Online Casino Mit Live Dealer

The Proclamation
The following proclamation, composed by leaders of many faiths, was signed at a
ceremony in the Cannon Caucus Room on Capitol Hill on November 7, 2007.
As people from diverse religious traditions, we are united in our belief that animals have
intrinsic value as part of God’s creation and are entitled to live lives free of cruelty and
exploitation. We therefore invite and encourage people of all faiths to speak with one
voice on behalf of those who cannot speak in an effort that will define our legacy as
stewards of God’s creation.
In a world of increasing violence toward others, ourselves, and our environment, we
believe it is essential to reclaim and recover a commitment of compassion for all of life.
We believe that a commitment to compassion begins with the most vulnerable among
us, which includes animals.
Therefore,
We proclaim:
that creation is a gift of love;
that creation is a gift to be celebrated, honored, and enjoyed;
that we have been especially entrusted by God to care for this creation;
that as an integral part of creation, farm, wild, and domesticated animals depend
upon us, both directly and indirectly, for their welfare;
that as heirs of their respective traditions, religious communities bear a special
responsibility for the welfare of these animals;
A Religious Proclamation
for Animal Compassion
and that as ambassadors of compassion, religious communities should extend compassion not only to the human family, but to animals and to all of creation.
As leaders of different religious and faith traditions, we recognize the unique opportunity
we have been given to effect profound and lasting change for the sake of animals. As
stewards of God’s creation, we accept and embrace our duty, responsibility, and moral
obligation to both protect the lives of animals and assure that those lives reflect the
respect and dignity they are to be afforded as part of God’s creation.
We therefore invite all people of faith, under the guidance of their various faith traditions, to
take up the mantle of compassion toward all of life and recognize that, as human beings,
we are only part of God’s creation and cannot presume to be all that matters in it.
Indeed, because animals are an inextricable part of our social and natural environments,
we therefore affirm that any lasting effort for change on any level will only be complete
insofar as it pays attention to and advocates for animals and their well-being.
Finally, we call upon religious leaders of all traditions to honor and encourage those in
their faith communities who make compassionate food and clothing choices and who
work for the benefit of animals.
This proclamation and its accompanying “Five Calls to Action” can be found on the Best
Friends website at www.bestfriends.org/religion.
“Animals & Religion” is an outreach of Best Friends Animal Society. We thank the faith
leaders for their commitment to this work of kindness.
Sponsored by
“You, the faith-based community, are crucial to
this effort, as you have been in all social justice
movements throughout our history.
“You can bring the message to your congregations and by doing so lead and transform the core
spiritual values of kindness, compassion and mercy
into effective legislation and, ultimately, respectful,
responsible stewardship of God’s creatures.”
Rep. Christopher Shays,
Congressional Friends of Animals Caucus.
“When we treat our fellow animals with cruelty and disrespect, we degrade our own lives.
“And when we treat all living beings with
kindness and respect, we enrich our lives.”
Michael Mountain,
President, Best Friends Animal Society.
In Good Faith
Religious leaders proclaim kindness to animals
On November 7, in the historic Cannon Caucus Room on Capitol Hill,
pastors, rabbis and faith leaders of all major denominations came
together to proclaim kindness to animals as a key spiritual value
– for our own time and for all time.
Earlier in the year, members of this multi-faith group had come to meet each other at
Best Friends Animal Sanctuary to launch an initiative that would help transform the way
people relate to the animals and nature – and each other.
They began with the simple assertion that kindness – to all living beings – is the simple
expression of the Golden Rule that underlies all religions, faiths and philosophies.
This led to a draft of a proclamation (printed on the back of this brochure) that could
be endorsed by people of faith everywhere.
The faith leaders who drafted the proclamation also issued
an accompanying document, Five Calls to Action, that can
be found on the Best Friends website at www.bestfriends.
org/religion.
We invite people of all faiths and backgrounds to sign the
proclamation and to bring it to your pastors and congregations to sign, too.
“Like the religious leaders who came before us, we must
be the impetus for creating a gigantic shift in our culture.
“Every age has a deep calling to bring about a new world
view. This is the evangelism of our time. It is time for us to
hear not just the cry of God’s people, but to hear the cry of
all of God’s creation.
“There is nothing more important we will ever do.
Rev. Steve Keplinger,
Rector, St. David’s Church, Page, Ariz.
Faith leaders of all major denominations gathered at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary to
draft the Religious Proclamation for Animal Compassion. While, as an animal charity,
Best Friends Animal Society holds no religious or political affiliation, we do believe
that the voices and participation of people of faith are a critically important key to the
acceptance of kindness to animals as a key social and spiritual value for our time.
5001 Angel Canyon Rd., Kanab, UT, 84741
(435) 644-2001
network.bestfriends.org/religion