Religion and Politics

Today I received the following email from my minister:

Dear Church,

Again I am forwarding a letter to you from Faithful America. This letter asks a serious question: What is the war (and I would add other social issues) doing to America's soul?

After reading the letter, follow your heart.

Peace,

David

Ending the war is a moral issue Dear David: If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 This week the U.S. House is taking up a bill that, if passed, will call for a pullout of troops from Iraq by the fall of 2008. A lot of political wrangling and deal making have gone into this measure in an effort to get passage of a bill that already the President has promised to veto. All of this is unfortunate because every day the war is allowed to continue, more and more lives of soldiers and innocent civilians are lost. Lamenting this fact, last Friday at the Christian Witness for Peace at the Washington National Cathedral the Rev. Dr. Raphael G. Warnock, pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, described our political logjam: “Congress...by its action or its lack of action, has proven to be totally morally inept to in intervene and too politically compromised to act with real conviction... More than ever America needs our moral witness." We people of faith and conscience must once again remind our elected leaders in Washington that as they seek political solutions, this war is simply immoral and that any action that delays its end for political reasons is simply not acceptable. Simply put, neither the White House nor Congress has begun to lead our nation in the way of peace to which the prophets and sages of the world have called us. Anything less than a total commitment to ending this war as quickly as possible amounts to complicity, and we seek your help in leading our leaders back to the high purpose of pursuing peace. We urge you to write to your representative today and remind him or her of the moral imperative to end this horrendous war. While we cannot argue one way or another as to the merits of this bill or that amendment, we can and do acknowledge that peace is too precious and life too dear to waste one more hour seeking anything less than a swift and complete end to this nightmare. Dr. Warnock last Friday warned that the wrong question is being asked. It is not about whether America will lose the war but rather whether "America may well lose its soul." It is up to us, people whose faith informs our values, to speak up and demand the best of our elected officials in this most trying of times. With blessings to you for all you do for peace, Vince Isner FaithfulAmerica.org Send a letter to the following decision maker(s): Your Congressperson Below is the sample letter: Subject: What you need to know as you decide about the war Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here], The war in Iraq must end. No matter what measures are before you, and no matter what the President threatens to do, I call upon you first to recognize and then to respond to the simple fact that we are engaged in an immoral war and that it must end swiftly. We are in danger of losing our national soul in the continued prosecution of this unjust war. Thus far neither Congress nor the White House has committed to lead our nation in the way of peace to which the prophets and sages of the world have called us. As you debate the options before you, I ask that above all you recognize your moral obligation to place peace above politics. Anything less than a total commitment to ending this war as quickly as possible amounts to complicity in war. I ask you to set aside political compromise and embrace the high purpose of pursuing peace. The moral imperative to end this horrendous war should far outweigh any political compromise. While I cannot argue one way or another as to the merits of this bill or that amendment, I can and do acknowledge that peace is too precious and life too dear to waste one more hour seeking anything less than a swift and complete end to this nightmare. Sincerely, David Griffin Take Action! Instructions: Click here to take action on this issue or choose the "Reply to Sender" option on your email program. Tell-A-Friend: Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this. Tell-a-Friend! What's At Stake: Campaign Expiration Date: April 19, 2007 If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for FaithfulAmerica. This message was sent to griffjdav@earthlink.net. Visit your subscription management page to modify your email communication preferences or update your personal profile. To stop ALL email from FaithfulAmerica, click to remove yourself from our lists (or reply via email with "remove or unsubscribe" in the subject line).

I thought a lot about this for quite a while. Then, a second email from my minister arrived indicating that the previous email must have struck a nerve with some members of the congregation:

The emails I am receiving are interesting. Some agree and others disagree.

Is this a moral or political view? Should we separate church and state? The Bible does not separate the political and religious. The crucifixion of Jesus was because Jesus confronted the political, domination system of Rome. Political has to do with the way the government carries out it's decisions. Moral has to do with right and wrong. I do not feel we can separate how we do something from the way it is right or wrong. A part of this is whether the ends justify the means. Yes, I know some of us differ on this also. The cost of war is more than money; it is about lives lost on both sides of the war. It is also about money in that money is diverted from social justice issues (poverty, health care, social security, etc) and placed in budget items for war. There are moral decisions here, at least in my mind. Marcus Borg writes of our perception of God and uses the term panentheism. (No, not pantheism.) Panentheism is that God is in everything, a part of everything, and cannot be separate from anything. God is!

If I knew how I would set up a blog for us to communicate. That is what healthy churches do. I would be interested if you think I should not send out anything that speaks of moral issues - economy, AIDS, Darfur, health care, war, homelessness, as well as how people are using religion for their material benefit. Or shall church news/information be only for what happens here in Winterville Christian Church?

Peace,

David

I began to mull this over in earnest. I came to the conclusion that we are a Christian church in a democracy. Whether or not I agree with someone else's thoughts and words, it is my responsibility to be informed; I need to look at all sides of an issue. When doing so, I always come back to considering how Jesus would view the situation, what Jesus would say in response. Why? Because my faith is firmly rooted in the teachings of Jesus. How could my faith be rooted in one thing and my moral code be rooted in something else?

During the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, every time I heard the issue of weapons of mass destruction discussed, I wanted to scream, "WHO HAS THE MOST WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION? WHO IS THE ONLY COUNTRY THAT HAS USED NUCLEAR WEAPONS?" Why can WE have WMDs, but "THEY" can't? (In this case "they" can be any other country.)

Why is it so easy to see the sins of others while ignoring our own transgressions? Why shouldn't our moral code be tied to our religion? How can the USA always be right no matter what our sins? The number of American lives that have been lost in Iraq is a tragedy as are the hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis who have died. Think if we Americans and our government were innocent, falsely accused and then invaded by a foreign power. Then our babies and grandmothers began to die in hordes as the bombs fell and the bullets flew. How would WE feel?

Does the USA have the right to bully other countries or to kill innocent victims? Do we have the right to say who can and cannot have nuclear power? No wonder most of Europe is disgusted with us.

Before this war began, I marched in a peace demonstration in Blacksburg. My humble sign said, "You reap what you sow." Think of what our harvest will be...then weep.