The Associated Press
BOSTON — Downtown Dewey Square is crammed with tents and tarps of Occupy Boston protesters, but organizers made sure from the start of this weeks-old encampment that there was room for the holy.
No shoes are allowed in the "Sacred Space" tent here, but you can bring just about any faith or spiritual tradition.
A day's schedule finds people balancing their chakras, a "compassion meditation" and a discussion of a biblical passage in Luke. Inside, aBuddha statue sits near apicture of Jesus, while a hand-lettered sign in the corner points toward Mecca.
The tent is one way protesters here and in other cities have taken pains to include a spiritual component in their occupations. Still, Occupy Wall Street is not a religious movement, and signs of spiritually aren't evident at all protest sites.
Clergy emphasize they are participants in the aggressively leaderless movement, not people trying to co-opt it. Plus, in a movement that purports to represent the"99 percent" in society, the prominent religious groups are overwhelmingly liberal.
Religion might not fit into the movement seamlessly, but activist Dan Sieradski, who's helped organize Jewish services and events at Occupy Wall Street, said itmust fit somewhere.
"We're a country full of religious people," he said. "Faith communities do need to be present and need to be welcomed in order for this to be an all-encompassing movement that embracesall sectors of society."
Religious imagery and events have been common since the protests began. In New York, clergy carried an Old Testament-style golden calf in the shape of the Wall Street bull to decry the false idol of greed. Sieradski organized a Yom Kippur service. About 70 Muslimskneeled to pray toward Mecca at a prayer service Friday.
A Chicago group, Interfaith Worker Justice,has published an interfaith prayer service guide for occupation protests nationwide.
Clergy who support the protests say they are a natural fit with many faiths, because they share traditional concerns about economicinjustice. They also point to history, including the civil rights movement and abolition.
"Every movement for social change that has really made a difference has included the power of God, the power of the spirit and the power of people of conscience," said the Rev. Stephanie Sellers, one of the Episcopalian "protest chaplains" praying with protesters at different sites.
Sieradski said his Jewish faith's commitment to helping the powerless was one reason he was attracted to the movement, but he didn't intend to establish regular Jewish services. He announced his first event, a Sabbath potluck dinner, on online social networks, not knowing what to expect. The strong turnout led him tohelp organize the Yom Kippur service, activities during Sukkot, and what Sieradski hopes will be regular religious events.
In Boston, Marty Dagoberto said the Sacred Space was also created in an unforced way, after he suggested the idea at Occupy Boston's first general gathering. He said the space helps promote a spirit of calm and unity crucial to bringing change.
"I feel like it's really important for us to stay rooted in love, simply put," Dagoberto said.
Religious elements haven't sprouted up as visibly in other Occupy Wall Street movements nationwide, said Elizabeth Drescher, a lecturer on Christian spirituality at Santa Clara University, who has visited the occupations inSanta Cruz and St. Louis.
She said some protesters are wary because they don't recognize the authority of institutions, including religious ones, and are generally looking for clergy to be"ministering but not proselytizing." She recalled a conversation with an Occupy Santa Cruz protester while a man in a clerical collar picked up trash.
"(The protester) said, 'That dude's here with us. He's not handing out pamphlets and trying to save me. He's picking up trash,'" Drescher said.
While protesters are cautious about religious leaders, those leaders have concerns, as well. The Rev. Katharine Henderson, president of Auburn Theological Seminary in New York, has visited Occupy Wall Street and praised the movement for forcing society to re-examine its values. But she said the school is still trying to discern how much to be involved.

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Opportunists!

Agreed

If they're not condemning the protesters, all "factons" are trying to "abduct, dictate, coerce, blur, slur or confuse" the very reason it started..... WE ARE FED UP WITH WHAT WE HAVE.... uncontrolled and unethical policy sponsored/controlled by the 1% (slavery, in a sense)!

So what do all these "outside factions" offer? More power/position for themselves in the fashion that Faux Networks stole the Tea Party movement and adulterated it, making it almost laughable, meaningless, easily ignored!

Hopefully this shakeup of the henhouse won't find wolves in sheeps clothing trying to divert their attention, allowing the fox to get away! That is my biggest fear..... to accomplish NOTHING, destroying the value of discent, and our 1st amendment rights!

Hopefully the protesters won't "side" with anyone, no agenda but "power to the people", leave demands "OFF THE TABLE" (keeping the issues they are voicing open to bebate), and see what pops up from the powers that be....eventually, something has to give, it will be interesting to see what it is!

Soros' Money is the Wolf!

We'll take their money!

Let's just hope any "leadership" that forms in this is smart enough not to become what we protest, as a result of it

My opinion on that was stated in the prior post.

With so many claiming they "back" the protesters, I have my fears on any "accomplishments" we might make.

Reps, Dems, Indies, Tea Party, Religions, Unions..... Soon the very ones they protest will say they back them and we'll have accomplished NOTHING!

Ascertion and abduction of control thru chaos!

I think its awesome how so many groups are failing to figure out what to do with the OWS movement, and failing to control/usurp it.

We already have so many groups and movements with established, polarizing agendas. Its good to have something that's less defined, more open. There are tea partiers in that crowd, anarchists, dems and repubs, christians and atheists.

The beauty of it!

It is the most awesome thing to happen in a long time!

In the 70's they could point a finger at a specific culture or group to disavow or discredit them..... little harder when it is such a broad spectrum of "we the people" to do that!

The other thing that makes it great..... so many different opinions on what the protest is about, but ALL linking it the the corruption at it's source.....the bankers!

Wall Street and corporations are corrupt with their greed for power and money. Their lobbying abilities corrupt our political system! The Banks/bankers fueled the fires of greed and "profits over people" mentality to profit from the destruction, as well as construction from the ruins... Like Haliburton is to Iraq!

Power to the people....

Power to the people ....Right on!!!

~ John Lennon ~