Bush's United Methodist Church calls for withdrawal from Iraq (Poll)
Wed Nov 02, 2005 at 01:22:25 PM PDT
The United Methodist Church, which the President claims to be a member of (home church is Highland Park, Texas), has issued it's official teaching regarding withdrawal from Iraq:
Board of Church and Society calls for withdrawal from Iraq
See below for link to article in The Nation which ends on this note:
Bush has asserted that he entered Iraq on a direct order from God. Now, he has a direct order from his own church to leave. Is he listening?
Sweet Victory: United Methodist Church Calls For Withdrawal
"As people of faith, we raise our voice in protest against the tragedy of the unjust war in Iraq," the statement read. "Thousands of lives have been lost and hundreds of billions of dollars wasted in a war the United States initiated and should never have fought.... We grieve for all those whose lives have been lost or destroyed in this needless and avoidable tragedy. Military families have suffered undue hardship from prolonged troop rotations in Iraq and loss of loved ones. It is time to bring them home."
"It is my hope and prayer that our statement against the war in Iraq will be heard loud and clear by our fellow United Methodists, President Bush and Vice President Cheney," said Jim Winkler, General Secretary of the UMC's Board of Church and Society. "Conservative and liberal board members worked together to craft a strong statement calling for the troops to come home and for those responsible for leading us into this disastrous war to be held accountable."
"With its bold stands against the Administration, the UMC is fulfilling the words of Martin Luther King Jr., who called for the church to be "not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion" but "a thermostat that transformed the mores of society."
Understand that there are deep divides, blue and red, North and South, liberal and conservative within the United Methodist Church. However, they found the fortitude, faith, and conviction to prayerfully unify around the theme of peace, in keeping with Christ's expectation. This is might be seen as a model for what our nation might be able to do.
As prior to the Iraq invasion, I tend to expect the President to ignore his church's direction. I can hardly anticipate his giving any acknowledgement of this. He does not ever seem to recognize the church's authority to advise on matters of social justice. Although he solicited the Catholics on school vouchers and restricting abortion, but firmly ignored them on the Just War issue. He ignores the United Methodist positions on abortion. And gambling as well, although he can share that blame with Abramaoff.
Never did Bush find any time for the 8 United Methodist Bishops trying to arrange to see him prior to invading Iraq concerning their Just War considerations.
Never did Bush acknowlege Head Bishop Talbert's 30 second TV spot calling for peace.
Probably Bush can't fit them in now either to discuss the withdrawal teaching.
Some may recall that tv spot of Bishop Talber opposing the invastion of Iraq in 2002. Note the interesting prophecy he made concerning a post-war Iraq:
Bishop Takes Leading Role in Commercial Questioning Iraq War Policies
Can anyone dare argue his prediction was wrong?
I regret he couldn't forsee the torture Stalags we'd create, probably too hard to believe in 2002.
Bearing false witness to create a pretext on which the killing of tens of thousands would be justified, and stirring up religious war, just isn't something a real Christian could do, especially a United Methodist, who pledges, as part of the vow of membership, to uphold the Social Principles of The United Methodist Church.
This is another important prong in the series of emerging efforts to hold this administration accountable.
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