Fracking has become a hot political and economic issue in Portage County, as more permits are granted and more wells are drilled. For some, however, fracking has also become a religious issue. Grounded in the belief that calls us to be faithful stewards of our planet’s resources, a group called Faith Communities Together (FaCT) opposes fracking, as it is not in line with the goals of faithful stewardship of the Earth. Armed with Psalm 24, which declares “The Earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world and all who live in it. For he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters,” FaCT encourages states to utilize responsible natural resource management alternatives to fracking.
FaCT participants come from more than 40 faith communities across Ohio and West Virginia. Members include Catholic parishes, Protestant churches, and Jewish synagogues. Alarmed by incidents in states which have allowed irreverent fracking practices, FaCT believes that the practice is harmful to the legacy of land, water and air on which all life depends. As a group, they promote that “The moral power of even a single individual should never be underestimated. But when we work together, uniting the moral power of many individuals, we can accomplish great things.”
If you’d like to investigate fracking from a faith-based perspective, including the issues resource extraction can cause for communities and families in areas like ours, attend the Faith Communities Together meeting on Saturday, March 23rd from 11a.m.-1 p.m. at the Hiram Christian Church. For more information on the event or FaCT itself, contact Ron Prosek at rprosek@earthlink.net
