Sign On to the National Covenant
As people of faith, we are privileged to care for God’s creation with its many unique creatures. And we are called to speak for species in danger of extinction.
Unfortunately, there are attempts in Congress to weaken our landmark law to protect wildlife, the Endangered Species Act. This is an especially important time to make our voices heard.
Please sign the following, which is being circulated to people in the religious community all over the country. We will join together, all signing this covenant.
Instructions for how to sign: Fill out the form below the covenant – with your name; religious community affiliation; city, state, and zip code; and contact information.* OR email or call Suellen Lowry, Noah Alliance program director, at suellenquaker@suddenlink.net, 707-826-1948. Please give Suellen this same information. Also, if there are ways you can circulate this covenant to others, please do so! Thank you!
RENEWING THE COVENANT
God's Creation, Endangered Species, and Human Responsibility
People of faith are called to care for God’s creation with its many creatures. Our Scripture instructs us to be good stewards of God’s earth. Our traditions and teachings tell us to protect the web of life. Our worship declares that the earth is filled with the glory of God (Psalm 72:19).
Our Scripture and traditions also remind us of God’s compassion, whose “tender mercies are over all his works” (Psalm 145:9), and our God-given capacity to show similar compassion. One of the first commandments in the Bible is to look after God’s world (Genesis 2:15), and as the Proverbs tell us, “[t]hose who do what is right take good care of their animals” (Proverbs 12:10).
Driving species to extinction is not faithful, compassionate, or wise stewardship. In recognition of this, over thirty years ago we enacted the Endangered Species Act -- hailed by many as the most significant wildlife protection law ever passed. The Endangered Species Act has worked to prevent extinctions, stabilize declining species, and bring some species back to the point of recovery.i
We benefit from this directly, because the protection of species and their habitat is also vital to people’s well-being. Wild plants and animals are sources of medicines; important to agriculture as food sources, pollinators, and nutrient recyclers; helpful parts of ecosystems on which humans depend for clean air, water, and healthy soil; producers of oxygen; central to outdoor recreation, tourism, fishing, and other industries; and a source of wonderment and delight.
Thus, the Endangered Species Act is an effective expression of biblical and moral values. Unfortunately, legislation is being discussed in Congress to undermine this protection for species driven to the brink of extinction.
“Speak out for those who can not speak” states Proverbs 31:8. Therefore, we call on the religious community and our policy makers to work together to ensure that endangered species are protected, science informs policy decisions, habitat important to the recovery of species is safeguarded, and endangered species programs receive adequate funding.
As part of our commitment to God, the web of life, and future generations, we must remember and honor God’s covenant with us all: “the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations” (Genesis 9:12).
* Your contact information and zip code will NOT be added to the signatory list given to members of Congress or added to a general list -- but, infrequently, we might contact you if your own U.S. House or Senate member needs to hear more from constituents at crucial times. (If you do not wish to hear from us at these crucial times, please note this by your name [e.g., “please do not contact”].)