Faith Groups Act Now for Justice

In the heart of the Inland Northwest, religious groups are stepping up without waiting for headlines. Recent events show that faith communities already work to spread love and fairness, a fact rarely highlighted in the news. A gathering in Spokane’s Riverfront Park drew around 200 people—Buddhist, Christian, Rosicrucian, and others—who carried flowers and candles to honor 20 Buddhist monks. These monks had just finished a 2, 300‑mile walk from Texas to Washington’s National Cathedral, walking each day from sunrise to sunset. Their leader, Ven. Geshe Thupten Phelgye, flew in for a single day and returned with blisters but a message: “Peace starts within us; we must share it. ” A Tibetan nun, Thubten Chonyi, added that love is innate, not earned.Meanwhile, at Gonzaga University, Catholic scholar Tracy Sayuki Tiemeier challenged listeners to rethink the language used about immigrants. She linked her family’s history in a WWII internment camp to current views on human dignity, urging faith to embrace difference without fear. These moments illustrate that when churches and temples act, they do more than talk—they walk the path of compassion. While some faith groups misuse religion to divide, many are proving otherwise in everyday acts of solidarity. The story continues as ordinary people light candles and march for strangers, showing that faith’s true purpose is alive right here in our community.