The Christian Response to War

Come, think of Yahweh's marvels,
the astounding things he has done in the world;
all over the world he puts an end to wars,
he breaks the bow, he snaps the spear,
he gives shields to the flames.
"Pause a while and know that I am God,
exalted among the nations, exalted over the earth!"

Psalm 46:8-10

The costs of the Iraqi War are $157.8 billion and counting -- the money that could have been spent, for instance, to insure 94.5 million children for one year or provide four-year scholarships at public universities for 7.7 million students." - Furuhashi, "How Do We Resist This Ruinous War?", CounterPunch, March 25, 2005.

We must stand with Jesus Christ, the defeated one. Our leader is not the Arnold Schwartzenegger of the moment, rather "there was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him, nor appearance that would attract us to him." (Isaiah 52:19). Each in his or her own place can begin to do the small things that put an end to violence, in ourselves first, and then among the nest of lies that become bullets in the flesh of the innocent. Among the defeated, all are welcome, anyone can speak a word that deflates the myth, that pokes holes of silence into the ranting beast. Since we are defeated, we need not waste our substance in dreams that keep the voice of violence alive in us. Out of truth comes true hope. Out of defeat the ability to see truth.

"Every person of conscience in the United States right now should be putting everything into ending the war on Iraq. The US military is killing thousands of human beings, wounding thousands, traumatizing infants and children, destroying families, destroying cities. This is not one issue among many. This is an emergency to which we must not become adjusted and numb. This is life and death. People are murdering in our name.

Anger and vengeance are being nurtured by actions we are allowing to occur. We are encouraging international armament and militarism by failing to restrain our government. We are allowing the world to move closer to nuclear disaster, a catastrophe that looms more urgently than global warming." "Peace in Iraq Now", Progressive Democrats of America, March 15, 2005.