Our church ain't no country club, and ain't no intellectual secret society, and ain't no navel gazing hum-didy-dum cult. It's an intentionally diverse congregation made up of people who seek to lead meaningful lives, and to build a just and sustainable world. So when you come to me, the elected leader of this historic congregation, come not to expect that some passive clergyman will coddle you to the point of complacency. Come to me as your PST: your Personal Spiritual Trainer."
In preparation for his meeting with executives at Monsanto in St. Louis, MO, Reverend Nate Walker of the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia reflects upon three principles of biomedical ethics: (1) nonmaleficence, do no harm; (2) beneficence, generous acts of doing good; and (3) distributive justice, achieved through the fair, equitable and appropriate distribution of food. This sermon demonstrates how the "Grant Oath" can inspire the entire field of biotechnology to prevent harm, remove harmful conditions, and offer benefits to people, animals and the environment. Visit http://bit.ly/5DXibT for the sermon text, including footnotes, which is part II of his series on Sovereign Seeds, a public letter delivered to the CEO of Monsanto on November 1, 2009. Visit http://bit.ly/4oDHcv to listen/read this original sermon.
