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A statement by the Patriarch and Local Heads of Churches In Jerusalem:
“Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)
Christian Zionism is a modern theological and political movement that embraces the most extreme ideological positions of Zionism, thereby becoming detrimental to a just peace within Palestine and Israel. The Christian Zionist programme provides a worldview where the Gospel is identified with the ideology of empire, colonialism and militarism. In its extreme form, it laces an emphasis on apocalyptic events leading to the end of history rather than living Christ’s love and justice today.
We categorically reject Christian Zionist doctrines as false teaching that corrupts the biblical message of love, justice and reconciliation.We further reject the contemporary alliance of Christian Zionist leaders and organizations with elements in the governments of Israel and the United States that are presently imposing their unilateral pre-emptive borders and domination over Palestine. This inevitably leads to unending cycles of violence that undermine the security of all peoples of the Middle East and the rest of the world.
We reject the teachings of Christian Zionism that facilitate and support these policies as they advance racial exclusivity and perpetual war rather than the gospel of universal love, redemption and reconciliation taught by Jesus Christ. Rather than condemn the world to the doom of Armageddon we call upon everyone to liberate themselves from the ideologies of militarism and occupation. Instead, let them pursue the healing of the nations!
We call upon Christians in Churches on every continent to pray for the Palestinian and Israeli people, both of whom are suffering as victims of occupation and militarism. These discriminative actions are turning Palestine into impoverished ghettos surrounded by exclusive Israeli settlements. The establishment of the illegal settlements and the construction of the Separation Wall on confiscated Palestinian land undermines the viability of a Palestinian state as well as peace and security in the entire region.
We call upon all Churches that remain silent, to break their silence and speak for reconciliation with justice in the Holy Land.
Therefore, we commit ourselves to the following principles as an alternative way:
We affirm that all people are created in the image of God. In turn they are called to honor the dignity of every human being and to respect their inalienable rights.
We affirm that Israelis and Palestinians are capable of living together within peace, justice and security.
We affirm that Palestinians are one people, both Muslim and Christian. We reject all attempts to subvert and fragment their unity.
We call upon all people to reject the narrow world view of Christian Zionism and other ideologies that privilege one people at the expense of others.
We are committed to non-violent resistance as the most effective means to end the illegal occupation in order to attain a just and lasting peace.
With urgency we warn that Christian Zionism and its alliances are justifying colonization, apartheid and empire-building.
God demands that justice be done. No enduring peace, security or reconciliation is possible without the foundation of justice. The demands of justice will not disappear. The struggle for justice must be pursued diligently and persistently but non-violently.
“What does the Lord require of you, to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)
This is where we take our stand. We stand for justice. We can do no other. Justice alone guarantees a peace that will lead to reconciliation with a life of security and prosperity for all the peoples of our Land. By standing on the side of justice, we open ourselves to the work of peace – and working for peace makes us children of God.
“God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” (2 Cor 5:19)
His Beattitude Patriarch Michel Sabbah
Latin Patriarchate, JerusalemArchbishop Swerios Malki Mourad,
Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate, JerusalemBishop Riah Abu El-Assal,
Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle EastBishop Munib Younan,
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land
To which I say Amen.
Tip ‘o the biretta to Fr. Jim Tucker.
Last night Keith Olbermann of MSNBC’s Countdown with Keith Olbermann delivered a masterful retort to Donald Rumsfeld’s diatribe against the vast majority of Americans who do not agree with this administration’s pursuit of war.
A transcript of his remarks is available at Crooks and Liars. See Keith Olbermann Delivers One Hell of a Commentary on Rumsfeld where in part he says:
Sadly, we have no Winston Churchills evident among us this evening. We have only Donald Rumsfelds, demonizing disagreement, the way Neville Chamberlain demonized Winston Churchill.
History – and 163 million pounds of Luftwaffe bombs over England – had taught us that all Mr. Chamberlain had was his certainty – and his own confusion. A confusion that suggested that the office can not only make the man, but that the office can also make the facts.
You can also view his comments in a better format at TMP Café in Olberman Our New Murrow.
What shocked me about Rumsfeld’s speech was the following (from a transcript of his remarks at Stars and Stripes):
And in every army, there are occasional bad actors, the ones who dominate the headlines today, who don’t live up to the standards of the oath and of our country. But you also know that they are a very, very small percentage of the literally hundreds of thousands of honorable men and women in all theaters in this struggle who are serving our country with humanity, with decency, with professionalism, and with courage in the face of continuous provocation.
And that is important in any long struggle or long war, where any kind of moral or intellectual confusion about who and what is right or wrong, can weaken the ability of free societies to persevere.
So Mr. Rumsfeld is stating that former military leaders and servicepeople who have come out against this war are traitors to their oath and to their country? Wow!!! I wonder what he thinks of his boss when he uses the Constitution as toilet paper.
Mr. Rumsfeld then he goes on to call the rest of us morally and intellectually confused? Cool, because if we were we wouldn’t see, nor would we care about, the loss of our freedoms and the high cost of our misadventures.
WSJV in Bush Sounds Off Against War Critics reports that President Bush’s speech in front of the American Legion’s national convention included the following:
The president said years of pursuing stability in the Middle East was proven a mirage after Sept. 11, 2001. Now, only a nation that commits itself to freedom can help itself and the rest of the world to defeat terror.
I take it that means that those who have pursued peace are idiots and that peace can only be obtained at the end of a gun?
Who knew? Now that I am aware of my moral and intellectual ineptitude, as well as the fact that I am an idiot, I can go out and buy some guns and give peace a chance.
For my part I will pray that our dear Lord grant the light of wisdom to our leaders. I will pray that their moral and intellectual darkness be eliminated, and that they see the truth. I will pray that they cease calling evil good and good evil and that they see that war is not peace.
God have mercy on us all.
Ojcze Przedwieczny! Na cześć i chwałę Twoją a dla zbawienie mego i świata całego, ofiaruję Ci pokorę, umartwienie, mękę, cierpliwość, miłość, śmierć i wszystkie zasługi Jezusa Chrystusa, i błagam Cię abyśmy owoców Jego okupienia wiecznie doznawali. Przez Chrystusa Pana naszego. Amen.