Get Out of Iraq
October 17, 2006
Get Out of Iraq
The Christian position on the Iraq and Afghan War is clear, stop killing people, torturing prisoners and making people homeless. We have these odd notions like “thou shalt not kill,” love and forgive your enemies, and love your neighbor as yourself. Calling enemies rag heads, terrorists and scum smack of bearing false witness and racism. Oh well, many Christian politicians and religionists have found ways around these basic Christian moral and ethical standards to justify killing.
But many Christians and other religionists say, “Well, we must be practical.” Whoever said the radical ethics of Jesus were practical? One theologian says Christians are aliens in an alien land. We should feel and look like aliens, folks from outer space. We are different, radically different in the way we look at life and the way we behave. Otherwise we are just bookends in the comfortable pews enjoying nice music, mediocre sermons, congenial vanilla neighbors of various colors and throwing a soup kitchen here and there.
People more thoughtful than I have suggested that:
If we get out of Iraq immediately, if not sooner, many people will die.
If we “stay the course” in Iraq many people will die
If we turn the mess over to the United Nations, many people will die.
I, and others, say get out immediately and let the Iraqis and their neighbors clean up the mess the United States has created.
Of course, this might hurt the oil supply. But that would be good so as to limit driving and stop auto emissions from further warming the planet.
As a Christian, a follower of Jesus, I want an end to the deaths of Iraqi and Afghan civilians, women, children and soldiers as well as American, British and other military men and women.
The church is full of palaver about reconciliation. Let church leaders pitch in and find ways of real reconciliation between the nations of the Middle East and the rest of the world.
Get out now. Clergy; take a stand and urge your congregations to support immediate withdrawal. Lay people; urge your churches, schools, businesses and friends to push our government to stop the killing. Enjoy being an alien in an alien land.
Get Out of Iraq
The Christian position on the Iraq and Afghan War is clear, stop killing people, torturing prisoners and making people homeless. We have these odd notions like “thou shalt not kill,” love and forgive your enemies, and love your neighbor as yourself. Calling enemies rag heads, terrorists and scum smack of bearing false witness and racism. Oh well, many Christian politicians and religionists have found ways around these basic Christian moral and ethical standards to justify killing.
But many Christians and other religionists say, “Well, we must be practical.” Whoever said the radical ethics of Jesus were practical? One theologian says Christians are aliens in an alien land. We should feel and look like aliens, folks from outer space. We are different, radically different in the way we look at life and the way we behave. Otherwise we are just bookends in the comfortable pews enjoying nice music, mediocre sermons, congenial vanilla neighbors of various colors and throwing a soup kitchen here and there.
People more thoughtful than I have suggested that:
If we get out of Iraq immediately, if not sooner, many people will die.
If we “stay the course” in Iraq many people will die
If we turn the mess over to the United Nations, many people will die.
I, and others, say get out immediately and let the Iraqis and their neighbors clean up the mess the United States has created.
Of course, this might hurt the oil supply. But that would be good so as to limit driving and stop auto emissions from further warming the planet.
As a Christian, a follower of Jesus, I want an end to the deaths of Iraqi and Afghan civilians, women, children and soldiers as well as American, British and other military men and women.
The church is full of palaver about reconciliation. Let church leaders pitch in and find ways of real reconciliation between the nations of the Middle East and the rest of the world.
Get out now. Clergy; take a stand and urge your congregations to support immediate withdrawal. Lay people; urge your churches, schools, businesses and friends to push our government to stop the killing. Enjoy being an alien in an alien land.
posted by RWC | 10:27 AM
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