A
Statement from Leaders of Friends Organizations in the U.S.
Regarding the War in Iraq
As
servants of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), as citizens
of the United States, and as members of the human family, we
speak today to express our profound grief and sorrow over our
government's decision to go to war against Iraq. This is a choice
we know will have enormous and tragic consequences - many as
yet unimagined - for the Iraqi people, for our own nation, and
for the world. It is a choice we believe was unnecessary, immoral
and unwise, especially since it was taken before all the nonviolent
and diplomatic alternatives were exhausted; indeed, before some
were even explored.
The God we worship
is a God of love (I John: 4). This Divine Spirit will always
guide us into "paths of righteousness" - into lives of caring
for, service to, and reconciliation with our fellow human beings
- if only we will open ourselves to Divine direction and follow
where that leads. This God tells "what is good, and that is
to do justice, and love mercy, and walk humbly with our God"
(Micah 6:8). The living Christ, our Teacher, tells us "to love
our enemies" (Mt. 6:44). We wonder where the justice, the mercy,
or the love is to be found in our government's decision to launch
this preemptive attack, and begin a war where so many people
will die.
We are deeply saddened
by the pain and suffering, the destruction and loss of life,
and the grief that this war will bring to the Iraqi people.
We are deeply saddened as well by the pain and suffering, the
loss of life, and the grief that will be experienced by our
soldiers, their families, and the many, many others who will
be victims of this war. All these people - Iraqis, American,
British and others - are children of God. We pray for God's
mercy on us all.
If this war goes
swiftly, and the military objectives of our government are achieved,
some will call it a success. But that can never be true. This
war, like every war, represents a profound failure. It shows
the failure of individuals and governments to address conditions
of poverty, injustice, and oppression that lead to war. It shows
our failure as human beings to overcome our own fears and greed,
which we are told in Scripture are the root causes of war and
strife (James 4:1-2). It shows a failure of will and creativity
among those in our own government and others to seek alternatives
to military force to resolve our conflicts. Finally, it represents
a tragic failure to work through and respect the United Nations
as the keystone of an evolving international system of law and
diplomacy that can respond to international crises and avert
war.
On
this day, in our sorrow and our hope for a better future, we
recommit ourselves to work with all people of faith and goodwill
to bring this conflict to an end, and to do whatever can be
done to avoid more wars. We believe, as President Carter observed
in accepting the Nobel Peace Prize, that "war is always
an evil, never a good. We will not learn how to live together
in peace by killing each other's children." And we pray fervently
for that time the prophet Isaiah predicted, when we "shall beat
our swords into plowshares, and our spears into pruning hooks;
and nation will not lift up sword against nation, and we shall
not learn war anymore" (Is. 2:4).
Signatories (3/20/03):
Thomas
Jeavons, General Secretary, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
Mary
Ellen McNish, General Secretary, American Friends Service Committee
Bruce
Birchard, General Secretary, Friends General Conference
Steve
Baumgartner, Executive Director, Pendle Hill
Ben
Richmond, Director of North American Ministries, Friends United
Meeting
Joe
Volk, Executive Secretary, Friends Committee on National Legislation
OTHER
QUAKER STATEMENTS & LETTERS
Reviewed:
09/06/2005
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