Spirituality & Practice

On April 14, 2011, something unprecedented happened in the U.S. Congress. A budget deal to fund the government, negotiated by Republicans and Democrats and approved by the Obama Administration, included a non-budget related provision to strip federal protections for wolves in the Northern Rockies. The budget rider, attached to the must-past bill by Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) and Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID), requires the Secretary of the Interior to reinstate the same 2009 delisting of wolves that was declared unlawful by a federal district court, while insulating the provision from any legal challenge.

What does this mean for wolves? It leaves their "management" in the hands of politicians in the states, many of whom have already expressed their desire to see this species eliminated. Widespread hunts of the wolves are likely to happen, with as many as 1000 of them targeted, making the species genetically unsustainable. Less rabid wolf opponents say they simply want to protect livestock from wolves, although non-lethal means of wolf management are available.

Of equal concern is what this anti-wolf campaign means for the Endangered Species Act. If wolves can be delisted because some politicians don't like them, and not for reasons of science or due to decisions by the courts based on that science, then the same thing could happen to salmon, polar bears, grizzly bears, panthers, manatees, and other threatened species. Here is a statement from Defenders of Wildlife on this issue.

More Americans now die of suicide than in car accidents and from 1999 to 2010 the suicide rate among those ages 35 to 64 rose by nearly 30 percent. The most pronounced increases were seen among men in their 50s, a group in which suicide rated jumped by nearly 50%. According to an article in The New York Times, explanations for this increase are financial stress and the availability of drugs which can be deadly in large doses. Many of the suicides are members of the Baby Boom generation who have been disappointed with how their lives have turned out given all the high expectations for them. Many have additional stress because they are caring for aging parents and still providing support to adult children.

The Obama Administration has asked the U.S. Congress to pass a resolution authorizing military strikes against Syria. The administration claims that in the ongoing civil war in Syria, the government fired rockets loaded with chemical weapons into rebel strongholds on August 21, reportedly killing more than 1,400 people including some 400 children. The strikes are intended to be punishment for the use of chemical weapons and a warning that such actions will not be tolerated in the future. Many religious leaders are urging Obama not to use violence to punish violence and instead to put diplomatic and economic pressure on all sides in Syria in order to secure peace for the people.

There will be vigils and prayer meetings this weekend for peace in Syria. We offer these resources for individual and group use. Below is a prayer written by Brian McLaren, one of the Living Spiritual Teachers profiled at S&P. Here, too, are links to collections of quotations and prayers we put together at the start of the Iraq War. Alas, they are still needed.

O Guardian of the Earth, we recognize that we must deal seriously with the ramifications of climate change before it is too late for the oceans.

Report: In a report issued by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the deadly trio of global warming, declining oxygen levels, and acidification is seriously affecting how productive and effective the ocean is. This, in turn, is raising the risk of extinction for some marine species. (Reuters)

Help us to find ways to preserve and protect our sacred and life-affirming oceans and all the beings that live in these waters.

* Read an excerpt from 50 Ways to Save the Ocean by David Helvarg

O God of Diversity, we turn to you with the question: Is it time, as Ralph Nader and others have said many times, for a third political party in the United States to keep the two major parties honest and responsive to the people?

Survey: 60% of Americans say the Democrats and Republicans do such a poor job of representing the people's interests that the country needs a third political party. That's the highest percentage in the 10 years Gallup has asked that question. (Gallup)

O God of the People, guide us to find ways to fix the U.S. government in Washington so that it serves the people rather than special interests.

Lord of Life, we confess that we are in the habit of using our cars too much and this has had a bad effect on the environment and on our health.

Study: A University of Michigan study published in July of 2013 reports that by several measures, light-duty vehicle driving miles peaked in the United States in 2004, before the economic downturn. This is a major milestone in the history of the American automobile. (The New York Times)

O Patient One, thanks be to those car users who have tried to reduce road miles as part of an overall greenhouse gas reduction campaign. Their children's children will thank them years from now for doing such a good and noble thing.

O Liberator God, we are ashamed of the persistence of slavery in our world. Help us to cherish our freedom and fight for the freedom of others.

Fact: There are at least 27 million slaves in 161 countries around the world today, including the U.S.
(End It: Shine a Light on Slavery)

We pray for the unquiet souls of those who are enslaved around the world. Grant them the liberty that we so often take for granted.

O Compassionate One, help us to have the same love and concern for all children - especially the poor and the homeless - as we have for our own children and grandchildren.

Worldwide Ranking: Rank of the United States, out of 29 developed countries, in overall child well-being: 26 (United Nations Children's Fund, 2013)

May all children be free of suffering. May all children be well. May all children live with ease, assured of the necessities of life. May all children know peace and joy.

We rejoice in small triumphs that signal positive changes in human relationships.

Polls: Percentage of U.S. adults who considered homosexual relations morally acceptable in 2002: 38. Percentage who considered homosexual relations morally acceptable in 2012: 59 (Gallup, May 2012)

O Voice of Freedom, help us to expand our acceptance to other groups in our society, including members of minority religions and immigrants.

O Keeper of Justice in the universe, we are troubled about the inequality which is so rampant in the United States.

Statistic: The top 10 percent of earners last year collected more than half the nation's total income, including market income and capital gains. That's the highest proportion since the government began recording income data more than a century ago.
(The New York Times)

Help us to demand that those who represent us in Washington, D.C., find ways to bring relief to poor and middle-class people who are losing ground financially while depleting their precious spiritual resource of hope.