by Rev. Dr. Mary Susan Gast, Conference Minister, March, 2003
Monthly Reflections from The Pacific ~ News and Events of the NCNC United Church of Christ

QUESTIONS OF WAR

Words of encouragement and support for those ministering "in the fields."

The office staff gathered that Thursday morning, as we do most every weekday, for prayer and mutual support. It was February 6, the day after Secretary of State Colin Powell had delivered to the nation the documentation of Iraq's accumulation of weapons of mass destruction; its hiding of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programs and missile activity; its deliberate misleading of inspectors.

Some of us were convinced by the evidence presented. Some mused about the wily technology that makes the faking of photos and audio tapes possible. Most of us, honoring Secretary Powell's personal integrity, were moved by the genuineness of his convictions. But none of us really needed to be persuaded that Saddam Hussein is a ruler ultimately committed to the preservation of his own power. As Jim Wallis wrote months ago, "Those who minimize his evil are morally irresponsible; those who underestimate his willingness to commit mass murder are making a serious mistake."

In writing "Of War" in the 13th Century, Thomas Aquinas cited Psalm 82:4 as justification for taking up arms: "Rescue the downtrodden; deliver them from the hand of the exploiter." But, of course, the question is, will taking up arms against Saddam Hussein deliver his people from exploitation? Will our killing of the people of Iraq in war have any greater effect on Saddam Hussein than the economic embargo imposed since 1991, which has doubled the death rate for small children in Iraq?

The Christian community, over the centuries, has developed criteria for what constitutes a "just war," among them: "Is there just cause?" "Is war the course of last resort?" "Is it likely that greater evil will be created by going to war than by not?" "Would non-combatants be spared?" Those questions, applied to the current situation with Iraq, elicit troubling responses. U.N. weapons inspectors are at work; Iraq has been militarily contained for the past 12 years; we are willing to continue to negotiate with North Korea, yet see war with Iraq as "inevitable." Why war? Why now? Would not war itself trigger the unleashing of the weapons of mass destruction that we are trying to prevent, putting at risk non-combatants not neatly confined to Iraq?

It is difficult, at best, to contend with a government which seems more than willing to put its citizenry in jeopardy. A leader impervious to the pain of his own people is unlikely to flinch from loosing germ warfare or atomic arms. The toxicity of Saddam Hussein's regime is not in question; the question is whether war is the antidote. Those who seek justice, must act justly. As the Almighty puts it in Psalm 81:
          "If only My people would listen to Me,
          If only the people would walk in My ways!
          How quickly their enemies would collapse,
          My hand turning against their foes…"

                                                                  ~ Mary Susan

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