Why religious leaders are getting behind $15 minimum wage
The conspicuous stand by religious leaders in favor of raising the minimum wage could play a role in rebalancing how Americans view religion in politics, historians and political scientists say.
On Monday, leaders from a range of Christian denominations, as well as some Jewish and
Religious groups' involvement in the minimum wage movement is part of a growing push by some faith leaders to reassert their authority as moral voices in broader issues of economic justice, some say.
By Jessica Mendoza, Staff writer April 6, 2016
Muslim representatives, publicly announced their support for a $15-an-hour minimum wage, calling on presidential candidates to incorporate a “living wage” in their political agendas and to strengthen union rights. The call – which comes days after officials in California and New York took steps toward raising the wage floor in those states – is the latest demonstration of some faith groups’ support for the swelling wage movement nationwide.
“For us it’s rooted in the teachings of Jesus,” says the Rev. Steven Martin, spokesperson for the Washington-based National Council of Churches, a coalition of Christian denominations from across the nation and one of the signatories. “It’s a faith issue, a basic justice issue. I think we are bound to Jesus’ command to love your neighbor as yourself; I would want for another person to enjoy the kind of security and life that I have.”
The effort, historians say, is part of a growing push by some religious leaders, perhaps most prominently Pope Francis, to reassert their authority as moral voices in broader issues of economic justice in the face of a prevailing notion of morality that is tied to conservative politics and issues of gender and sexuality.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2016/0406/Why-religious-leaders-are-getting-behind-15-minimum-wage