Interfaith Summit Report
Dear
Friends:
The
following is a report form Rev. Bob Edgar, General Secretary of
the
National
Council of Churches regarding the recent Interfaith Summit.
April
29-30,
2003
Dear Colleagues:
Below and attached, please
find the
statements that were developed by a
large group of Interfaith Religious
Leaders gathered in Chicago, April 29
and 30, 2003. We hope that
after
you have reviewed these documents, you
might agree to add your name to
those
that have endorsed the sentiments
expressed. While we acknowledge
that
these are not perfect statements, they
do represent the broad consensus
of
views of the faith traditions gathered
for this important summit.
In a
few days, these documents will appear on
the National Council of
Churches Web
site, with an opportunity for people to
endorse these statements by
adding
names to the list of signers. Please feel
free to share these documents
broadly and we continue to work for peace
and
justice.
Peace,
Bob
Edgar
General Secretary, National Council of Churches
www.ncccusa.org
************************************
Words
of
Reflection April 30, 20003
From Domestic Interfaith Summit, Chicago,
IL
We are thankful for the end of large scale hostilities, the end
of
an
oppressive regime, and the safe return of our troops.
We
acknowledge the many sacrifices, and mourn all the loss of life.
We
call
for a national day of prayer and reflection, with a special emphasis
on
interfaith gatherings.
We further call on the president to distance
himself from religious leaders
who demonize the faiths of
others.
We
are compelled to call people's attention to the continuing suffering
of
the
Iraqi people which demands large-scale international
humanitarian
relief.
Our religious traditions require that when
we
exercise power we reflect
deeply on the consequences of our actions and
the
true source of peace and
security. In this spirit, we encourage
local
religious communities to
organize interfaith days of fasting, prayer,
and
dialogue, which will raise,
among other vital concerns, those addressed
in
the accompanying, "Urgent
Call For Reflection, Hope and Action," and to
commit themselves to donations
for humanitarian relief for the people
of
Iraq.
*****************************
AN URGENT CALL FOR
REFLECTION,
HOPE AND ACTION
Interfaith Summit, Chicago, Illinois April 30,
2003
As people of faith and leaders of diverse religious
communities,
we
recognize that we are at a moment of choice even more urgent than
before
the
war in Iraq began. We are faced with choices between hope and
courage
or
fear and violence; between a future characterized by global
solidarity,
international cooperation and multilateral action or one
characterized by
unilateralism and wars by choice rather than
necessity;
continuing
terrorism; unfettered efforts to extend U.S. power, and the
exploitation of
fear.
Let us not forget who we are as people of
faith.
We need to go deeper into
our religious traditions. Fear is part of the
human
condition and is only
addressed through faith. We are challenged now to
trust
in God and recognize
the source of true security. Our traditions teach
us to
envision a world of
peace with justice. They promise God's capacity to
transform a broken world
and God's expectation that we are partners in
the
process.
As many Americans celebrate a moment of military victory,
we, as
people of
faith, ask all people to make this a time of deliberate
reflection.
As we have since 9/11 and the beginning of the war on
terrorism: we call for
greater understanding; we seek to dispel
ignorance; we
ask that this be a
time of humility not arrogance; and, we hope that
all can
be mindful of what
we have lost. We are mindful that while a repressive
regime has been
destroyed, a country has been left in a power vacuum.
We know
as well that
those people experience their daily life as one of
enormous
needs and
insecurity.
War is a blunt instrument, which provides
no
lasting solution but too often
leads to further violence. We ask the
American
people to reflect now on the
price of unilateralism:
- The
cost
of war and militarism
- The human toll of the war in
Iraq
-
The erosion of civil liberties in the United States
- The shift
of
resources away from human need to military purposes
In order to
reflect
most effectively on the choices that we face we call on
interfaith
leaders in
every American community to gather in town meetings,
teach-ins and
other
forms of community reflection to explore what kind of
society we seek
to
become.
Drawing on all of our traditions that are rooted in
justice,
compassion and
peace, we say to the present leadership of the United
States:
1. draw back from the use and threat of first strike
war
2.
draw back from unilateral U.S. control over the reconstruction of
Iraq
3.
bring the U.S. occupation of Iraq to a prompt end by transferring to
the
United Nations and multilateral, non-governmental organizations
the
authority to work with the Iraqi people toward its own
reconstruction
4. make available U.S. resources as part of a world
effort to
serve the
needs and decisions of the Iraqi people.
Finally, we
call on
our fellow religious leaders throughout the world to
join in convening
an
INTERNATIONAL INTERFAITH SUMMIT that will provide a
worldwide forum for
religious leaders to meet and discuss in depth ways to
eliminate the
rhetoric
of hate and to end violence perpetrated in the name
of religion.
Together we
must work to find ways to embody the power of love,
compassion and
justice in
this fragile and interdependent world. We live
in
HOPE!
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