‘Peace is the Church’s business’
“War is always a defeat for humanity.
It is also a tragedy for religion.“
– John Paul II, Bishop of Rome
Weakness and moral inconsistencies led us to war, by Rowan Williams (archbishopofcanterbury.org)
Voices opposing war grow louder daily (www.faithlinks.org)
Finding our way: a Christian perspective (www.faithlinks.org)
Discussing peacemaking as a family (www.faithlinks.org)
Faith leaders urge early end to war (BBC article)
Chicago Diocese Anglican Advance News Briefs
ICUJP Religious and Other Statements on War, Peace and Justice
In search of the God of Peace (www.faithlinks.org)
This article highlights a conference that Fr. John Dear [of "Christianity and Vegetarianism: Pursuing the Nonviolence of Jesus" fame, among AR people] will be leading. The conference is titled “Peace Be With You: Following Jesus on the Road to Nonviolence”.
(Those were written prior to the war. Now that the war is underway, you can find some good articles that have been added to http://www.faithlinks.org )
I am impressed with the language I’m hearing from the churches on the topic.
(Maybe someday….)
ìFor hundreds of thousands of years the stew in the pot has brewed hatred and resentment that is difficult to stop. If you wish to know why there are disasters of armies and weapons in the world, listen to the piteous cries from the slaughter house at midnight.î
– Ancient Chinese verse
Getting back to the point of this site, our whole species is implicated in constant violence against other species…. And until we are willing to speak out against those atrocities, and change, we really don’t have much to brag about. (To be publicly harsher than I probably ought to be, we really cannot pretend to be very serious about issues pertaining to peace, justice, non-violence, pro-life, and/or “stewardship of creation”, until we deal seriously with issues of our constant acts of violence against non-humans — whether for food, research, entertainment, sport, “conservation” control, etc. There is a credibility issue at stake, which cannot be “whitewashed by a moral excuse [or] a pretense of reluctance”.)
“As long as man continues to be the ruthless destroyer of lower living beings, he will never know health or peace. For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seeds of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love.”
– Pythagoras