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07/15/2004: "Ten suggestions from the NCC"
The National Council of Churches has put out a set of principles that it suggests should guide Christians as we prepare to vote in November. There's also a "study guide" of doubtful usefulness, but the main stuff is this:
Our Christian faith compels us to address the world through the lens of our relationship to God and to one another. Public discourse is enhanced as we engage civic leaders on the values and ethics affirmed by our faith. At the same time, religious liberty and the integrity of our democracy will be protected as candidates refrain from using faith-based organizations and institutions for partisan gain. We offer these ten principles to those seeking to accept the responsibility that comes with holding public office.
1. War is contrary to the will of God. While the use of violent force may, at times, be a necessity of last resort, Christ pronounces his blessing on the peacemakers. We look for political leaders who will make peace with justice a top priority and who will actively seek nonviolent solutions to conflict.
Translation: When another nation (or private organization, like say al-Qaeda) attacks or assists those who attack the United States or Israel, no force may be used for preventive or retaliatory purposes. Only harsh language is permissible, and only then when it is culturally sensitive. We support politicians who are comfortable with that. (Remember, the NCC didn't just oppose the Iraq invasion, it opposed any use of force in Afghanistan, too.)
2. God calls us to live in communities shaped by peace and cooperation. We reject policies that abandon large segments of our inner city and rural populations to hopelessness. We look for political leaders who will re-build our communities and bring an end to the cycles of violence and killing.
Translation: Sorry, I'm stumped. I have no idea what they're talking about.
3. God created us for each other, and thus our security depends on the well-being of our global neighbors. We look for political leaders for whom a foreign policy based on cooperation and global justice is an urgent concern.
Translation: The United States should grant veto power to the UN in deciding when we are permitted to use force to defend ourselves. That means France, home of the Oil-for-Food scandal, governed by people who don't know whether the genocide in the Sudan merits an international response, should effectively be the final arbiter of right and wrong in international affairs. We also believe that dictators, oligarchies, and kleptocracies from Iran to Syria to Cuba to North Korea should have just as much say in deciding what constitutes "global justice" as the democracies who seek to protect human rights and broad-based economic prosperity.
4. God calls us to be advocates for those who are most vulnerable in our society. We look for political leaders who yearn for economic justice and who will seek to reduce the growing disparity between rich and poor.
Translation: We have no clue how economic prosperity is achieved or wealth created. We assume that the government does it. So we support politicians who see economics the same way.
5. Each human being is created in the image of God and is of infinite worth. We look for political leaders who actively promote racial justice and equal opportunity for everyone.
Translation: This is vague enough so that no one can possibly argue with it.
6. The earth belongs to God and is intrinsically good. We look for political leaders who recognize the earth's goodness, champion environmental justice, and uphold our responsibility to be stewards of God’s creation.
Translation: We demand the destruction of the U.S. economy through adoption of the Kyoto Treaty, though no other industrialized nation, and many developing nations, have not agreed to it. This is because we accept writings such as Al Gore's Earth in the Balance as Holy Writ, and will not even consider the possibility that someoen other than evil, environment-hating corporations are responsible for global climate shifts.
7. Christians have a biblical mandate to welcome strangers. We look for political leaders who will pursue fair immigration policies and speak out against xenophobia.
Translation: Since all the people involved in terrorist organizations that attack the U.S. are Swedish Presbyterians and Ugandan Buddhists, we see no need to restrict in any way the influx of Islamists into the U.S. We also see no conceivable reason, under any conceivable circumstances, to ever criticize any aspect of Islam. Ever.
8. Those who follow Christ are called to heal the sick. We look for political leaders who will support adequate, affordable and accessible health care for all.
Translation: We are in favor of national health insurance. And so is Jesus.
9. Because of the transforming power of God’s grace, all humans are called to be in right relationship with each other. We look for political leaders who seek a restorative, not retributive, approach to the criminal justice system and the individuals within it.
Translation: Because we have rejected those portions of Scripture that are clearly outmoded, we are free to ignore anything that suggests that there is value in the retributive theory of justice. We also have faith in the rehabiliation efforts of the criminal justice system that no amount of empirical evidence can possibly sway (otherwise, it wouldn't be faith, right?)
10. Providing enriched learning environments for all of God’s children is a moral imperative. We look for political leaders who will advocate for equal educational opportunity and abundant funding for children’s services.
Translation: When the teachers' unions are happy, we'll be happy.
Finally, our religious tradition admonishes us not to bear false witness against our neighbor and to love our enemies. We ask that the campaigns of political candidates and the coverage of the media in this election season be conducted according to principles of fairness, honesty and integrity.
Translation: Look for us to bash those evil right-wingers every chance we get (while remaininig studiously non-partisan, of course).
So saith the NCC, also known as the Democratic Party at prayer.
