“Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people.”
Isaiah 10:1-2
The work of the Church & Society/Social Justice Committee is to help First Church be a faithful witness of love in our community through advocacy and pursuing justice. The golden thread throughout our shared Methodist history is rooted in our biblical call to reflect God’s reconciling love and justice to the Church and society. To this end, we advocate for a just, transparent, and democratic voting system because our faith calls us to do this work.
“There is no holiness, but social holiness.”
John Wesley
The documentary film “Dark Money” highlights the injustice of untraceable corporate money that influences the voting system. Our guest speaker at our recent discussion of this documentary, Cindy Black, Executive Director of Fix Democracy First, reminded us of the injustice of unknown corporations influencing political decisions, and even “buying” politicians who will vote for legislation favored by the funding agents. She encouraged us to advocate for legislative bills that make election donations more transparent.
If you were unable to attend the event, you can still watch the film using the instructions linked below.
“The attempt to influence the information and execution of public policy at all levels of government is often the most effective means available to churches to keep before humanity the ideal of a society in which power and order are made to serve the ends of justice and freedom for all people.”
United Methodist Book of Resolutions, #5012
The 2010 Citizens United case in the United States Supreme Court legalized dark money in politics, ruling that corporations have the same rights of free speech and anonymity as citizens. Although the Court is unlikely to overturn its own decision, and a Constitutional Amendment would be very difficult to achieve, HR 1 – legislation currently being considered at the federal level – would mark a huge expansion of voting rights as well as a major overhaul of campaign finance and redistricting laws. The bill would require “dark money” groups to disclose their donors publicly and would establish a public funding match for small-dollar donations financed by a fee on corporations that are paying civil or criminal penalties. This bill has passed the U.S. House of Representatives, but it is expected to meet opposition in the Senate.
Advocacy opportunity for you:
Visit this link provided by Fix Democracy First to send your U.S. Senators a pre-scripted message:
Please share this information with friends and family in our state and throughout the nation who may want to do the same.
“The church should continually exert a strong ethical influence upon the state, supporting policies and programs deemed to be just and opposing policies and programs that are unjust.”
United Methodist Social Principles, Paragraph 164.B
Cindy Black urged us to pay attention to the progress of HR 1 in the Senate and to Supreme Court decisions, and to advocate for voting rights bills in the Washington state legislature. For more information and updates, see the list of resources below provided by Cindy Black. By visiting the Fix Democracy First website you can sign up (under Events) to attend Cindy’s weekly Happy Hours on Wednesday evenings at 5pm to find out the latest information.
Church & Society/Social Justice Committee