'War is Always a Defeat for Humanity' (by Alexia Kelley)
Five years after bombs first exploded over Baghdad with a "shock and awe" display of staggering military might, the Iraq war continues with tragic costs and still-unseen consequences.
First, we mourn and honor the American and Iraqi dead whose lost lives are the ultimate reminder of war's cruelty. These many thousands gone are not statistics. Fathers, mothers, husbands, and sisters will never come home again. Children will grow up without parents. Grief etched on the human heart does not fade like today's headlines.
The late Pope John Paul II warned before the invasion of Iraq that "war is always a defeat for humanity." It's impossible to calculate the damage done by war to the human spirit. As faithful citizens, we continue to seek justice that is the foundation of all peace. Speaking in a triumphal tone that divided the world into good and evil, President Bush described the "war on terror" as a "crusade." We have learned again during this dark era of fear and militarism that religion used in the service of power – the uniting of cross and sword – is a betrayal of faith's prophetic spirit and call to humility.
Author James Carroll, whose Constantine's Sword documents how Christianity's rise as a religion of empire stoked the historical flames of anti-Semitism, spoke movingly last week at the Washington National Cathedral - reminding us that "No war is holy." The religious imagination should help temper the fervor of American exceptionalism. More than ever we need to reclaim spiritual humility and pray, as Abraham Lincoln once did, that we are on God's side rather than claiming endorsement from the divine.
In his 1961 farewell address, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, a Republican and former general of the Army, warned that a growing "military-industrial complex" has grave implications for democracy if vigilance is not paid to how freedom can be trampled in the name of strength and security. Six years later, Martin Luther King Jr. preached against the war in Vietnam and said that a "nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death." We need to heed these powerful words more than ever.
Along with the profound human and spiritual costs of war, we have squandered billions of dollars that could have been spent providing Americans with health care, living wages, better public schools, and services to help the most vulnerable. Just as the ambitious anti-poverty programs of President Lyndon Johnson's "Great Society" campaign fizzled in the distant jungles of Vietnam, the Iraq war has drained limited resources from programs essential to building a culture for the common good. The gap between rich and poor has reached Depression-era standards. Our economy teeters on the brink of recession. American jobs are sent abroad as corporations seek cheap labor and minimal regulation. Meanwhile, companies like Bechtel, DynCorp, and Lockheed Martin earn record profits providing weapons and services for the war.
We have also lost a proper respect for patriotic dissent. After the Sept. 11 attacks, Americans who spoke out against preemptive war were told by a former Bush press secretary "to watch what they say and do." The millions who marched against the war were viewed with suspicion. Speaking for peace was subversive. The best minds of our generations were told to salute the flag and keep quiet. The late Rev. William Sloan Coffin Jr., a Christian unbowed in his will to speak truth to power, once described true patriotism as "a lover's quarrel" with your country. We must reclaim this reverence for engaged dissent.
It's easy to feel demoralized when we look back on these past five years. But the Christian faith teaches us to be undaunted bearers of a hope that refuses to yield to darkness. We look to the future strengthened by the abundant spirit of a God who comforts us in our sorrow and calls us to create the world anew.
Alexia Kelley is the executive director for Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, and a member of the Red Letter Christians.
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SHOCK AND AWE!
Brought to you live by the American petroleum industry,
in partnership with the Bush administration,
enabled by the rubber stamp GOP congress.
Overwhelmed with rumors, lies and deception
spread by a corrupted media industry,
America abandoned reason,
surrendered to the politics of fear
and will pay the price for generations to come.
The global petroleum industry is making out like bandits with this epic production.
Posted by: justintime | March 17, 2008 1:33 PM
To those closes to him- Pope John Paul II was correct concerning the war in Iraq. His sight was clear.
God bless his soul. And the soul of Martin Luther King, Jr., Mother Teresa, and those who care for the least of them.
"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."
Elizabeth Daniele
Posted by: Elizabeth Daniele | March 17, 2008 2:16 PM
Nice references, Alexia. It's sad how little we've learned from the history of war.
Posted by: Dan | March 17, 2008 3:30 PM
Our democracy is floundering on the shores of corporate greed which has stoked the fires of national policy through political contributions and influence, and found willing partners in Congress (both sides of the aisle) and the White House.
Meanwhile, our President rallies support for his crusade, and hints at his next military adventure, attacking IRAN, by invoking his own faith as justification for America's unique role in bringing freedom to the entire world, no matter how many lives we end, how many billions we waste, how much pain and suffering we inflict on mankind, to the delight of some misguided Christians! God weeps over our sins!
We are witnessing the fulfillment of President Eisenhower's prediction about the military-industrial complex, and how it has usurped the power of the individual in our society. We have two alternatives-endless war and suffering, or a return to the basis of our faith, in tha God's Son preached the Gospel of Peace for ALL, not just Americans, not just Christians.
Pray for peace, and dare to act!
Posted by: Doug & Jan in CO | March 17, 2008 3:56 PM
I was doing some reminiscing about my Navy days in Okinawa, Hanza Okinawa to be exact, when I came across a photo of a B52 loaded with bombs taking off from Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa in 1969. It was headed for Vietnam. The photo can be seen at the below link.
http://www.navycthistory.com/images/OKb52_1_big.jpg
This reminded me of a morning in 1968-69 when I was in a cab on a road between the vantage point of where the photo was taken and the runway, which is like I said Kadena AFB, Okinawa. The distance between the photographer and the airplane is between six and ten miles I would say. The roads were blocked off and the traffic routed around the area. One of the loaded B52 planes had crashed on take off. All the bombs, 500 pound ones I was told, exploded one after another.
That evening I went work where my supervisor, only a few years older than myself, told me about his early morning wake up call. He was married and had a little girl about five years old. They lived off base between Kadena and where this photo was taken from, Torii Station. In the early morning hours that day his daughter had been frightened and came into his and his wife’s bedroom to sleep. Shortly afterwards the noise and concussion of "hell" broke loose. A B52 like one in the photo had crashed and within the next minutes and what seemed like hours all the bombs began to explode.
Later when they went into his daughter’s bedroom to get her clothes for the day they looked at her bed. The concussion from one or more of the bombs had exploded his daughter’s bedroom window and splintering and shattering glass had torn his daughter’s bed to absolute shreds. They were some two to four miles or more from the runway. Had his daughter still been in her bed at the time of the explosions she most likely would have been killed, or at least most severely injured.
When our country puffs up our collective chest as our awesome weapons deliver shock and awe to bad guys, we must know that the above story is repeated hundreds or thousands of times, with the children in their beds. As Christians we know that God created us all, Americans, Iraqis, Iranians, or any human for that matter. We know “God so loved the world He sent his only Son to die for it.”
Perhaps it is time for Christian Americans to repent for backing this Iraq War and demand a new path not only in Iraq, but an end to war only diplomacy we seem to favor as a nation.
Posted by: RandyT | March 17, 2008 8:28 PM
Is there a thimble's worth of difference between the killing of innocent children through Nazi or communist or jihad fanaticism vs. killing innocent children through the deliberate acts of righteous war to stop the fanaticism?
Until we agree that there is no difference in His eyes, that there is only shame in killing innocent civilians, no matter your cause, we will not be a truly noble people, advancing a righteous cause by means that recognize and uphold the sacred in ourselves, in our enemies, and in the innocent children that always, always die.
When we shamelessly accept that we kill innocents in our righteous war, we become one with the enemy. There is no righteous war.
Todd
Posted by: Todd | March 18, 2008 5:46 AM
Since actions speak louder than words, my observation is that George W. Bush loves mammon and not God.
Posted by: Oak | March 18, 2008 12:12 PM
Thank you for this message. As a retired Catholic Priest I ask this Questio? Will the catholic Hierarchyand Priests in local parishes really speak against this WAR??? The clergy in the US are just as guilty as those in Germany who failed to speak out against WWII. Where are the Cardinals and Archbishops who scream about Abortion and Gay Marriage but hardly mention the WAR. Two more thoughts The leadership of the church in the US has failed to follow the lead opf either John Paul II or Benedict XVI. they are gutless wonders. TOO MANY catholics here are US Citixens first and Catolics second. They have failed to understand tow vital moral teachings.1the End does not justify the Means and Right does not make Right Thank you for working for real peace PAul J. McLaughlin
Posted by: Paul J. McLaughlin | March 18, 2008 12:31 PM
Dear Alexia and others, I don't understand why the Christians always just want to talk about the costs of war; do any of you think that things will change unless you ar willing to act and vote for peace. The voting booth provides the perfect tool of change that was ever available for Americans.;; Vote for peace.
Now -my question of the day- why would any minister or priest ever serve in the military as a chaplain?; knowing what they know about Jesus.
When you are in combat, there is only one rule -kill or be killed- if we survive we may one day be normal again.
Best wishes
Posted by: Herb | March 25, 2008 8:28 PM
Discrimination
Human faith religion starts from the premise of humanity which is more than a physical face and biological organism. It is a wisdom that can only be obtained from the nature of God. It is a stage of awareness where purity of living in the physical senses without bias. Today the global women health and education crisis is result of Christian ethics of distributing education unequally. Education for the women’s of the world. We know that the "God Save the Queen and Queen Save the World “ The only way we can treat the world phenomena of poverty, population, Health, war, global warming, earth, children and racial issues and many more by educating the Queen. It is time to break the prison camp of Christianity in order to change system of the world leadership and to stop educational discrimination from developed nations. The problem is when someone uneducated and dust colored like me tries to prove something it is called delusion and the same product gets new name and introduced by some privileged member of Christianity called illusion. The issue we see in many undeveloped nations is that the majority of there best minds and educated people go to the America and European countries for batter life. The undeveloped country gets by one way or other because it must while they live good life comfortably as a modern slave of Christianity. As soon as their successors grow up they will follow them to find best education and work in United State and The United Kingdom. The result of this is that after every twenty or twenty five years undeveloped country goes back to the starting point again this whitish circle of helplessness continues because of Christian ethics of distributing education and keeping educated worker for them self. The easy way to stop vicious circle developed nations must educate citizen of poor and undeveloped countries in order to advance life. It is time to stop educational discrimination for humanity. Thus a free beggar is better then the President of country who is in the prison camp of Christianity. The human faith message of life and spreading the understanding of true human nature can bring peace and goodness in our life and in the life of those who are seeking truth. It is time to introduce human faith religious based on new life shining with light and full of happiness. Human faith is the real message of love and peace in the world. The goal that we set up for human being in their lives is the satisfaction and the moral value by means of which all actions must be measures to save human life. Our vision is to introduce true human nature by mobilizing communities and faiths around the world to improve people’s lives .Our mission is to strength the bond of humanity by introducing human faith religion. The "martial law” such as those operating in dictatorships and monarchies should change their unjust way of monopolizing humanity. It is scares to think that the relationships among people and organizations based on Christian ideology .I would like to request from all these Dictators, Kings, Monarchies, Army Chiefs, Organizations, Government officials, Presidents, Vice Presidents, and Religious leaders to adopt new philosophy of humanity and come out from the prison camp of Christianity .
Human faith method of teaching moral values and humanity can give realistic purpose of achieving complete fulfillment of internal life. The spiritual change from loneness to loveliness is based on love by giving unlimited trust in God (Rab). Human mind is miracle of Supreme Being when we struggle to boil it at luck warm temperature of wisdom to understand fundamental of life by reading (Rabi). The ever lasting stage of satisfaction for mind is to reach Supreme Being before death. The journey of memories can be pleasant with nine affirmations of human faith. We believe that it is time to joggle every conscious to show them that human mind is superior matter not material. The festival of life can be celebrated with wisdom of human faith knowledge once we realize that we all are part of the superior race. It advocates spiritual and moral principles on very high scales for the longest term in human history. Human faith is Adam's monotheistic faith and knows that God is the creator and overseer of the universe at all the time and all matters. It is time to modernize our faith by adopting true faith and educate mankind in accordance with basic principle of life. Our vision is to introduce true human religion by mobilizing communities and faiths around the world to improve people's lives .Our mission is to strength the bond of humanity (Rabi) by introducing human faith religion.
IN GOD (Rib) WE TRUST WE HAVE FAITH IN HUMANITY (Rabi).
Posted by: humanity | July 1, 2008 11:54 AM
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