Early this November, Georgia will have an important election in which voters will elect commissioners to the Georgia Public Service Commission. Decisions made by these commissioners impact the ecological wellbeing of our state as well as our pocketbooks. Check out the positions of the candidates and then make a plan to vote.
As you make your decision about whom to vote for, it might help to keep in mind some of our United Methodist Social Principles. The Social Principles are not church law. They represent “the prayerful and earnest efforts of the General Conference to speak to issues in the contemporary world from a sound biblical and theological foundation that is in keeping with the best of our United Methodist traditions.” The current Social Principles were adopted at the 2024 General Conference after an eight year process involving over 50 writers from across our worldwide denomination and review and feedback from several thousand United Methodists. The Principles are the work of our world wide church, and you may read more about them here.
United Methodist Social Principles relevant to the Public Service Commission elections. The following quotes are partial:
* Destruction of Ecosystems
”Overconsumption, shortsighted policies, poor management of natural resources, and other unsustainable practices have severely impacted the fragile, natural ecosystems on which all of life depends.”
* Global Warming and Climate Change
“Global warming and climate change are already creating extreme conditions that threaten the entirety of life on earth.….. A sharp upsurge in greenhouse gases over the past decades already has resulted in a steady rise of sea levels, growing acidification of the world’s oceans, increased droughts and famines, and the intensification of extreme weather events.”
* Dependence on Fossil Fuels
”The burning of fossil fuels, including coal, oil, and, to a lesser extent, natural gas, is the greatest single contributor to the buildup of greenhouse gases and the consequent warming of earth’s atmosphere. To reverse the current trajectory of global climate change, increased investments are needed in the research, development, and distribution of alternatives to fossil fuels …. To the greatest extent possible, plans for developing and deploying alternative sources of energy should minimize negative financial impacts by investing in strategies that support people in successfully transitioning to new employment, strengthen the social safety net to deal with the loss of jobs and income, and provide ample educational and retraining opportunities.”
Our Social Principles give us help as we make our voting decisions.
Pastor Jimmy