Super Committee Super Vigil

From my vantage point, the Occupy Movement seems largely secular. However, there are religious groups that do work in the same political sphere. Historically, religious forces in the U.S. have tugged at our national conscience to end slavery, reduce poverty, and fight for civil rights. More recently, the Faithful Budget Campaign formed an interfaith organization from Christian, Muslim and Jewish communities. They sent a letter to members of the Congressional Super Committee requesting that programs serving the impoverished, hungry, homeless, disabled and elderly be exempted from budget cuts.

Yesterday, just hours after Republican and Democratic aides confirmed to CNN that the Congressional Debt Super Committee will probably fail to reach agreement, a national prayer vigil was held in Lafayette Park near the White House. Similar vigils were scheduled around the country. One was held in Sarasota outside the Federal Building downtown.

Local faith leaders spoke, including Reverend Albert L. Phillips of New Bethel Baptist Church in Sarasota, Rick Stein, President of the Sarasota Congregation for Humanistic Judaism, Reverend Roger Fritts of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota, Lee Breyer, retired Catholic priest, and Reverend Brock Leach, Vice President at the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee. A common theme was that we are all called to protect the vulnerable and promote the dignity of all individuals -

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