Plea to Shenandoah Valley Religious Leaders

I am writing to implore religious leaders in the Shenandoah Valley to use their influence to encourage their congregations to demand of our elected leaders an end to the genocide in Gaza. Raised in a Baptist household, I was taught the importance of compassion, love, and the golden rule. The silence from church leaders regarding the maiming, murder, and starvation of Palestinians, funded in large part by American tax dollars, is both deafening and damning.

While some church leaders may claim to honor the separation of church and state, they often use their stature to set directives that influence opinion and voting. Why is that same authority, unearned in my opinion until the right thing is done in the harshest of times, not being employed now to highlight the suffering in Palestine? To remind congregants of their responsibility to make it clear to lawmakers that no person of faith or good conscious in America supports genocide?

To those Christian leaders who are advocating for an end to the genocide, you have my respect for honoring the spirit of Christ’s teachings. The same is true for religious leaders of any faith. There must be a common, shared voice: genocide is wrong.

Paul Miller
Warren County, VA

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