"Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house. Luke 11: 16 An urgent appeal to the churches

As it became apparent that the U.S. government was on an unswerving course toward war with Iraq, leading Christian theologians and ethicists convened by George Hunsinger of Princeton Theological Seminary made the following appeal to the churches to respond with prophetic opposition, excerpted below. Find the full text and add your endorsement at: http://www.sojo.net/action

We are Christians, clergy and laity, from Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, and Historic Peace Church communities. After careful consideration and prayer, as citizens who love our country, we have come to painful conclusions.

We believe that U.S. war against Iraq is unjust and immoral. As a "pre-emptive" attack unprecedented in our history, it dishonors our nation, disregards morality, and violates international law. Citizens of good will are thrown into a crisis of conscience by our government's initiation of this war.

THEREFORE, in so grave a situation, we issue the following appeal:

- We appeal to all Christians: Put your faith in Jesus Christ above your loyalty to the nation, because today faith demands a higher loyalty, and patriotism means dissent.

- We call upon all churches and all individual Christians to refuse their consent to this war. We call them to nonviolent resistance, rejecting actions that violate moral law.

- We urge all U.S. military personnel, especially those who are Christians, to conscientious objection - to refuse to participate in this immoral war.

- We commit ourselves to a renewed discipline of prayer, fasting, and meditation on God's Word. A dedicated spirituality will be needed by all who are led to faithful obedience.

- We welcome support from all peoples of faith and conscience who wish to uphold us in making this appeal to the churches.

- Finally, we pledge allegiance to our country and to every noble ideal for which it stands. Upholding it where it is right, we must oppose it with deep regret, for its own sake and the sake of the world, where it goes so grievously wrong.

Read the full text and add your endorsement to this appeal at: http://www.sojo.net/action

-- LYDISA (lds@summ.com), March 29, 2003

Answers

I hear people saying we don't need this war
I say there's some things worth fighting for
What about our freedom and this piece of ground
We didn't get to keep 'em by backing down
Now they say we don't realize the mess we're getting in
Before you start your preaching let me ask you this my friend

Have you forgotten how it felt that day?
To see your homeland under fire
And her people blown away
Have you forgotten when those towers fell?
We had neighbors still inside going thru a living hell
And you say we shouldn't worry 'bout bin Laden
Have you forgotten?

Have you forgotten all the people killed?
Some went down like heros in that Pennsylvania field
Have you forgotten about our Pentagon?
And all the loved ones that we lost and those left to carry on
Don't you tell me not to worry about bin Laden
Have you forgotten?



-- Support our Troops (dont@rewrite.history), March 30, 2003.

If you knew one of these people, you wouldn't be so busy trying to stuff daisies down rifle barrels.



-- I support our Troops (let@freedom.ring), March 30, 2003.

Ed - The expression of concern fear and pain is often mixed and confused emotions. This forum is comprised of such people of which I am one of.

Eg: Yesterday morning there was a thread by Emerald sadly stating the loss of a son in the current conflict. To date it has been " officically " been stated there have been 38 casualties I believe from the U.S.A..

My ques: Where did Emerald's thread go as pain was expressed through the loss of a loved one. The current war is a reality as Christianity is a reality.

Are you asking dialogue be vetted during this time? Remember the recent clergy pedophile scandal where some members here simply did not want to express any thouhgts or emotions.

This forum is becoming human once more appossed to the past two horrid years of Holier Then Thou self appointed armchair bishops.

Religon is a living entity not conjecture opinions and canons of _- gulp - law. Get with the program.

-- jean bouchard (jeanb@cwk.imag.net), March 30, 2003.

Thanks, Jean! You spoke out of my heart! Some people use this forum to build up an image and that image is often a pseudo-image of catholic normality.

-- Ken Shroeder (KenShr9@hotmail.com), March 30, 2003.

This thread is without a doubt the most tasteless, crassest, crudest thread I have ever witnessed in the forum. To use pictures from Sept. 11, of poor souls falling to their deaths to advance a political point in my view is not religion! These same pictures could have been used to argue for the U.S. position in the war with Iraq. What’s next? Hey, I know, let’s put some pictures up of the dead American soldiers the Iraqis executed? That should get a lot of attention! What ever happened to respect for the dead and for the families of the dead who may visit here?

-- Ed (grader@accglobal.net), March 30, 2003.

“...the Church in its pilgrim members, from the very earliest days of the Christian religion, has honored with great respect the memory of the dead...” (CCC 958)

"The bodies of the dead must be treated with respect and charity, in faith and hope of the Resurrection. The burial of the dead is a corporal work of mercy; it honors the children of God, who are temples of the Holy Spirit. " (CCC 2300)

-- Ed (grader@accglobal.net), March 30, 2003.

Unfortunately, someone once said "Forgive your enemies" and "Peacemakers shall be called sons of God" and was clearly the most powerful ant-war man ever, who was so simple and lived with the poor and suffured unimaginable pain for someone else, willingly, for crimes commited by we, the human kind against ourselves.

Later I found out that man was God himself.

Still, men who say that they follow his words, bless the bombs and discard what he said, and makes their own theories and reasons. They say, God's words? Forget them. We have more important things in life. And they are called chritians - the ones who follow christ.

-- Abraham T (lijothengil@yahoo.com), April 23, 2003.