|
September 11th, 2001 |
|
Words for these hard days
Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere
in prayer. ... Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
... Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is
noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on
you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but
leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is
mine, I will repay, says the Lord." No, "if your enemies are
hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink;
for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads." Do
not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
(Romans 12: 12-21) |
|
Theologian puts questions about the 9/11 event in a deeper perspective –
and gives reasons for deeper concern
[8-30-06]
Christian Faith and the Truth Behind 9/11: A Call to Reflection
and Action, by David Ray Griffin
A book review by
Arch Taylor
Also -- Griffin book arouses opposition and support
Rita Nakashima Brock, in her regular
FaithVoices email, writes about
reactions to the book.
Read her comments >> |
|
Theologian puts questions about the 9/11 event in a deeper perspective –
and gives reasons for deeper concern
[8-30-06] Christian Faith and the Truth Behind 9/11: A Call
to Reflection and Action, by David Ray Griffin
A book review by
Arch Taylor
Also -- Griffin book arouses opposition and support
Rita Nakashima Brock, in her regular
FaithVoices email, writes about
reactions to the book.
Read her comments >> |
|
Ideas for observing September 11
Pueblo Presbytery is sponsoring an
"Interfaith Prayers
for Peace Service."
Grace Presbytery has invited a Palestinian Christian, a
Palestinian Muslim, and an Israeli Jew involved in peacemaking to spend
September 8-15 in the presbytery.
Other ideas?? Please share yours!
Just send a note.
[8-22-05] |
|
What Price Unanimity?
[7-26-04]
Finding
a deeper look at policy issues in the 9/11 report
The 9/11 commissioners generally get lost in a sea of
details in their report, and often forget the bigger picture----like the
terrorists' motivation for the 9/11 attacks. But a careful reading will show
that it's much more than our freedoms and democracy that terrorists despise.
Ray McGovern says it's the Middle East policy, stupid. McGovern was a career
analyst with the Central Intelligence Agency for 27 years, and is on the
steering group of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity.
The paper gently notes that "America's policy choices have
consequences. Right or wrong, it is simply a fact that American policy
regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and American actions in Iraq are
dominant staples of popular commentary across the Arab and Muslim world." |
On forest
fires and "national security" -- Extraordinary events
don't provide a good basis for public policy
[8-26-02]
Environmentalist Peter Sawtell sees this sensible idea
as a reason for questioning Pres. Bush's new policies on opening our
forests for commercial cutting, and on the Administration's plans for
long-term infringements on civil rights, justified by 9/11. |
| How
shall we remember September 11th?
[8-6-02]
We've just received a note asking for ideas, worship materials and other
resources for churches or groups that want to commemorate the events of
September 11th, and all that has come after. One congregation
is planning a peace vigil. What are you going to do? What help can you
offer to others?
Please send a note, and we'll
share everything here!
Just after receiving this query, another note came in:
"Let
Love Ring!": a Nashville Idea Becomes Nationwide
A small group of
concerned women in Nashville began talking about ways to stop terrorism
and express love to those who have experienced terrorism. A
not-for-profit organization was formed with the intent of putting love
into action through all the arts.
Their first event
will be on September 11, but they intend to keep on. "Together we
can change the course of history," the organizers say, and they are
going nationwide and even worldwide.
People of all
faiths are invited to plan events for September 11. It is suggested that
each location begin and end the gathering with
the ringing of bells. The vision is the "Let Love Ring!"
across the world for a 24-hour period.
Check out their
web site. .
Contact: Arzella
Kay-Wheeler, (615) 366-6994, e-mail admin@letlovering.com |
| Witherspoon
supports a call to Pres. Bush to establish a Victims Fund for those in
Afghanistan who have been hurt by US military campaign there. [7-15-02] |
| Presbyterian
church delegation returns from visit to Afghanistan
[6-27-02]
Witherspooner Derrick Kikuchi sent word yesterday that
a delegation from First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto (CA) has just
returned safely from a visit to Afghanistan. He adds, "It was an
incredible experience and look forward to sharing stories and working
together to help further our relationship with the wonderful people of
that country."
The
church's web site offers good reports, updates, and photos. |
| Presbyterian
UN Seminar seeks faithful responses to terrorism
[6-8-02]
Forty-five Presbyterians from around the world
gathered in New York City recently for a four-day seminar on the theme, Tackling
Terrorism: Faith Talks in the Aftermath of September 11th. The
event, sponsored by the Presbyterian United Nations Office, gave
participants an opportunity to visit Ground Zero in Manhattan and to
explore terrorism and its causes from a Christian perspective. |
| Congressman
from Ohio offers a
prophetic prayer for America [3-8-02]
Congressional representative Dennis Kucinich recently
gave a speech in the form of a prayer - a prayer for America that
challenges the U.S. "war on terrorism" - both what is being
done now, and even more what is being proposed.
Here's an inspiring and prophetic mixing of religion and
politics. It may not be what some advocates of prayer-with-politics have
in mind, but it has power and authenticity that are worthy of our
attention. |
| Witherspoon
president Jane Hanna sees the pain of September 11th and its aftermath
as a call to us -- as individuals and as a nation -- to seek "a
better way" of being in relation to the rest of the world.
[2-18-02] |
| So
what about this "Axis of Evil"? [2-11-02]
Since September 11, the President's use of moral
rhetoric has been striking - and has apparently helped him to gain and
keep his awesome standing in the polls. The rhetoric has reached new
heights with his declaration of war on "the Axis of Evil."
Your WebWeaver is moved to worry about this, and
shares a little laughter about it too. |
More
perspectives on 9/11 and the war in Afghanistan
 | Union Theological Seminary (New York) faculty spoke
about the events of 9/11 at a forum on September 20, offering a
variety of thoughtful and provocative reflections. Their
remarks are posted on a UTS
web page. |
| To see the wide range of opinions and analyses from
media around the world, check out the World
Press Review. [1-2-02] |
|
| What
would Jesus do ... in Afghanistan? One writer raises this
question in a provocative way. What do you think about this way of
thinking about the current situation? Please send
us a note! [1-2-02] |
| The events of September 11th
will shape our
lives and our world far beyond our knowing today. We share here
some of the first responses and reflections that have come to us. Please
send your thoughts, concerns, comments -- whatever would contribute
to our efforts as a little cyber-community to respond to the terrible
events of September 11th.
Listed below are the comments and reports that seem to
us to offer help and understanding for these terrible days.
Generally the most recent postings will be at the top of the list, and
you can scroll down to find earlier ones. Most material
posted before October 1 is indexed on a separate archive page.
|
| Why
don't the Arabs trust us? [12-22-01]
On December 15, the United States vetoed the U.N.
Security Council Resolution to establish a monitoring force in the West
Bank and Gaza (the "Occupied Territories").
David Batstone, Executive Editor of SoJoNet
(Sojourners Magazine), sees this (and the long line of similar
actions in the past) as a major factor leading Arab and Islamic nations
and people to distrust the United States. |
Flying
the flag in church? [11-30-01]
A recent conversation on PresbyNet has yielded some helpful insights
and questions about an issue that a number of congregations are facing
these days. |
| Criticizing
the war on terrorism can be hazardous to your academic health
[11-28-01]
The New
York Times
reports (on Nov. 24, 2001) that a conservative organization is
gathering statements by scholars, students, and a university that it
regards as unpatriotic in this time of a crusade against terrorism.
The American Council of Trustees and Alumni, a
conservative nonprofit group devoted to curbing liberal tendencies in
academia, has published on its web site a
list of 117 "anti-American statements" heard on
college campuses - from such figures as
| The Rev. Jesse Jackson (who said at Harvard Law
School that America should "build bridges and relationships,
not simply bombs and walls." |
| Joel Beinin, a professor of Middle Eastern history
at Stanford University, who said that "If Osama bin Laden is
confirmed to be behind the attacks, the United States should bring
him before an international tribunal on charges of crimes against
humanity." |
| Wasima Alikhan of the Islamic Academy of Las Vegas,
who made the not very original statement that "Ignorance breeds
hate." |
One reason this effort at enforcing "patriotic
correctness" is that Lynne V. Cheney, the wife of Vice President
Dick Cheney, was one of the council's founding members, and is still
listed on the web site as "chairman emeritus." |
| Amnesty
International has issued a strong statement about the threat posed by
the President's declared intention to use military
tribunals. [11-20-01] |
| Afghan
women are demanding to be heard [11-19-01]
As negotiations begin for a new government in
Afghanistan, Afghan feminists are apparently being ignored - still.
Fariba Nawa, a reporter based in Islamabad, Pakistan, who writes
regularly for Agence France-Presse and Pacific News Service, writes in Mother
Jones that even though the 1964 Afghan constitution
guaranteed equality for men and women, it has been completely ignored
since 1996 when the Taliban seized Kabul. She quotes Zieba Shorish, a
Washington-based Afghan exile and veteran women's rights activist, as
summing up the problem: "The players in Afghanistan, including the
US and United Nations, all talk about women's rights but when it comes
to action, there is nothing."
Thanks to Utne
WebWatch |
Artists
help us reflect on human atrocities [11-15-01]
The Rev. Mark Greiner of Baldwin, NY, has suggested a helpful website
which offers cross-cultural artistic expressions in response to the many
atrocities of the 20th century, as a way to help us think
(and feel!) about the current crisis. The
Legacy Project offers a wide variety of art works reflecting on the
human-made sufferings of the last century, along with a few poetic
reflections on September 11th.
The site was recently reviewed in the New
York Times. |
| Norman
Watkins of Chicago has sent a thoughtful note warning of the dangers in
the "logic of war."
[11-14-01] |
European
church support for the US war is cooling
Duncan Hanson, Coordinator for Europe in the Worldwide Ministries
Division, reports that European churches, which were so supportive of
the US after September 11th, are becoming increasingly skeptical of
America's military campaign, primarily because they fear it will create more
terrorism. [11-14-01] |
Say
NO to torture!
[11-14-01] |
| Alternative
sources for news
We've been asked to suggest some web sites that
provide some perspectives you may not find in your local press or on
CNN. Well, there's a lot out there, folks!
We have listed here a few of the web sites we have
found helpful, with a little sample of the reports listed when we first
visited some of them. We've added more sites on 10-26-01 thanks to some
of you!! [10-26-01]
The Minneapolis Star Tribune has published a
large list of web resources. Check
out our sampling, and go to their own site. [10-29-01]
The
World Council of Churches and other
ecumenical groups have created an excellent collection of statements and
resources on the current crisis beginning with a page called
"Visions for Peace - Voices of Faith: Behind the news."
[10-31-01] |
| Relief
agencies call for a bombing pause in
Afghanistan [11-7-01]
A number of prominent religious and secular relief
organizations are calling for a suspension of the United States-led
bombing of Afghanistan so that food can be delivered prior to the onset
of Afghanistan's harsh winter. |
| Witherspoon
President Jane Hanna, in her "President's
Corner" column for the Fall 2001 issue of Network News,
points to how our basic biblical perspective can steady us in this time
of crisis -- and how the crisis calls us back to our true mission as a
church. [11-7-01] |
Nonviolence
for the Violent
Prof. Walter Wink spoke at the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship breakfast
at last June's General Assembly, shedding new light on Jesus' famously
impractical advice about turning the other cheek, giving up your cloak,
and going the second mile. His thoughts are relevant these
days. [10-29-01] |
| Salman
Rushdie says "Yes, this is about Islam" [11-5-01]
Salman Rushdie, prize-winning author (most recently,
of Fury: A Novel), offers an insider/outsider's perspective on
the tensions in today's Islam, and argues that indeed the current
struggles are "about Islam." He suggests that the
current situation will present the Islamic world with a challenge to
undertake its own "Reformation." His essay appeared in the New
York Times
on November 2, 2001. |
| Karen
Armstrong, in an interview with Salon e-magazine, discusses the
impact of Islamic fundamentalism on the current situation. [10-26-01] |
Facing
the challenge of terror with understanding
John Paul Lederach, Prof. of Conflict Studies and Resolution at Eastern
Mennonite University, has offered an insightful analysis of "the
challenge of terror" today. He suggests that a crucial issue is
"whether we reinforce and provide the soil, seeds, and nutrients
for future cycles of revenge and violence," or respond in
surprising and constructive ways that will remove the prime motivations
for terrorism. [10-26-01] |
| Where
are our tax dollars going? The
Presbyterian Washington Office has provided an interesting listing of
how the Bush Administration is planning to use the $40 billion emergency
funds approved on September 14. [10-26-01] |
| As we
face in new ways the religious diversity of our world, and our own
society, the Rev. Dean Lindsey turned to
Jeremiah's call to "seek the
welfare of the city." [10-22-01] |
| Kentucky
farmer-author Wendell Berry offers "Thoughts
in the Presence of Fear" - challenging our cultural
assumptions about globalism and progress and our relation the nations
and nature. His aphoristic statements suggest the opportunities for new
thinking - and perhaps repentance? - that the awfulness of September 11th
has offered us. [10-16-01] |
| The Stated
Clerk has joined with a wide spectrum of religious leaders in a
joint letter to the President, urging that any economic stimulus
package be shaped to helped those most in need of help. |
"This
is a religious war."
Andrew Sullivan, writing in the New York Times Magazine for
October 7, 2001, argues against those who are saying that the current
conflict is not a religious war, but reflects political and economic
tensions and resentments. The religious roots of the current
conflict are found in fundamentalism, he says, and we need to understand
the dynamics of fundamentalism and violence - in Islam and in our own
tradition. [10-16-01] |
| Stated
Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick has sent a
letter to President George W. Bush, expressing support for the
struggle against terrorism, but reminding him that "Lasting peace
and security can only be found in negotiation, and in the assurance of
justice for all parties." [10-16-01] |
| The FBI's
pursuit of terrorists is leading them to flout the law, as people of
Arab background are being detained as "material
witnesses." [10-16-01] |
| UCC Justice
and Peace Action Network urges that the economic
stimulus proposals be made helpful to the vulnerable members of our
society, and not just the well-off. [10-16-01] |
Deeper
than the headlines:
Peter Sawtell, Director of Eco-Justice Ministries, sees the current
crisis as pointing to far deeper cultural issues in our society,
including issues of economic and social justice, and the way we treat
our natural environment. [10-13-01] |
| Religious
leaders express deep concern about attacks on
Afghanistan [10-11-01]
Ecumenical News International reports on concerns
expressed by a wide variety of religious leaders around the world, as
the US and the United Kingdom began air attacks on Afghanistan.
The Church of Scotland said through its Church and
Nation Committee that it was "yet to be convinced that the use of
military force in Afghanistan can be justified."
And a rabbi in New York said, " |
| Columbus
Day and the first attacks
As he reflected on the October 8th beginning of air
attacks on Afghanistan, while native Americans were protesting the
centuries of oppression symbolized by Columbus Day, Mark
Koenig was moved to poetry, which he shares with us here..
[10-11-01] |
| "O
God, Our Words Cannot Express," a hymn written by Carolyn
Winfrey Gillette in response to the September 11th attacks,
has attracted much interest, and is being used in a video distributed by
Church World Service in support relief efforts related to Sept. 11th.
We have now posted
details and another equally appropriate hymn. [10-11-01] |
| From
South Africa comes a powerful
statement on peace and reconciliation and repentance, in a
letter from Bishop Peter Storey, professor of the practice of Christian
ministry. His fight against apartheid in South Africa has made him a
powerful symbol of justice in South Africa. [10-9-01] |
| This is "a
time of reckoning" as the US seeks to build relations with
Muslims
[10-9-01]
Fawaz A. Gerges, a professor of Middle East and
international affairs at Sarah Lawrence College and author of the
forthcoming The Islamists and the West, published an essay on
the Opinion
page of the New York Times on October 8. Just back from a
conference in Beirut, he explains just how difficult it will be for the
Bush administration to convince even moderate Muslims in the Middle East
and south and central Asia that America's intentions and actions can be
accepted, let alone supported.
He concludes that "the United States needs to
invest directly in Middle Eastern civil societies to improve governance,
education, health and quality of life. The challenge in gaining greater
understanding in those societies will not be easy, but American
diplomats can help by overcoming their own bunker mentality. The use of
force against the Taliban and Osama bin Laden was unavoidable given the
terrorist threat. But the long-term aim of reducing anti-American fervor
among Islamic extremists will still best be achieved by directly
engaging with the Muslim people. The military response that began
yesterday only makes the hard nonmilitary work, in the next weeks and
years, more necessary than ever."
Thanks to Gene TeSelle for finding this
report. |
| Church
World Service reports on the ways US retaliation is worsening the
already severe suffering of Afghan people -- and how CWS and the
Presbyterian Church are responding. [10-9-01] |
| Stephen
Zunes, associate professor of politics and chair of the Peace & Justice
Studies Program at the University of San Francisco, lists Ten
Things to Know About the Middle East -- a great
introduction to an important part of the world! |
| The next
three items (and others below) reflect our conviction that in times such as
these, we need to pay attention to voices from other nations and
faiths. If you have other voices to suggest, please
send a note. |
| Vietnamese
Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh
offers a meditation/prayer for the victims, the nation, the world --
and for peace. [10-6-01] |
| A
Christian aid worker, just out of Afghanistan, urges a restrained
response [10-5-01]
Charles Henderson, Presbyterian pastor and host of Christianity.about.com,
posts a letter from Chris Buckley is the Christian Aid Program Officer
for Afghanistan. Like many of the other those humanitarian workers who
had to leave Afghanistan, he urges the U. S. and its allies to show
restraint in responding to the terrorist attacks. |
| Nobel
Peace laureate Rigoberta Menchu sends
an open letter to President Bush urging him to provide "a
different kind of world leadership, one in which it is necessary to
convince rather than to defeat." [10-3-01] |
| Is there an
internal struggle in Washington to control "America's new
war"?
A reporter in Washington for The Observer notes
that administration "hawks," including deputy defense
secretary Paul Wolfowitz, a Reagan-era right-winger, are pushing hard
for an unlimited campaign against any nation thought to be sheltering
terrorists. |
|
Lord, have mercy. Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy.
A hymn/prayer for these times.
If ever such a prayer seemed appropriate, now's the
time. Edith Sinclair Downing has shared with us a new hymn built around
the ancient liturgical refrain, Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie
eleison. As a hymn or simply as a personal prayer, you may find it
good. [10-3-01] |
| What
we can do [10-1-01]
The shock and the grief remain.
The search for understanding goes on.
Arguments about appropriate responses to the terror of September 11 will
be with us for a long time.
But as part of the people of God, we must also respond
to the immense needs. This page will offer
ideas, suggestions, connections that may help us all to sort through the
possibilities. |
| God
Angrily Clarifies 'Don't Kill' Rule [10-1-01]
Need a new perspective? The on-line humor magazine The
Onion has published a report of a press conference with God, in
which He (well, yes, that's what it says) lets it be known He is pretty
ticked about the way people forget what He has made abundantly clear:
"Not only do I not want anybody to kill anyone, but I specifically commanded
you not to, in really simple terms that anybody ought to be able to
understand."
"I don't care how holy somebody claims to
be," God said. "If a person tells you it's My will that they
kill someone, they're wrong. Got it? I don't care what religion you are,
or who you think your enemy is, here it is one more time: No killing, in
My name or anyone else's, ever again."
There's more in a similarly irreverent (or is it
prophetic?) vein.
Go
see for yourself. |
| Gene
TeSelle, Witherspoon's Issues Analyst, ponders the nature of "religious
extremism," and points to some of its complex roots,
including specific political conflicts, tensions among differing
political cultures, and reactions against modern scientific
culture. Such extremism, he notes, is found in all religious
traditions, including Christianity. [10-1-01] |
| For most of the reports
posted before October 1, click here. |
| At its
meeting in Albuquerque on September 21, 2001, the Executive Committee of
the Witherspoon Society adopted a brief statement
in response to the terrible attack of September 11. |
| Vernon
Broyles offers a theological view of
the tragedy: evil is found on all sides [9-20-01]
The Rev. Vernon Broyles, associate director for social
justice and associate for corporate witness in the National Ministries
Division of the General Assembly Council, has set out some theological
reflections on the tragedy of September 11. He concludes that "as
Reformed Christians in the United States, it is urgent that we make our
voices heard at this time in our history. We must say to our leaders
that we are at 'war,' not with 'terrorists' but with evil. It is
manifest in our selves, as well as others. In this real world in which
we live, it will always be necessary, on occasion, to use force in the
restraint of evil. ... But having acknowledged that, we must also
reiterate the lessons of history, that there will never be 'a war to end
all wars,' not even a successful 'war to stamp out terrorism.'
As people of faith, we must continue to insist that
the only real hope for humanity is the path of peace -- the biblical
vision of shalom -- which is marked by 'liberty and justice for
all,' not just for the powerful, not for just a few select nations, not
just for some in each society, but for all of God's
children." |
| Our
National Tragedy
The Rev. Tom Driver, Professor of Theology and Culture
Emeritus at Union Theological Seminary in New York, has issued a
personal statement urging that America turn away from calls for
retribution, and recognize how we have contributed to the militarization
of the world. [9-22-01] |
| What
would it mean to bomb Afghanistan?
A note from Tamim Ansari, who was born in Afghanistan,
offers a perspective on the situation of the Afghani people which we
need to hear as our nation contemplates possibilities of military action
in that country. The writer asserts that "the
The note concludes that a war between the West and the
Islamic nations is just what Bin Laden and his cohorts want, " |
| The Presbyterian
Peace Fellowship has issued a call for rededication to justice and
nonviolence. [9-14-01] |
| PC(USA)
chief officers send pastoral letter expressing prayers for
victims and families, acknowledging the reality of evil, and calling for
forgiveness and healing. [9-12-01] |
