The Sane Churches Condemn the Bush War

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Sat, 18 Feb 2006 19:16:32 -0800 (PST)

The Sane Churches Condemn the Bush War

 

 

 

 

 

 

We Are Not Alone - the Sane Churches Condemn the Bush War

 

LEIGH SAAVEDRA

18 February 2006

 

We are not alone in our rage and tears and fury and frustration at the

ignorance that keeps George Bush propped up enough so that he can

continue with his killing. I note below that the traditional churches

are with us completely. What they call " evangelical " churches (the

bornagains) stick with the boy king. I read this and am enraged just

one more notch. All the stats have it: The more educated (those who

believe in global warming and other things too difficult for the

comprehension of some) are appalled by the Bush wars. Now the churches

that many consider more valid are appalled. I equate the U.S.

bornagains who wave their flags and send other peoples' kids off to

die for the gain of a few who use the bornagains (usually not very

educated) for the financial gain of that few -- I equate them with the

Islamic radicals who are burning buildings and setting people on fire,

not even looking very carefully to see who they are (Nigerians killed

a couple of Palestinians today).

 

Fanaticism sucks, wherever it originates. Why can't we just march the

bornagain Bushworshipping warmongers off to fight the radical

extremists in the east and let them fight to the last men. Then, maybe

rational people could put the mess back together and hope again.

 

 

LEIGH QUOTING:

 

 

 

 

U.S. Church Alliance Denounces Iraq War

By BRIAN MURPHY, AP Religion Writer

Sat Feb 18, 1:05 PM ET

 

 

 

PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil - A coalition of American

churches sharply denounced the U.S.-led war in

Iraq on Saturday, accusing Washington of " raining down

terror " and apologizing to other nations for " the

violence, degradation and poverty our nation has

sown. "

 

The statement, issued at the largest gathering of

Christian churches in nearly a decade, also warned the

United States was pushing the world toward

environmental catastrophe with a " culture of

consumption " and its refusal to back international

accords seeking to battle global warming.

 

" We lament with special anguish the war in Iraq,

launched in deception and violating global norms of

justice and human rights, " said the statement from

representatives of the 34 U.S. members of World

Council of Churches. " We mourn all who have died or

been injured in this war. We acknowledge with shame

abuses carried out in our name. "

 

The World Council of Churches includes more than 350

mainstream Protestant, Anglican and Orthodox churches;

the Roman Catholic Church is not a member. The U.S.

groups in the WCC include the Episcopal Church, the

Presbyterian Church (USA), the United Methodist

Church, several Orthodox churches and Baptist

denominations, among others.

 

The statement is part of widening religious pressure

on the Bush administration, which still counts on the

support of evangelical churches and other conservative

denominations but is widely unpopular with

liberal-minded Protestant congregations.

 

The Very Rev. Leonid Kishkovsky, the moderator for the

U.S. group of WCC members, said the letter was backed

by the leaders of the churches but was not cleared by

lower-level bodies. He predicted friction within

congregations about the tone of the message.

 

" There is much internal anguish and there is

division, " said Kishkovsky, ecumenical officer of the

Orthodox Church of America. " I believe church leaders

and communities are wrestling with the moral questions

that this letter is addressing. "

 

On Friday, the U.S. National Council of Churches -

which includes many WCC members - released a letter

appealing to Washington to close the Guantanamo Bay

detention facility and saying reports of alleged

torture violated " the fundamental Christian belief in

the dignity of the human person. "

 

The two-page statement from the WCC group came at the

midpoint of a 10-day meeting of more than 4,000

religious leaders, scholars and activists discussing

trends and goals for major Christian denominations for

the coming decades. The WCC's last global assembly was

in 1998 in Zimbabwe - just four months after al-Qaida

staged twin bombings at U.S. embassies in Kenya and

Tanzania.

 

" Our country responded (to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks)

by seeking to reclaim a privileged and secure place in

the world, raining down terror on the truly vulnerable

among our global neighbors ... entering into imperial

projects that seek to dominate and control for the

sake of national interests, " said the statement.

" Nations have been demonized and God has been enlisted

in national agendas that are nothing short of

idolatrous. "

 

The Rev. Sharon Watkins, president of the Christian

Church (Disciples of Christ), worried that some may

interpret the statement as undermining U.S. troops in

Iraq.

 

" We honor their courage and sense of duty, but ... we,

as people of faith, have to say to our brothers and

sisters, `We are so profoundly sorry,' " Watkins said.

 

The message also accused U.S. officials of ignoring

warnings about climate change and treating the world's

" finite resources as if they are private possessions. "

It went on to criticize U.S. domestic policies for

refusing to confront racism and poverty.

 

" Hurricane Katrina revealed to the world those left

behind in our own nation by the rupture of our social

contract, " said the statement.

 

The churches said they had " grown heavy with guilt "

for not doing enough to speak out against the Iraq war

and other issues. The statement asked forgiveness for

a world that's " grown weary from the violence,

degradation and poverty our nation has sown. "

 

U.S. Church Alliance Denounces Iraq War

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