No god of war, please

Here are a couple of questions that won’t be answered any time soon—but whose answers should be very important to people of faith.

One: Is it possible to be a supporter of the goals and values of our nation, to honor men and women in uniform and still oppose the military action of invading Iraq, action that today seems all but inevitable?

Two: Can the Roman Catholic Church in the United States, and its beleaguered leader-bishops, exercise a moral voice against that military action despite their wounded credibility as a result of the clergy sexual crisis?

Finally: What does all this say about followers of Jesus Christ—even as we mark the birth of the Prince of Peace—in a world which seems bent on anything but?

I’ve probably telegraphed my own opinions in that last bit, so I’ll say it up front: I’m proud of the time I spent in uniform, proud of servicemen and women for the sacrifices they make, but not proud that military action toward Iraq currently seems to be our first answer rather than a last resort.

Without question, the world is an increasingly dangerous place, thanks to the likes of Osama bin Laden, Saddam Hussein and a host of puffed-up despots in places like North Korea. But the world has always been a dangerous place. And faithful people, like the U.S. bishops (and a whole lot of others) open themselves to harsh criticism by daring to ask if there is a way to make peace other than by making war.

Once again, we find ourselves facing a cultural conflict—a conflict in which religion nearly always finds itself on the unpopular side.

Our history—actual and mythic—is replete with tales of those who, when pushed to the wall, strapped on a six-shooter and saved the day. That’s the core plot of too many stories to recount. It’s our history, too, from Valley Forge to Pearl Harbor.

So where do people like the U.S. bishops and the Vatican as well as representatives of many other faiths get off telling the president that maybe we shouldn’t go to war just because we can?

In Chicago on Dec. 1, the Council of Religious Leaders—including the Archdiocese of Chicago as well as Jewish, Muslim and other Christian faiths—wrote President Bush asking that he forgo a pre-emptive strike and stating that there is “no compelling evidence” of an impending Iraqi attack on the U.S. and that “diplomatic pathways” have yet to be exhausted.

Strong words. Courageous words. In November, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops echoed the pleas of the Holy See, asking that the U.S. “step back from the brink of war” and questioning whether such a war currently would meet guidelines for a just and moral conflict.

There’s a danger here, of course, in coming off like a bunch of ’60s radicals shouting “Give world peace a chance. …” But Christianity has always been a radical, counter-cultural faith.

There’s no question, though, that the sex scandals have challenged the moral authority of the church. Following statements on Iraq, there has been a righteous outcry: “How dare you tell us what to do when you can’t even keep your own house clean!”

Oddly, the drumbeat for war too often comes from those Catholics who consider calls for peace to be a liberal stance. Without mitigating the other struggles of the church, we would do well to remember faith’s core.

Over the Thanksgiving weekend I saw lots of homes trotting out the Christmas decorations. In many yards are crèches and representations of the Holy Family. But this year, I hope families remember that the Babe is the Prince of Peace, not a god of war.

Tom Sheridan
Editor and General Manager