland Interfaith Guild of Chaplains
serving #Occupy movement and Occupier communities in the Greater Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area
serving #Occupy movement and Occupier communities in the Greater Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area
Twitter: @OccupyPDXigc #ChaplainsOccupyPDX | Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/opdxigc
IRC: #opdxigc on NewNet
Dec. 2, 2011
IRC: #opdxigc on NewNet
Dec. 2, 2011
Notes from Sarah: Mic check! December already. Streets, retail windows and shopping malls are all decked up for Christmas. In a hollow gesture whose main motive is marketing for what is supposed to be the biggest retailing season of the year, symbolism of Christmas (in turn, those of earlier winter holidays of Europe predating the arrival of Christianity there) is exploited and co-opted for the pursuit of Dollar Almighty. While many small business owners who are barely surviving in this economic climate are also counting on the period between Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve to make up for the year's loss, it is often the big box retailers that report retail figures that would ultimately affect Wall Street stock prices and indexes (and in turn, the value of the U.S. Dollars against foreign currencies).
Who had imagined, a year ago, the still-nascent popular movement in northern Africa would blossom into what is now a worldwide phenomenon? At the same time, we also live with the risk that the messages of #OWS may be exploited and co-opted for the pursuit of electoral partisan politics for 2012, by and for the very One Percenters who ultimately do not give a rodent's bottom about the concerns and grievances of the 99%.
Keeping true to the spirit of the message is always a challenge. Christianity, too, in its long history has lost its original message -- and even became implicit in bloody acts of genocide, war, plunders and other evils, as the Church became co-opted by the Roman Empire and subsequent political entities of Europe and later Americas. Lest one may falsely think Christianity is the only culprit, even Buddhism, Neo-Confucianism and Shinto have been used to promote militarism and imperialism in Japan during the first half of the 20th century,
This holiday season, we explore what our message is -- both as Occupiers and as people of various spiritual and faith traditions. Most, if not all, religions in the world have since time immemorial, emphasized that people have a moral obligation to care for the vulnerable and disadvantaged. The Occupy movement has done this remarkably, without resorting to oft-hypocritical, and unnecessarily paternalistic and disempowering, language of conventional religions. While doing so, the Occupations throughout the world also fulfilled an important prophetic role in reminding the people to care for one another. Yet, this aspect of the Occupy movement has been one of the most attacked and vilified by the politicians, government bureaucrats, and the mainstream media.
We need to stay true to our commitment for social, economic and cultural justice -- among several other messages. To ignore or downplay it is to allow the Occupy movement to be co-opted by the very system of oppression at its own peril.
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| Image via Wikipedia |
Keeping true to the spirit of the message is always a challenge. Christianity, too, in its long history has lost its original message -- and even became implicit in bloody acts of genocide, war, plunders and other evils, as the Church became co-opted by the Roman Empire and subsequent political entities of Europe and later Americas. Lest one may falsely think Christianity is the only culprit, even Buddhism, Neo-Confucianism and Shinto have been used to promote militarism and imperialism in Japan during the first half of the 20th century,
This holiday season, we explore what our message is -- both as Occupiers and as people of various spiritual and faith traditions. Most, if not all, religions in the world have since time immemorial, emphasized that people have a moral obligation to care for the vulnerable and disadvantaged. The Occupy movement has done this remarkably, without resorting to oft-hypocritical, and unnecessarily paternalistic and disempowering, language of conventional religions. While doing so, the Occupations throughout the world also fulfilled an important prophetic role in reminding the people to care for one another. Yet, this aspect of the Occupy movement has been one of the most attacked and vilified by the politicians, government bureaucrats, and the mainstream media.
We need to stay true to our commitment for social, economic and cultural justice -- among several other messages. To ignore or downplay it is to allow the Occupy movement to be co-opted by the very system of oppression at its own peril.
IGC news:
- We have officially adopted a statement of solidarity with all regional Occupy movement in the greater Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area. We are here to stand in solidarity with all manifestations of the Occupy movement in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties in Oregon, as well as Clark County, Washington.
- We have three new chaplains join our team this week and now we are 22-member strong, attesting to the continued strength of the Occupy movement. New members are: Aurora WindDancer, Alethea K. Devi, and Shannon Batts.
- The Order of the Serene Wisdom is drafting its monastic rule, which is largely derived from Benedictine tradition and from the Rule of St. Basil the Great (which promotes a more "horizontal" and communitarian/collectivist form of monasticism, than the Rule of St. Benedict, which has a more hierarchical, "vertical" outlook), but rewritten to reflect the unique needs of a truly interfaith community in the #Occupy era. To participate in this project, join the OSW Facebook group.
Upcoming events and announcements:
- Thursday, Dec. 22: Winter Solstice Interfaith Peace-In. Time/location TBA.
- We are requesting donations of blankets, sleeping bags, and coats for the Occupy Giving! event on Saturday, Dec. 10. Details will be posted as soon as available. If you are connected to a faith community, we encourage you to get the word out there.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Statement of solidarity and support with all regional #Occupy movements
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| Image by SoulRider.222 via Flickr |
Officially adopted by consensus of the Interfaith Guild of Chaplains in its weekly meeting, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011.
Explanatory Statement by Sarah Morrigan
This is not part of the official statement.
Background: During the past week, an independent Occupation called #OccupyGateway arose briefly in the Rocky Butte State Park near the Gateway District of Northeast Portland. The decentralized and spontaneous nature of the Occupy movement makes it possible for any group of people to start their own Occupation, without necessarily having to go through the General Assembly (GA) of an existing Occupation framework. This is not without precedence; the Occupation at the Terry Schrunk Plaza was technically speaking independent from #OccupyPortland, as the said action has never been officially approved by the General Assembly of #OccupyPortland (however, OP did formally state its solidarity with the Terry Schrunk group). Additionally, there is an active #OccupyVanWA on the other side of the Columbia River. The Interfaith Guild of Chaplains (IGC) was founded in the Camp Beta of the first Portland Occupation in October, 2011 -- and its initial emphasis was on serving the community of Occupiers at the downtown encampments. However, its members come from all parts of the Greater Portland-Vancouver Metropolitan Area and it makes a perfect sense to expand its outreach to any other current and future Occupations and Occupy-related actions.
Summary of the Statement of Solidarity -- What it means and what it does:
- We support and we will stand in solidarity with #OccupyPortland, #OccupyVanWA, and any other known manifestations of worldwide #Occupy movement in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties of Oregon and Clark County, Washington, and we do not limit our work to actions or encampments officially authorized by the Portland GA. (IGC is an independent organization, not a committee, caucus or work group of #OccupyPortland.)
- We are open to the idea of expanding our ministries and activities to other such Occupations in the said region, and/or offer assistance in organizing their own, independent, chaplains group there, with a recognition that such groups arising in other Occupations are free to decide on their own affairs autonomously and independently. If there is already an active chaplains group in #OccupyVanWA or any other future Occupations we will still work closely with them in the spirit of solidarity and mutual support.
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