Ghost Ranch Seminar seeks
alternatives to violence
a report from Douglas Bartlett
[8-15-02]
"In Search of Alternatives to Violence," a
seminar sponsored jointly by the Witherspoon Society and the
Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, was held at the Ghost Ranch Education and
Retreat Center in Abiquiu, NM in late July. Drawing about thirty
participants from across the country, the seminar focused on the urgent
need for our opposition to the continued development of new generations
of nuclear weapons, especially ABM's and "star wars."
Barbara Green, Executive Director of the Center for
Theology and Public Policy in Washington, DC, led discussion based on
her study of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's brave and profound resistance to the
Nazi terror in wartime Germany and his love for all of God's creation.
She also spoke of a recent statement of religious leaders who gathered
at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C: "We deeply believe
that the long-term reliance on nuclear weapons in the arsenals of the
nuclear powers, and the ever-present dangers of their acquisition by
others, is morally untenable and militarily unjustified." (June,
2000)
Bruce Gagnon, Coordinator of the Global Network
Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, spoke of the hundreds of
billions of dollars being committed to the development of new
anti-ballistic weapons in space. International treaties are being
renounced and the "star wars" nature of our weapons in space
threatens the environment and the delicate agreements among nations, not
the least of which is the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. Bruce brought
new information not reported by much of the popular press, speaking with
passion on this crucial subject.
Alan Geyer, Canon Ethicist of the National Cathedral,
reviewed the disarmament efforts during the Cold War. He has written
widely of the moral dimensions of the continuing nuclear threat and
various forms of militarism in our culture. He suggested that "a
fanatic is one who doubles the speed when in trouble or losing the
way," applying this critique to the nuclear policies of the G. W.
Bush presidency. These policies go all the way back to 1980, when our
government promoted the huge lie of the US-USSR imbalance of nuclear
weapons. In fact, we were always way ahead of Soviet weapons.
Among the themes discussed throughout the week were a
"theology of peacemaking," the relationship between patriotism
and resistance, the conviction that peace is the experiencing of the
harmony of life and of positive human relationships, and what we need to
believe in order to stay hopeful and useful in our peacemaking.
It was a powerful and stimulating week of helpful
presentations and several small group discussion sessions, inspiring a
measure of hope as we headed home. Conversations continued around the
tables at meal times and on into the evenings.
Witherspoon and the Peace Fellowship will explore the
possibilities of a fourth annual seminar at Ghost Ranch next summer.
Watch for further news and plan to come!
The author
Doug Bartlett recently retired as mentor of peace
studies at Warren Wilson College, Asheville, NC, and is currently living
in the Washington, D.C. area.
