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"Who
do we think we are?"
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"Who
do we think we are?"
Peter Sawtell, of Eco-Justice Ministries, reflects on
the current administration's attitude toward the world of nations as
mirroring our nation's attitude toward the world of nature: standing
above the rules, rightly telling other nations what to do - in short,
attitudes the are grounded in our "bullying, exploitative, and
self-centered worldview."
[10-1-02]
I have spent the last several years paying close
attention to the ways in which different perspectives on humanity's
place and purpose in creation shape personal, cultural and national
behaviors. I have trained myself to be aware of the question, "Who
do we think we are?" that underlies the more public questions about
"What should we do?"
My awareness of those "who are we?"
questions informs my distress about the US government's insistence on
initiating war against Iraq.
My government's pompous assertions about the
justification for war mirror the mindset that has driven so much
environmental destruction. The Bush administration's sense of "who
we are" in the realm of international relationships parallels what
it has asserted about our relationships with nature.
 | The US claims that it stands outside of (or above)
the rules that govern other nations, that we can take preemptive actions
while others cannot, and that we are free to act without broad consensus
from the community of nations. |
| The US claims that we have license to dominate other
nations and cultures, and that we can use whatever means are necessary
to impose our will and to seek our own security. |
| The US government claims that it has the wisdom to
know the effects of all of its actions, and to achieve its goals without
ill effects. |
Grounded in that bullying, exploitative, and
self-centered worldview, the combined momentum of government policy,
political self-interest and public opinion are moving us rapidly toward
a declaration of war.
It is certainly not possible to turn the US from war
without addressing questions about our "place and purpose" in
the community of nations -- the very questions which are not being asked
within the US political system. US politicians seek evidence that Iraq
is a threat (which certainly is an important question), but do not ask
whether the US has the moral right to unilaterally invade Iraq on the
basis of purely potential threats.
My life and my profession in ministry are dedicated to
addressing the question of "our place and purpose in creation"
from the perspective of the Christian faith. I firmly believe that our
faith tradition calls us into a self-understanding that affirms
relationships of mutuality, justice, humility, compassion,
reconciliation and sustainability. Those values apply equally to
interpersonal, international and ecological relationships.
I pray that the Christian community in the US will
raise the "place and purpose" questions which must inform US
foreign policy, and that we will speak loudly and clearly about the way
our faith commitments lead us to answer those questions.
Shalom! Peace!
Peter Sawtell
Executive Director
Eco-Justice Ministries
On the web at www.eco-justice.org
E-mail: ministry@eco-justice.org
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An index of
our reports
from
BECOMING NEIGHBORS:
An Invitation
to Global Discipleship
A Witherspoon conference
on global mission and justice
September 16 - 19, 2007
Louisville, Kentucky |
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Check out our report from the
Conference
on
Terror, Torture,
and Security |
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