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Bush/Cheney Church call for withdrawal from
Unjust War in Iraq
The United Methodist Board of Church and Society
Fall, 2005
The General Board of Church and Society issued the following statement at
its fall 2005 meeting
As followers of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, we pray for peace,
stability and freedom in Iraq. We believe the Iraqi peoples can and should
ultimately determine how it will be achieved. It is time for the United States
to appeal for international cooperation, not in waging war but in working with
Iraqis of good will to set their nation on the course toward peace and
prosperity.
As people of faith we raise our voices in protest against the tragedy of the
unjust war in Iraq. We urge the United States government to develop and
implement a plan for the withdrawal of its troops. The U.S. invasion has set in
motion a sequence of events which may plunge Iraq into civil war.
Every war is a tragedy that wounds the heart of God. This particular war is
especially tragic in that a bi-partisan U.S. commission appointed by President
Bush and chaired by former Governor Tom Keane and former Representative Lee
Hamilton has established that:
· No weapons of mass destruction were stored in Iraq;
· There was no attempt on the part of the government of Saddam Hussein to
purchase uranium from the nation of Niger;
· There were no ties between Saddam Hussein and the events of September
11, 2001;
· There were no ties between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda.
Thousands of lives have been lost and hundreds of billions of dollars wasted
in a war the United States initiated and never should have fought. The United
States is now morally obligated to provide the vast economic resources needed
to aid in the post-war reconstruction of Iraq. The ongoing cost of the war
continues to drain public resources that are desperately needed in Iraq as well
as in the United States. We grieve for all those whose lives have been lost or
destroyed in this needless and avoidable tragedy. Military families have
suffered undue hardship from prolonged troop rotations in Iraq and loss of
loved ones. It is time to bring them home.
Our opposition to the war in no way diminishes democratic ideals, traditions
or the very freedoms the men and women of the military defend. Opposition to
war is not unpatriotic. We honor those who serve the common good and owe them a
commitment to pursue the peaceable path that they may not be put in harm's way
again.
We call upon the U.S. Congress to adopt legislation such as the "Homeward
Bound Act" (H. J. Res. 55), the first bipartisan effort to bring home U.S.
troops. We encourage them to make a full investigation and hold accountable
those responsible for the misleading 'intelligence' and disastrous decisions
that fueled this war.
We call upon the U.S. government to fully cooperate with the United Nations
and its envoy and special representative in Iraq to bring about a peaceful,
long-term resolution to the conflict and to rebuild Iraq.
Finally, we call upon all people of faith to pray for a just, equitable
peace for the beleaguered people of Iraq and all those whose lives have been
damaged by the consequences of this war.
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