Easter Life/ American sponsored death
I am certain that most of us who attended Church in these United States yesterday heard enthusiastic sermons about the new life which God offers through the death and resurrection of Jesus.
I am all in favour of that!
And yet .... it can be a very selfish message - a message that says that "all's right with me and God", but which ignores the message of death which is promulgated by the American government.
That message of death is exemplified in the profligate use of missiles fired from drones.
George W. Bush began this policy, but it has been broadened and extended by Barack Obama (shame on him).
The policy is promulgated in order to assure us of the targeted deaths of the (supposed) enemies of America.
(I doubt that any of these supposed enemies pose a real threat to our national security.)
And as this video shows, the "targeted" missiles are incredibly inaccurate, and cause the deaths of children who do not even know a single thing about America.
As the very conservative Churchman the Revd Paul Zahl puts it:
(In the interests of full disclosure: Paul and I were colleagues in Seminary - but our theological views are by no means identical!).
Watch this video, and then ask why our Churches rejoice in a message of life for American Christians, but ignore a policy of death for Pakistani Muslims.
http://youtu.be/6yMOzvmgVhc
I am all in favour of that!
And yet .... it can be a very selfish message - a message that says that "all's right with me and God", but which ignores the message of death which is promulgated by the American government.
That message of death is exemplified in the profligate use of missiles fired from drones.
George W. Bush began this policy, but it has been broadened and extended by Barack Obama (shame on him).
The policy is promulgated in order to assure us of the targeted deaths of the (supposed) enemies of America.
(I doubt that any of these supposed enemies pose a real threat to our national security.)
And as this video shows, the "targeted" missiles are incredibly inaccurate, and cause the deaths of children who do not even know a single thing about America.
As the very conservative Churchman the Revd Paul Zahl puts it:
“From a New Testament point of view, drones are completely appalling,” the Rev. Paul F. M. Zahl, the retired Episcopal rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Chevy Chase, Maryland, told CNN. “The whole idea of killing a guy without giving the guy a chance to surrender is preemptive. That for me was completely contrary to the teachings of Christ.”
(In the interests of full disclosure: Paul and I were colleagues in Seminary - but our theological views are by no means identical!).
Watch this video, and then ask why our Churches rejoice in a message of life for American Christians, but ignore a policy of death for Pakistani Muslims.
http://youtu.be/6yMOzvmgVhc
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