Washington Churches Call for Bombing End

KGW Northwest Newschannel 8 ^ | November 3, 2001, 11:30 AM | By AP Staff

[Jolly Rodgers]

Washington Churches Call for Bombing End

November 3, 2001, 11:30
By AP Staff

The Washington Association of Churches has called for an end to the U.S. bombing in Afghanistan, saying the war is blocking humanitarian efforts as the harsh Afghan winter approaches.

The association, which represents more than 1,400 Protestant churches in the state, sent a letter to members of the state's congressional delegation and to President Bush.

The letter points out that relief organizations say as many as 7.5 million people may face food shortages or starvation if the groups can't distribute food within Afghanistan.

Democratic Congressman Brian Baird said he respects the association's concerns, but insisted the Taliban deserve to be punished and bear any responsibility for lives lost.

The UN World Food Program estimates that Afghanistan needs nearly 1,900 tons of food distributed every day. Since the attacks began about a month ago, the United Nations has increased shipments from around 770 tons a day to about more than 1,500 tons daily.

(Copyright 2001 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[Jolly Rodgers]

Oh, from the title I thought they wanted us to stop bombing Washington churches. Fine, let them get on board.

Good point. We should refrain from bombing any "Washington" churches that we find in Afghanistan. ;-)

[ctonious]

The left really hit the jackpot when they gravitated toward the "chattering classes" (journalism, professors, law, philosophy, psychology, entertainment, ministry, etc.) and the right retreated into the hard sciences. They now hold a lock on the minds while we slave away to produce the technological civilization that they leach off of.

My hat is off to you. I've never seen this truth put forth quite so clearly and forcefully. Well bloody stated!

[Waco]

Now, if we had one of those "transporters" ala Star Trek, we could dump all the wreckage from the WTC on Afghonestan. PLUS a few commie NCC types!

[Jolly Rodgers]

I've never seen this truth put forth quite so clearly and forcefully.

It's one thing to recognize it. It is quite another to figure out what to do about it. Send a conservative young person to university with the intention of entering one of the left's professions and they'll either be propagandized into submission, washed out with biased grades, give up in frustration, or be jailed for daring to violate a speech code. Homeschooling is a good start, but we need to follow up with the establishment of conservative schools of higher learning. We've simply got to quit sacrificing our children on the alter of leftism.

[Congressman Billybob]

I assume that the "high-minded" pastors who put forth this pap are dumb as a box of rocks on the history of Middle-Eastern Wars. If they did a little homework, they would find that the 1967 Yom Kippur War started by Arab and Muslim nations against Isreal, was launched during Ramadan as well. That's why, in the East, it is called "The Ramadan War."

So the enemy in this war does not give a rat's *ss about religious concerns when it gets down to killing people. That's their decision. They can live with it, or die with it.

As for the men and women of the cloth in Washington State, here's the deal. The Generals won't tell them how to preach sermons. They won't tell the Generals how to fight wars. Fair enough?

The (More er Less) Honorable Billybob,
cyberCongressman from Western Carolina

Click here and go to "ALCU Watch" for "The Law of War," a detailed legal discussion of how the US declares war, both historically and in this instance.

For a clear discussion of the difference between what the US can constitutionally do in wartime with aliens (but NOT with US citizens of foreign extraction), see my book, Manzanar, published in 1988.

[over3Owithabrain]

Is a bunch of churches getting together to write a letter to the Government telling them to stop a war a violation of your view of church/state separation?

[SmartBlonde]

You have seriously maligned that poor box of rocks. They're Einstein compared to this bunch of nitwits.

[henbane]

I wonder if anyone at all among the hierarchy of The Washington Association of Churches has seen information detailing the horrors being prepared for us by bin Laden, Al-Qaeda and their fanatical muslim following?

In the face of this nightmare reality, any pause is not only absurd, but suicidal.

What is required now is a poweful step-up in the level of violence applied to these demons.

[The Al-Qaeda's Killing Manual] details targets such as water and food supplies, and advocates maximising public panic by poisoning medicine, thereby jeopardising treatment of the sick and injured.

The very essence of Evil!

Revealed: the Bloody Pages of Al-Qaeda's Killing Manual

[over3Owithabrain]

I figured the PCUSA would have a hand in this letter. My wife and I escaped that denomination several years ago, opting for PCA and other conservative churches. We still have many friends in there who are pretty conservative, but you can see how the teaching (or lack thereof) they are getting from PCUSA is holding them back. For instance, in the first week or so after 9/11, they were all for a swift and just response from America. Now they are wishy-washy about it, no doubt from the brainwashing they get every Sunday.

[Jolly Rodgers]

Is a bunch of churches getting together to write a letter to the Government telling them to stop a war a violation of your view of church/state separation?

Of course not. If the pastors are greived by the war, then they have the right to petition the government. It is the members of those churches who disagree that ought to be incensed. The pastors used their membership as a credibility chip and that is, in my opinion, a violation of their privileged status as ministers. Of course, they could always just quit the church, but many people are unable to do this because they have an emotional investment through believing that their particular denomination is the only "true" path to God and heaven. They can't leave the church without feeling that they are leaving God. That gives the minister great power to abuse them.

[over3Owithabrain]

Of course not. If the pastors are greived by the war, then they have the right to petition the government. It is the members of those churches who disagree that ought to be incensed. The pastors used their membership as a credibility chip and that is, in my opinion, a violation of their privileged status as ministers. Of course, they could always just quit the church, but many people are unable to do this because they have an emotional investment through believing that their particular denomination is the only "true" path to God and heaven. They can't leave the church without feeling that they are leaving God. That gives the minister great power to abuse them.

Agreed - these churches are free to voice their opinion, just as folks like us and members of those churches have a right to disagree with them and boycott their churches. From my experience, many people remain in these mainline denominations not so much out of fear of leaving God, but because of tradition, family ties, social status, etc. Many churches now are just spiritualized "country clubs", places to be seen and pad your career resume (like saying "he has a wife, two kids, volunteers at a homeless shelter, and serves as deacon in the First Presbyterian Affluent Moderate Church). People don't like to rock the boat in these churches by challenging the doctrinal and political positions taken by the leaders.

[MistrX]

Time for the Nancy-boys to step aside and let our men do their work.

[MissAmericanPie]

Sounds like double talk to me. We need you to kill them, but we can't endorse it? Personally I would never be welcome in a Chruch, because at that point I would be asking him to show me in scriptures where hypocricy is something God requires of his representatives.

[Congressman Billybob]

Made a serious mistake in my post. The Yom Kippur / Ramadan War was the 1973 one, not the 1967 one.

Like your handle. I am also a SmartBlonde.

Billybob

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

I gave up on being a United Methodist a while ago. Any ideas about how to be a non-UN-affiliated Christian these days?

[Jolly Rodgers]

Any ideas about how to be a non-UN-affiliated Christian these days?

I suppose some of the small congregational community churches are pretty independent.