Events
Peace & Justice Expo
Saturday, April 26 Primary Election
May 13 Email Chuck Hagel Nebraska Peace Stratcom
News and important info on the threat to the world from Omaha. Whiteclay
Updates on Nebraska's tiny reservation border town. Dick Cheney
Impeachment is on the table. Speaking Our Peace Forty & Counting
By Paul Olson, NFP President Global Warming Global Warming Is Alive and Well
By Professor Bruce E. Johansen Peace Matters
Omaha NFP Newsletter StratCom Conference Space Conference
 Alexandra Svoboda
An Injury to One is an Injury to All… Event World Peace forum
 Peace Propaganda Peace Propaganda

WHY PEACE?

Statement by United Methodist Bishop Ann B. Sherer at the January 27 “Bring the Troops Home” Rally in Lincoln

Why do we from many faith traditions and meaning systems gather here at the Capitol on this very cold Saturday morning? Why do we believe that we are called to be Peacemakers, to join with others in beating our swords into plowshares, to ask our leaders to use a different way in Iraq? From my own tradition I am called by scripture and by our United Methodist Social Principles that state:

“We believe war is incompatible with the teaching and example of Christ. We therefore reject war as an instrument of national foreign policy, to be employed only as a last resort in the prevention of such evils as genocide, brutal suppression of human rights, and unprovoked international aggression. We insist that the first moral duty of all nations is to resolve by peaceful means every dispute that arises between or among them, that human values must outweigh military claims as governments determine their priorities…”

By these criteria, it is my judgment that we must withdraw from Iraq. This conflict does not meet this standard. We are here on the steps of the Nebraska Capitol to share our conviction that this war in Iraq must be ended.

“We yearn for the day when there will be no more war and people will live together in peace and justice.”

That time is not yet, but we work toward such a vision. In the meantime Christians differ as to whether war or a particular war is sometimes necessary, but we agree that it is essential to support those women and men who put their lives on the line in service to their country, in military settings. We pray for them daily as we pray for all those caught in the terror of living in a war zone — Iraq, Afghanistan, and other places around the world. We offer our ministry to the military, to their families, and to those persons who are citizens of the lands where war is raging.

It is a judgment call, but many of us believe that the war in Iraq does not merit the continued loss of U.S. and Iraqi lives and urge our government to withdraw our troops. We are here on the steps of the Nebraska Capitol to ask our government to bring our troops home.

Fear has gripped us and our nation since 9/11 and we have lived and acted out of that terrible fear. It is my prayer, my hope, that we can turn loose of our fear and trust God as we move into the future. We have nothing to fear because God holds the future. If we can loose some of our fear then we can participate in the peace-making, justice-creating that God longs to share with us. We can choose to see those who are different from us as interesting potential friends instead of enemies. We can return good for evil and break the cycle of violence. This war has not cured our fears or made us safer. We must turn loose of the war and look for another answer. With words of appreciation for all they have risked and given, we must bring our dearly loved Nebraska National Guard troops home instead of asking them to stay even longer. We must bring our brave soldiers out of harm’s way. We must work with other nations to establish another route toward peace and security for Iraqi citizens. The work will not be easy. It has its own risks. But we must have the courage to try another way. We are here on the steps of the Nebraska Capitol to ask our government to take a different path.

Jesus says in Matthew 5 as he shares his Sermon on the Mount. “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called the children of God.”

Let us take the risk of being peacemakers. Let us cooperate with other nations and discern a different way to approach the brokenness of Iraq. God of all the earth guide the people of this land, and of all nations, in the ways of justice and peace, remove from our minds all hatred, prejudice, fear and contempt that we may honor one another and serve the common good. Amen