“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools."
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
After the January 6, 2021 insurrection instigated by Donald Trump and led by white nationalist domestic terrorists on the US Capitol that took five lives and threatened the lives of elected leaders, their staff and visitors, those working at the Capitol that day, including media and the national security guards of the United States, the Temple of Understanding calls for an immediate end to the 45th Presidency of Donald J. Trump.
Whether by impeachment, invocation of the 25th Amendment, or resignation, it is time for the presidency of Donald Trump to end so that we can seek healing and protect the welfare of America. We call on lawmakers from both political parties to prevent further dangerous abuse of authority by this president, and to send a message to future inciters to violence that the below mentioned members of the interfaith movement repudiate and reject Donald Trump’s attack on democracy.
The Temple of Understanding is dedicated to the American values of interfaith harmony, protecting religious freedom, embracing justice, peace and diversity, as well as protecting the welfare of all peoples and our planet; all of these have been threatened by our current President and his administration. We call upon all people of faith to use 2020 hindsight to learn from the past and choose hope over fear. In our opinion, this President has abdicated his moral authority and his constitutional obligations to preserve and protect the nation and to promote the American value of democracy at home and abroad.
While we realize that some people may find this statement a bit harsh towards the perpetrators of violence, we believe that if we don’t stand for something, we will fall for anything. On this day that honors the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. we remember his iconic words when he said among other things: “Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that…He who accepts evil without protesting against it, is really cooperating with it.” We also remember his letter from a Birmingham jail in which Dr. King chastised fellow religious leaders who remained silent in times of moral crisis.
To honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, we join with our interfaith partners to call on religious leaders of all faiths to renounce evil, speak truth to power, and to do our best to love all people, especially those whose views differ from our own.
Signed, Alison Van Dyk, Board Chair, Temple of Understanding
Rabbi Barry Silver, Board Member, Temple of Understanding
January 18th , 2021
We stand together with other major Interfaith organizations calling for justice.
Parliament of the World's Religions
United Religions Initiative
Religions for Peace
Religions for Peace USA
