What Does War Have to Do With It? "The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral,  begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it.  Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth.  Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate.  So it goes; violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.  Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."  -- Martin Luther King, Jr., "Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?" pp. 62-63 [l967]) 

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A Personal Note ~    March 5  (see footnote)

I'll admit that I am conflicted about the potential for war in Iraq. I am frightened by the rhetoric of President Bush, who seems to be determined to "go it alone" if necessary, even without world support or the agreement of the majority of the citizens of the United States.  The Vietnam conflict is too fresh in my mind -- a time when we gave power and trust to our government which, in retrospect, we should not have given. 

• I want to sing songs of joy, not of protest, as I did during the Vietnam conflict. 
• I want to plant flowers, not cringe for the pain the earth endures each time a bomb rips it open, as I did during the bombing of Afghanistan.
• I want to see the world's children fed, not watch human beings writhing in the pain of biochemical assaults brought by terrorists, whether organizations or governments.
• I want to plan for my own grandchildren's freedom and future, not deal with the terror experienced by those who are suddenly blown apart, whether by suicide bombers or by the air power of the world's mightiest nation.
• I want to bask in the love of my family, not cringe in the greed of governments.

I want all of this evil to go away! But if I am to speak out in any public venue, let it be now, before the first bombs are dropped in Iraq:

1. The problem of evil is not easily solved, but war is not the answer -- not even the "final" answer! At least this is what many people of faith, including my own faith and the Council of Bishops of my denomination, believe and teach. 
2. Neither is it an answer to ignore evil and allow millions to die -- as long as it is "them" dying and not "us."  We must do something to stop and contain those who kill and go to war, just as we give our children a "time out" and just as we arrest and imprison criminals. But we don't kill our children nor annihilate everyone who lives on the same street as a murderer. 
3. During Lent, I will be studying The Powers That Be by Walter Wink and searching the example and teachings of Jesus regarding resisting evil. I invite  you to spend time during whatever is your holy season to contemplate the best and noblest teachings of your own faith on dealing with evil noviolently and to pray for peace.  FOOTNOTE: (I recognize that there are also people of faith, including my own faith, of which President Bush is a member, who believe that war is justifiable as the final resort and that evil must be confronted!)

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