June 8-10
Torture Is A Moral Issue: Dr. George Hunsinger, Founder of the National Religious Coalition Against TortureWhat kind of people have we become? This question, asked by Dr. George Hunsinger, Presbyterian minister and professor at Princeton Theological Seminary, led him to found the National Religious Coalition Against Torture. The National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) is committed to ending US-sponsored torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. Since its formation in January 2006, over 130 religious groups have joined NRCAT, including representatives from the Roman Catholic, evangelical Christian, mainline Protestant, Unitarian, Quaker, Orthodox Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Sikh communities. Members include national denominations and faith groups, regional organizations and congregations.
PCU is proud to co-sponsor a series of visits by Dr. George Hunsinger throughout the Los Angeles area, with All Saints Church, First Congregational Church, Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace, the Islamic Shura Council, and the American Friends Service Committee. People of all faiths are invited. Please join us at one of these events and learn more about torture - and how people of faith can end it.
June 8: Pasadena
All Saints Church
132 N. Euclid Avenue, Pasadena
10:15 AM: Rector’s Forum
12:30-2:00 Lunch and discussion (space is limited; please RSVP to Norma Sigmund 626.583.2734 or )
June 9: Claremont
Claremont Presbyterian Church
1111 N. Mountain Ave., Claremont, CA 91711
10 a.m. to noon
For further information and reservations, contact Dr. Charles Bayer, or 909-626-4694.
June 9: Long Beach
First Congregational Church
Corner of 3rd and Cedar, Long Beach
7 PM
June 10: Los Angeles
American Friends Service Committee, 634 S. Spring St., 3rd Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90014
6:30 PM
Potluck and discussion
Please RSVP to .
There are so many simple, basic human connections that all people experience, that we all have in common as living, breathing peoples and cultures:
Laughing over a funny joke or a goofy impersonation. Laughing from our heart and from our stomach.
Walking somewhere with someone else.
Playing games, whether soccer, tag, Uno, Clue, kickball…
Talking comfortably with someone else. Talking from the heart. Sharing.
Cooking and eating together. Bonding over our hunger, our culture, our likes, our dislikes, and how just plain good it is!
Singing! Either singing or listening to others sing. Playing guitar. Playing piano. Bringing out emotions that we sometimes forget are in us.
Dancing…moving our bodies to remind us that we are people, filled with warmth and energy, able and active.
Telling stories. We all have stories. We have all been through different struggles and different experience, but what is similar is that we have all had experiences and we can find the best in each other through those experiences.
Being in community. We find comfort in the energy of other people surrounding us. Whether it is our family or our close friends, our team or our travel buddies, we need one another, and that is something we celebrate.
And so it is with these commonalities, through our common humanity, by our understanding that we are all people, out of our knowledge that we all need these basic human gifts…that we must work for a better good for all. We cannot be satisfied with our own contentment and forget about others. We must not forget our common bond of humanity. We are in this world together and it is when we lose sight of our togetherness that we lose sight of why we are here, living, being. We lose sight of the real goodness that is human life. When we are satisfied we must ask ourselves if we’ve done all that we can, ALL that we can.
I was just in Sacramento this past week speaking with legislators about the proposed budget cuts for California and it was my challenge to remind them of their common humanity with low-income, working families. These budget cuts would be devastating to low-income families. We must speak up. These cuts would take from healthcare, welfare, childcare, aid to seniors and disabled, in-home supportive services, and education. These cuts would come at the expense of the most vulnerable in our society.
My friend Rochelle, an intern with Faith/Activism Collective, who was with me in Sacramento, told me a story about a simulation that a professor had her class do at AzusaPacificUniversity. She said that he had the most privileged in society sit in the front of the classroom, the next privileged behind them, the next behind them, and so on and so forth until the least privileged in society were in the very very back of the room. He pointed out to the class that those sitting in the back of the room could see everyone else in society from the least privileged to the most privileged. They have no choice; their whole lives they see everything that everyone else has (food, clothing, shelter, respect) that they don’t and may never will. But, those sitting in the front of the room don’t have to see any part of society except themselves. In order for the privileged to understand the experience of the less privileged they must choose to turn around; they must choose to care.
We must choose to care. Be strong, bold and courageous. We are in this together.
Erin Weller
Orange CountyChapter Coordinator
Progressive Christians Uniting
“Seek to understand the experience of others for only then might you respond.”
