The AP summarizes the statement of the churches in this way:
PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil (AP) — A coalition of American churches (particpating in the first meeting of the World Council of Churches since 1998) 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."
I am not aware that this "coalition of American churches" has made any similar statement condemning the brutal and world-wide attacks and threats from Islamist terrorists (much of which has been explicitly targeting Christians).
What, I ask, is the United States to do in response to fatal attacks on its embassies, naval vessels, military, diplomatic and civilian personnel and, of course, the hijacking of US passenger airliners, devastating attacks on the World Trade Center (twice), the Pentagon and at least one other target foiled by the crash of United Flight #93?
What, you ask, did Iraq have to do with any of these attacks? Not much, apparently, except for providing moral support, financial support, training support, tactical support, medical care and the facilitation of travel for al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups through its territory.
Does this justify our attack on Iraq? Perhaps . . . perhaps not.
The universally held belief that Iraq still possessed WMD must also be taken into consideration as well as its continuing defiance and refusal to comply with the terms of the 1993 cease-fire agreement and all subsequent UN resolutions. (Not to mention the massive fraud involving the Oil for Food arrangement whereing Sadaam Hussein co-opted UN and national leaders in a corrupt scheme to siphon billions of dollars into their own private accounts and away from the Iraqi people). Oh . . . and, of course, the mass murders of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi citizens and the torture, disfigurement and rape of tens of thousands more.
A good argument could be made that it would have been immoral for the United States to NOT invade Iraq given the means and opportunity to do so.
Article comments
1 - Gordon Hauptfleisch
Bird, stop making sense! I guess if anyone needs to be lectured about "the dignity of the human person," it's us.
2 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
There you have the WCC, BoP. Empty churches, empty headed church administrators (I won't insult you by calling any of them pastors).
Reform Judaism, and more and more, Conservative Judaism, is not much different.
Another case of everyone jumping into the same garbage bin.
3 - Bird of Paradise
A friendly comment from Wesley Pattillo at my website has identified a major error in my post. I had conflated the representatives of American churches attending the World Council of Churches with the National Council of Churches. 34 US churches signed the statement and 35 churches are members of the NCC. This coincidence also added to my error. As requested I offer my apologies to the NCC and will attempt to make appropriate corrections to my posting. Given, however, the fact that the US/American churches attending the WCC are virtually identical to the churches that are members of the NCC the position adopted by them this past week obviously reflects the position of member churches in the NCC although not serving as an official position of the latter. An example of this can be found here, where the President of the NCC has initiated a letter (now signed by over 13,000 people) in support of the UNs call for the US to close the prison facility at Guantanamo. It would seem that the only difference between the American churches attending the WCC and the NCC itself is the letterhead.
Further Note: According to the WCC website there are 33 member churches from North America (including Canada). The NCC website shows 35 member churches, 21 of which are WCC members.
4 - sr
World council of churces my ass. Thats the equivalence of the liberal god CNN. Monkey see, monkey do.
5 - Chromatius
"universally held belief that Iraq still possessed WMD"
Not around here. Which is why somewhere between one and wo million people marched against the war in London, the biggest in history. That incumbent politicans and most of the corporate media said so doesn't make it universal, or even near universal.
Not even universal in the UK or US intelligence community, actually. As we're discovering.
Not in much of the world actually....
6 - Chromatius
"Similar actions for similar reasons had previously been affirmed when the issue concerned the former Yugoslavia (when Bill Clinton was President)."
Just demonstrates US criminality n foreign policy is not confined to the Republicans or neo-cons. No surprise there.
Different techniques and mood music is all... "international community", UN strongarm stuff, lies, provocation, media complicity (notably what I'd call "liberal" media in particular - the Guardian, Independent - as well as the usual suspects) etc etc.
There's a very good reason Bosnia and Kosovo have become major staging points for what most of you would probably call "Islamic Terror": they were patronised by the US in the campaign against Yugoslavia, just as in Afghanistan.
For me Yugoslavia was the moment when things went really wrong in quite a new way. The Gulf War had its obvious horrors and crimes, but a new alignment of lies and liars came into being with that one. The NGO-isation of the business of war and propaganda, is one element. And the liberal media propaganda, is another.
7 - cmcintosh
I still can't see in the Christian gosples--which are supposed to provide moral guidance for our lives--where Christ gave justification for any violence let alone war!
8 - adam
"I can hardly wait to hear what they will have to say about Hamas as the new governing party in Palestine. I won't be holding my breath."
We built the Taliban
We built Hamas
Whatever we do in the Middle East
Comes back to bite us in the ass
Let’s get out of the Middle East
Before we have no ass.
9 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Amen, Adam! Go on! Get out of here!
10 - Mar
Thanks for exposing the World Council of Churches!
I have been trying to do that for years!
11 - adam
Ruvy, you are so right.
"Amen, Adam! Go on! Get out of here!"
But we need you to come with us or it won't work.
12 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Adam writes,
But we need you to come with us or it won't work.
This old goat has to stay in his home. He made too many sacrifices to leave the land of the "free" and the home of the "brave." This is my home, now.
So you guys go home... I stay home.