Faithful Philly Forum

For those of you who were unable to attend the MLK conversation on Monday, I would like to recap what went on.   Dr. King’s speech given at Riverside Church in New York was played.  For me, it seemed as though the places Dr. King said “Vietnam” could have been replaced with “Iraq” and “Communism” replaced by “Terrorism” to speak to us today.  Rev. Fernandez explained how he got to know Dr. King and arrange the speech given at Riverside.  Both Rev. Fernandez and Dr. Stephen Ray were prompt at answering the array of questions, which were raised after the speech.   Personal questions about Martin Luther King, Jr. were asked, such as, “Toward the end of his life, wasn’t Dr. King reconsidering non-violent action?”   There were also questions concerned about the continuation of US empire today and why  things haven’t changed.   The forum proved to be an enlightening event for all those in attendance.  If you’ve never listened to Dr. King’s “Riverside” speech, I would encourage you to do so if you have the chance.

Don’t forget abut our upcoming event, “A Conversation on Peace and Justice!”  Monday, January 28th from 4 to 6 at the Houston Hall Golkin Room,  the Christian Association is sponsoring  a forum to remind us of the injustices and inequality that Dr. King spoke out against.   Those in attendance will hear King’s “Riverside Speech” and will have the opportunity to ask questions to a two-person panel.  Dr. Stephen Ray, from the Lutheran Theological Seminary and Rev. Richard Fernandez, who helped to organize Dr. King’s “Riverside Speech” are the featured panelists.   So, come on out and hear how Dr. King’s message still speaks to us today!

Under the lies/guise of protecting the culture of Islam against sexual inappropriateness, 133 women were murdered last year in Iraq. Although accusing them of being prostitutes and adulturers, the murderers are intent upon killing women with PhDs, that is professional women who oppose setting up an Islamic state. Petitions are online to try to persuade people in high places to do something. 

But this morning’s paper reported a 13 year old woman being hurt and harassed by a fellow student in her high school while another article was of a gang of girls who beat up and slashed and seriously injured two other girls whom they didn’t like, also in high school. Now one might ask what kinds of parents these young people have or what kind of perverted minds can justify murder and mutilation in the name of building a “religious” state. But it also seems  clear that when the news headlines indicate that violence (usually by men ) is an appropriate way to control those with whom we disagree or those we dislike, then our young simply take up the (war) cry and do the same. Surely it is the “sins of the fathers descending on the sons.” Yet another group of folks from various churches are meeting to talk about how to respond to this out-of-control violence that sweeps across the world and through our newspaper headlines. May we never be so complacent as to accept this as the way it has to be!

It is pretty amazing that some people can justify smearing the church of  a presidential candidate they don’t like, in this case Barak Obama. As a seminary student in Chicago, I remember making a journey to south Chicago to Trinity UCC where we were introduced to this congregation’s work and passion for justice in the city (and beyond). My professors lifted it up as a model of a socially engaged congregation. I was impressed. The General Minister of the UCC denomination, John Thomas, who has already delivered anti-war petitions signed by nearly 70,000 Christians to legislators and the president (and been arrested for it), is now speaking adamantly against such  vicious lies. It appears that in this current climate it is now acceptable to bash God and pronounce the ideocy of any believers in the Divine. Peacemaking Christians must not cower. These times call us to speak up and counter harmful actions and words with truth.

It is unfortunate that Mitt Romney has now said that he will not be hiring any Muslims for any cabinet post should he be elected.  (Seems there are not enough of them in the country to warrant this kind of attention!) It is too bad he is so hopelessly misinformed about Islam.

On October 13, 138 Muslim clerics and scholars placed an ad in the New York Times calling for ”A Common Word Between Us and You”  and now over 300 American clergy and scholars have responded (Nov 18) with a Christian response called “Loving God and Neighbor Together.”  They committed themselves to doing programming and educational events that would promote dialogue between Muslims and Christians.

In addition an Anglican known as the Vicar of Baghdad named Canon Andrew White has been noted as a “Pursuer of Peace” and awarded recognition for his interfaith work. In part, as a result of his work the Muslim clerics of Iraq are prepared to sign a “fatwa against violence” (1) that will serve to end the enmity between the Shia and Sunni Muslims! This is of historic import! And the Churches for Middle East Peace are holding a conference call on 12/6 to talk from a religious perspective about the talks happening in Annapolis this week. Seems there is a lot of good peacemaking happening here…and a military budget is not required! Strange isn’t it what committed people of faith can accomplish that neither the politicians or the military can! 

1) peacemaking@list.usip.org

2) See 11/28 Action Alert from the Brethren Witness/Washington Office

If 20,000 clergy took to the streets in support of democracy in Iraq I find it hard to believe that the US couldn’t find the resolve to encourage such efforts to continue. The Buddhist monks in Myanmar whose number of 400,000 is equal to theat of the military have lent a moral voice and physical presence of protest signaling to the populace they have every right to demand a change in the dictatorial government. So why is it that the US and the rest of the world seem so helpless in the wake of such atrocities? I simply don’t understand how our politicians can be so exorcized about Saddam Hussein’s brutality but plead impotence in the current situation of gunning down citizens, especially unarmed, peaceful ones. Oh yes, I forgot. They don’t have any oil under their soil.

May God bless their efforts because it is clear they are getting no help from the self-declared ‘police force of the world.’

The photo showed 20,000 orange-clad and bald Buddhist monks of varous ages sitting in prayer in protest of the policies of the ruling junta in Myanmar in Monday’s Metro PHiladelphia (Sept 24, 2007). (This is the same group who seized power and overturned the democratically elected Suu Kyi and kept her in detention and under house arrest for 11 of the last 18 years.) Now today the news is that  despite resistance from the military, they are still protesting, with chants and upturned bowls (which is an insult) as their weapons of choice. Asa result of course, the public now feels free to also join in and protest the repressive regime and its economic policies that have terrorized and famished the country. Has anyone noticed the spiritual power that these religious people are tapped into? Or, the quandary this action creates for the ruling junta?

These protests began nearly a month ago and now the whole world is watching. Let us pray for our Buddhist brothers and sisters and perhaps pray for ourselves that it will be a lesson the peacemakers in the US will learn. Spiritual power trumps military might.

It appears the homeless in New York City are not taking the bureaucrats’
answer of “no.” Refusing to go “home” that the city insists they have even though it is to live with people or in places that are unsafe or unwelcome or not acceptable, they are simply camping out at the office building after hours, going to the city shelters, and then returning to make new applications. Some have done this for months.

It seems these citizens won’t be bossed around to their own detriment! I like that because I think it bodes well for democracy. It is indeed time to stand up to the bureaucracies that are making decisions for us to our own detriment. The planned war on Iran comes to mind.

It was reported today that the Sunni residents in Azamiyah are resisting US efforts to build a 12 foot concrete wall around them to keep them safe from Shiite militants. (They are calling it “a big prison.”) Such a “defense” strategy echos the Bush regime’s plan for 400 miles of fence along the US/Mexico border to prevent “contamination” by job-seeking immigrants. And of course, it reflects the current concrete wall built through the heart of Jerusalem by Israel to “protect” the Jews from Palestinian terrorists. 

After the massacre last week in Blacksburg VA or in South Philly over the weekend(11 deaths this week), I suppose it is tempting to think about building walls to provide personal safety. In fact, I remember several years ago there was a suggestion to put a wall around UPenn to keep out the “bad elements” in West Philadelphia. Does anyone remember the Berlin Wall and how elated we were when it fell? Is there ever a success story in building walls? Where are the bridgebuilders when we need them?

I just discovered that both Newsweek and Time have put out different cover stories (that are lighter and more frivolous) for the US reading public than for everybody else in the entire world. While others are reading about the the jihadists in Afghanistan we are reading about Annie Leibovitz (Newsweek). And while the rest of the world reads about Talibanistan we in the US are treated to a cover story of thepros and cons of teaching the Bible in the classroom (Time). What’s wrong with this picture? Is it that we as citizens are naturally not globally interested or resist such difficult and unpleasant information? Or, is that there is a need to keep us unaware of what the rest of the world can easily observe about our foreign policies? As people of faith, how can we be as wise as serpents in staying aware of and critiquing the ways of the world if there is a concerted effort to keep us, not only harmless as doves, but as blind as bats!