TODAY: Progressive Faith Gets Moving
This evening, the curtain will go up on the first ever Progressive Faith BlogCon. The concept started six months ago when Rachel Barenblat of Velveteen Rabbi and myself both looked at the GodBlogCon and found it to be far too oriented on Conservative Christians to be representative of our faiths. Rather than sit and fume and feel left out, I asked who among the many liberal of people of faith would step out to organize and energize a movement among us. I found the answer first in my own mirror, then in an enthusiastic reply to my first email to Rachel.
Naively, we began reaching out to other bloggers who write about their faith and the way it addresses the world. Muslim and Jewish, Christian and Buddhist, and even a Pagan or two found themselves aligning with our simple goal: To make the public voice of faith in America more representative of America. We are not all marching in lockstep with the Christian Right and we refuse to be shouted down or to have our faith questioned for that reason.
We are part of the “moral values” crowd. Our moral values lead us to oppose unjust war, the misuse of power, the victimization of children, women and minorities through systematic disenfranchisement and misrepresentation of their interests. We raise our voices against the dangers of unparalleled greed and avarice, the craven lust to control world resources, the refusal to acknowledge mankind’s negative impact on our beautiful world, and the cynical use of our faith for political gain.
Faith is personal, but never private. At its best, it urges people to engage the world around them and make it better for them having been a part of it. At its worst, it divides, closes people’s minds, and insulates itself from the world. The American public is exposed on a daily basis to too much of the latter and not enough of the former.
Our goal is not to proselytize. We will argue that our faith should have a voice in public life, but it is not a voice that shouts down any who speak in a different tongue. Our goal is not ecumenicism. We will not pare down our beliefs and confine our faith to any lowest common denominator. Our goal is the simple fulfillment of American pluralism. We will raise our voice and let it be joined in the marketplace of ideas.
