Reader 1 – We stand today in the long tradition of prophets, spiritual leaders, and freedom fighters from our sacred traditions who have, also, stood up to the empires, kings, and unjust rulers of their day. Today we are taking to the streets nationwide with a clear message: No Kings!
Reader 2 – As we stand together today I invite you to join us. Each time we say “no thrones! No crowns!” you respond with “NO KINGS!” This country does not belong to strongmen. It belongs to the people and the people say no thrones, no crowns
All: NO KINGS!
Reader 1 – In Isaiah 10, the prophet declared, “Woe to those who join house to house, who add field to field, until there is room for no one, and you are left to live alone in the midst of the land.” And today we declare no thrones, no crowns,
All: NO KINGS!
Reader 2 – The Quran reads “Corruption has appeared on land and sea because of what the hands of humans have wrought, that He may make them taste a part of that which they have done, in order that they may return [to guidance]” (Quran 30:41).” And today we declare no thrones, no crowns,
All: NO KINGS!
Reader 1 – During his life of oppression under the Roman Empire, Jesus declared to give to Caesar what is Caesar, but to God what is God’s, an anti- imperialist teaching which acknowledges that all that is in the world belongs to God and not to Caesar. Like Jesus, today we declare, no thrones, no crowns
All: NO KINGS!
Reader 2 – The Hindu scriptures state, “The absolute (Ruler), intoxicated with power, ruins the [people]…There should be no absolute and unrestricted power” (Shatapatha Brahmana, XIII:2-8). And today we declare, no thrones, no crowns
All: NO KINGS!
Reader 1: The ways of empires, kings, and unjust rulers of this world are not the ways of love, justice, and mercy embodied in all of our sacred traditions. Instead of money-hungry, power-grabbing, profit-seeking wanna-be kings, we are here today to bear witness to a world of abundance and thriving for all people and creation.
Reader 2:
Our faith and spiritual traditions show us the ways of love, interdependence, justice, and peace. Today we commit ourselves to building this world in our nation, in our states, in our cities, and in our neighborhoods: a society in which all people are free and can thrive in the abundance of beauty and truth.
The Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice is a national organization committed to building a movement to end poverty, led by the poor. Drawing on the power of religions and human rights, we are a center for movement strategy, coordination, and education among the poor across all lines of division. Among other projects, we co-anchor the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival.
Kairos is an ancient Greek word, describing a time of great change, when the old ways of the world are dying and new ones are struggling to be born. It is clear we are living through exactly such a time today. This kairos moment is full of both grave danger and rare opportunity, and calls for bold and imaginative action from those who wish to break free from the intolerable conditions of poverty, systemic racism, militarism, ecological devastation, and more. It is in this context that new movements of poor and dispossessed people are emerging across the country and world.
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