Detroit
Presbytery calls for US military restraint
Endorses WCC statement "A call
to stop the rush to war"
[10-7-02]
At its meeting of September 24, 2002 the
Presbytery of Detroit adopted the following statement:
In the words of the Confession of 1967 we, the
Presbytery of Detroit, confess that
"God's reconciliation in Jesus Christ is the
ground of the peace, justice, and freedom among nations which all
powers of government are called to serve and defend. The church, in
its own life, is called to practice the forgiveness of enemies and to
commend to the nations as practical politics the search for
cooperation and peace. This search requires that the nations pursue
fresh and responsible relations across every line of conflict, even at
risk to national security, to reduce areas of strife and to broaden
international understanding. Reconciliation among nations becomes
peculiarly urgent as countries develop nuclear, chemical, and
biological weapons, diverting their manpower and resources from
constructive uses and risking the annihilation of mankind. Although
nations may serve God's purposes in history, the church which
identifies the sovereignty of any one nation or any one way of life
with the cause of God denies the Lordship of Christ and betrays its
calling." (9.46)
Though we are fully aware of the dangers in our world,
we are mindful that military solutions exact a terrible price and are
likely to lead to further ills. At this moment in history, we believe it
right and wise for the United Stated to exercise military restraint,
especially in light of our allies' reservations, and to persist in the
search for reconciliation and peace.
Therefore, be it resolved that the Presbytery of
Detroit endorse the statement by the Central Committee of the World
Council of Churches, "A call to stop the rush to war."
A call to stop the rush to war
As representatives and participants from the United
States, British and Canadian churches meeting at the Central Committee
of the World Council of Churches, we have heard and share the concern of
those of other nations about the apparent drift towards military
confrontation in Iraq.
As the calls for military action to remove Saddam
Hussein from power in Iraq have grown louder, we call for restraint. We
are concerned about the situation in Iraq. We believe that the Iraqi
government has a duty to stop its internal repression, to end its
threats to peace, to abandon its efforts to develop weapons of mass
destruction, and to respect the legitimate role of the United Nations in
ensuring that it does so. But we also believe that the international
community is weakened and respect for law undermined when national
governments act individually rather than collectively to secure these
goals. We have watched with growing alarm as the United States
government has become increasingly unilateral in its approach to foreign
affairs, and has failed to heed the advice and counsel of friends and
allies.
Although both the U.S. and U.K. governments have claimed that they have
evidence that Saddam Hussein is building up weapons of mass destruction,
they have so far refused to make that evidence public. This undermines
democratic government by depriving the U.S. Congress and the U.K.
Parliament of the ability to make a considered judgment regarding the
justification for war. Furthermore, the United Nations Charter does not
permit states to engage in pre-emptive war. We therefore urge our
governments to pursue this matter through the United Nations Security
Council: In particular, we urge that Saddam Hussein's offer to readmit
U.N. Weapons Inspectors be accepted.
Our knowledge of and links with church partners in the
Middle East and our unity in Christ with Christians there make us very
sensitive to the destabilizing potential of a war against Iraq for the
whole region. There is no support among the Arab nations for such a war
and very little support in Europe and elsewhere. Christian/Muslim
relations would be further harmed by such a war, and the possibility of
such an action triggering direct military confrontation in Israel cannot
be ignored. Further, the forces of extremism and terrorism would be
strengthened rather than diminished.
As Christians, we are concerned by the likely human
costs of war with Iraq, particularly for civilians. We are unconvinced
that the gain for humanity would be proportionate to the loss. Neither
are we convinced that it has been publicly demonstrated that all
reasonable alternative means of containing Iraq's development of weapons
of mass destruction have been exhausted. We call upon our governments to
pursue these diplomatic means in active cooperation with the United
Nations and to stop the apparent rush to war. "Blessed are the
peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." (Matthew
5:9)
