From left to right, Holly Casso, Christina Casso and Jay Casso pray at St. Anthony Church on a day designated a day of prayer in response to the Gulf oil spill, June 20, 2010, in Lafitte, Louisiana. (Cheryl Gerber/Getty)
Since the start of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, neither BP nor politicians nor the smartest engineers and technicians in America have been able to cap the well and contain the damage.
Some Americans say we are looking to the wrong people for answers, and should instead be directing our requests to a higher power.
Louisiana state senators designated Sunday as a day of prayer, advising citizens to ask God for help to solve the crisis. Others are participating in an “oil fast,” during which they'll abstain from driving, eat only local foods and reflect on their personal dependence on oil.
Rev. Mitchell Hescox, president and CEO of the Evangelical Environmental Network, held a "prayer walk" on Saturday in Waveland, Mississippi. Rev. Hescox traveled from Washington, D.C. to the Gulf Coast to walk through neighborhoods hardest hit by the oil spill. He tells us about his expereince visiting different towns and helping residents regain their faith. We also talk with Rev. Jody Hanna Kran of the United Methodist Church in Alabama. Her congregation has been seeking spiritual guidance since the beginning of the oil spill.
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Comments [3]
Please stop being so CUTE. It's not appealing. I find myself turning off the radio.
People often turn to faith in a major crisis. I understand people trying to hold an to something for dear life. They should be looking at the connection between Halliburton and the Houston oil reovery company they took over 8 days before the "spill". MAJOR PROFITS to be made. It is sick. Cheney is truly Darth Vadar.
http://www.examiner.com/x-38929-Kansas-City-Business-Commentary-Examiner~y2010m5d3-Gulf-oil-well-may-make-for-explosive-profits-for-Halliburton
I think it's extremely unfortunate that people choose to pray, and likely use it as an excuse not to take more concrete actions to protect their environment and prevent future catastrophes.
It's also infuriating to me to hear that churches are using this extremely difficult time to seduce troubled people in to useless, dogmatic and power and money hungry groups.
Over 13% of people in this country don't believe in any god, and vastly more are only vaguely and culturally religious.
It's time to de-emphasize these divisive, and dogmatic groups that feed like parasites on the limbic brain of our society.
This life and this world are all we, and every other species we know of have. If there's a better reason to protect it, I certainly can't think of one.
Get real people....
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