[Dialogue] Bush's Church Urges Pull-out of US Troops from Iraq

[Harry Wainwright]

Published on Monday, September 25, 2006 by Ekklesia
<http://www.ekklesia.co.uk>  / UK 

Bush's Church Urges Pull-out of US Troops from Iraq 

by Peter Spiegel

 

US President George W. Bush's own church has called for the withdrawal of
troops from Iraq and is urging direct action to end the war. 

Writes Mark Schoeff Jr: United Methodist Church leaders helped launch a week
of protest and civil disobedience against the war in Iraq by signing a
declaration of peace in the capital, urging President Bush to pull US troops
out of the country.

The Declaration of Peace, signed on 21 September 2006, is described as a
call for nonviolent action to end the war in Iraq. The Washington DC event
was one of 350 staged nationwide to promote the peace initiative.

More than 500 groups, almost half of them faith organizations, are involved
in the declaration of peace effort, which recently retired Bishop Susan
Morrison said includes "acts of moral witness to seek a new course for our
country."

By signing the peace document in front of the White House, the United
Methodists and other protesters also hope to influence congressional races
in November 2006 by forcing candidates to outline where they stand on the
war.

Speakers at the Washington DC rally accusing the President of lying about
Iraq possessing weapons of mass destruction and launching what they called
an illegal offensive.

"Our demand as a movement is to end the war now," said Bishop Morrison. The
declaration calls the situation in Iraq "an endless fire consuming lives,
resources and the fragile possibilities of peace."

Thirty-four protesters, attempting to deliver the peace statement to Bush in
an act of civil disobedience, were arrested and charged with disorderly
conduct. None of the United Methodist protesters participated in that
portion of the day's activity.

The Declaration of Peace initiative provides a way for the faithful to vent
their anger about Iraq, Morrison said. "There are a lot of frustrated United
Methodists out there who don't know where to channel it," she added.

United Methodist clergy attending the recent 2006 International
Clergywomen's Consultation in Chicago signed the declaration to "call to end
this war" and made a commitment to take action to translate the call into a
concrete plan for peace.

Jim Winkler, top executive of the United Methodist Board of Church and
Society, said that protesting the war is similar to the church's work to
promote other social movements. The church took prophetic positions on civil
rights, women's rights and nuclear disarmament before Congress acted, he
noted.

"It has taken time for Congress to catch up," Winkler said. "We may be
seeing another example of that."

Staff members of the denomination's social advocacy agency have been meeting
with congressional staff members on a weekly basis regarding policy toward
Iraq. Political leaders on Capitol Hill have been divided on the Bush
administration's policy, with some calling for a timetable for withdrawal
and others urging a staying of the course.

"You see more and more Republicans who are uncomfortable with the position
of 'stay the course,'" said Mark Harrison, director of the board's Peace
with Justice programme.

But the White House asserts that Iraq would collapse if US troops leave
prematurely, potentially leading to a full-blown civil war.

United Methodist leaders argue that the long insurgency in Iraq, which has
resulted in the deaths of thousands Americans and Iraqis, is proof that U.S.
involvement is misguided.

"Iraq is in a civil war right now because we're there," Winkler said.

Morrison agreed. "We just exacerbate what's going on." She disputed critics
who claim that war protesters undermine US troops and sap their morale.

"We care deeply about the troops," she said. "We're proud of their
commitment. We want them safe. We want them home."

Within individual United Methodist congregations, however, some members do
not agree with the way the anti-war movement is articulating its opposition.

Differences of opinion must be respected, said the Rev Dean Snyder, senior
minister of Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington. Such divisions
have come up throughout Christian history.

"It's part of our discernment process of truth," he said. "But that does not
change the fact that church leaders are put in positions of prophetic
responsibility." 

C Copyright 2006 Ekklesia

###

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: /pipermail/dialogue_wedgeblade.net/attachments/20060925/57421df8/attachment.html 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: image/gif
Size: 6731 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : /pipermail/dialogue_wedgeblade.net/attachments/20060925/57421df8/attachment.gif