Ecumenical Insanity

Saturday, May 15th

Abortion and A-Rod

The New York Times has a story today about the continuing fantasy of some Democrats that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) could be induced to run as John Kerry veep nominee. Notice what one of the anti-litmus test folks have to say about the line Big Jawn would have to toe:

"Senator McCain would not have to leave his party," Mr. Kerrey said. "He could remain a Republican, would be given some authority over selection of cabinet people. The only thing he would have to do is say, `I'm not going to appoint any judges who would overturn Roe v. Wade,' " the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion, which Mr. McCain has said he opposes.

The right to end life: the only thing that really matters to some Democrats (some Republicans, too, though not nearly as many). Meanwhile, here's a party strategist determined to align the party of FDR and JFK with the Evil Empire:

Chris Lehane, a Democratic strategist who once worked for Mr. Kerry, said such a ticket "would be the political equivalent of the Yankees signing A-Rod," referring to Alex Rodriguez, the team's star third baseman.

Now there's a strategy sure to endear Kerry with everyone who doesn't live in the Big Apple!
Athanasius on 05.15.04 @ 05:05 PM EST [link]

We have winners!

You can stop wracking your brains. We have two winners (two since I don't know which came first, having been asleep when they arrived). Greg S and the person writing from OpusTrek@aol.com correctly identified the previous piece of neo-Maoist rhetoric as originating from the World Council of Churches. Specifically, it is the communique from the Urban Rural Mission Conference in Accra, Ghana, which is in turn served as preparation for the 2005 ~~Comintern~~ Conference on World Mission and Evangelism in Athens. A bit more of the manifesto:

As we renew our hope for communities that are blessed with "life in abundance," our mission begins with speaking our prophetic voice to expose and condemn the capitalist-led, globalized context and its new geo-political realities that intentionally destroy human community. We specifically examined the effects of violence and its impact on those who are violated; commodification as the catalyst for globalisation; injustice and the need for restorative justice, and the mission of URM as the spirituality of resistance to this injustice and oppression. We affirm the call "another world is possible."

Another world is possible, for sure, but I suspect it will be God who brings it in, rather than the spiritual revolutionaries of the URM. By the way, do you suppose it has ever occurred to these folks that their Marxist bromides have never provided peace and prosperity for anyone, whereas virtually anywhere there is wide-spread prosperity and freedom, capitalism is present?

Uh, no.
Athanasius on 05.15.04 @ 10:16 AM EST [link]

Friday, May 14th

Guess where this comes from

OK, folks, here's a tough one. A special prize awaits the individual who can guess where this comes from:

We are gathered here in Accra, Ghana from all parts of the world; from Africa, Asia and the Middle East, from Europe and from North America, Latin America and the Caribbean. We have come to renew, reaffirm and strengthen our mission in the midst of people in struggle as URM networks. This comes at a time where institutionalised oppression, systematic violence, occupation and militarization, marginalization, and socio-economic deprivation and exclusion present new challenges to humanity. We note with deep concern processes of illegal occupation and oppression of sovereign lands and peoples under the guise of the ‘war on terror’, citing especially the situation in the Middle East. We are concerned that policies of hegemony, unilateralism, and neo-colonialism, along with their economic capitalist dimensions, are devastating and fragmenting many parts of the world.

Leave your guesses in the comments column, and I'll let you know as soon as the right answer turns up.
Athanasius on 05.14.04 @ 05:58 PM EST [link]

Wednesday, May 12th

Please let the UN run Iraq! (Part 3)

The National Council of Churches wades into Iraq, again:

We believe, with these things in mind, that the guiding principle of U.S. foreign policy must be to build up the whole, interdependent human family and to promote reconciliation whenever possible. Yes, this means standing firmly against all acts of terror, but it also means envisioning a world in which war is truly a last resort.

How the US and its allies are supposed to do this with people whose abiding wish is simply for Western civilization, Christianity, and Judaism to die, the NCC doesn't say. They also don't say what "standing firmly against all acts of terror" means. Harsh language would no doubt be involved.

Current U.S. foreign policy, however, is not aligned with this principle. Many people see our policy as one based on protection of our country’s economic interests narrowly defined, rather than on principles of human rights and justice that would serve our nation’s interests in deep and tangible ways. We are convinced that current policy is dangerous for America and the world and will only lead to further violence.

The reference to "economic interests narrowly defined" translates as "oil." Alternative translation: "nonsense." And implying that current US policy has no basis in human rights is bizarre, considering the freedoms Iraqis now enjoy (freedom of press, freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, etc.) that they never would have if we'd continued to follow the NCC line on Iraq.

Since the coalition has made such a hash out of Iraq, the NCC graciously offers a solution:

We, therefore, call for a change of course in Iraq, and we encourage you to do the same. Specifically, we are calling upon our country to turn over the transition of authority and post-war reconstruction to the United Nations [surprise!-ed.]–and to recognize U.S. responsibility to contribute to this effort generously through security, economic, and humanitarian support–not only to bring international legitimacy to the effort, but also to foster any chance for lasting peace. We would ask that members of our churches, as they feel appropriate, contact their respective congressional delegations to urge the U.S. to change course in Iraq.

For response, see "Please let the UN run Iraq!" parts 1 & 2 below.
Athanasius on 05.12.04 @ 04:30 PM EST [link]

Tuesday, May 11th

Making a choice

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, one of New Jersey's leading politicians has decided to leave his life-long church in order to uphold the sacrament of abortion:

New Jersey's State Senate Majority leader has decided to leave the Roman Catholic church after 57 years, citing church demands that politicians vote in accordance with Catholic doctrine.

Sen. Bernard Kenny, D-Hudson, told his pastor Saturday that would no longer be a member of the church.

"If every faith starts trying to impose their rules on elected officials, democracy is going to be factionalized along religious lines," Kenny told The Philadelphia Inquirer for Sunday's editions.

This isn't a matter of "trying to impose...rules on elected officials." It's a matter of the Church asking its members to live up to their baptismal vows in their public as well as private lives. As Kenny well knows, politicians bring their personal (often religiously influenced) moral views to be bear on all kinds of public questions, from racial discrimination to environmental protection to human rights advocacy. Many politicians, on both left and right, can be almost insufferably moralistic about public policy alternatives. What he really means by this statement is that, when forced to choose between upholding the teachings of his faith and the abortion absolutism of his constituents, he chooses his constituents every time. He's clearly a man who has his priorities in order.

Kenny, who supports abortion rights and stem-cell research, said his church leaders told him he would be offered Communion one more time, "but that then he would tell me not to come again."

"I will look for other options to express my faith and will probably join another Christian church," Kenny told The Inquirer.

Since there isn't any other church in which one can practice the Roman Catholic faith except the RCC, I'm not sure what Kenny means by "my faith." But one thing I think we can say for sure: he believes in abortion rights more than he believes in the moral teaching of his erstwhile Chief Pastor, the Vicar of Christ.
Athanasius on 05.11.04 @ 10:53 PM EST [link]

Monday, May 10th

Please let the UN run Iraq! (Part 2)

According to the BBC, it isn't only American and British troops having a hard time maintaining standards in a foreign country:

The UN Mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea (Unmee) patrols a 1,000km (620 mile) border between the two Horn of Africa countries, which fought a war between 1998 and 2000 that is thought to have killed more than 70,000 people.

Eritrea broadcast a statement on Thursday alleging a string of offences committed by Unmee, including housing criminals, paedophilia, making pornography and even using the national currency as toilet paper.

An Unmee report last June quoted Eritrean women as saying Irish peacekeepers on the mission had used prostitutes as young as 15.

The UN, of course, didn't take accusations this serious lying down:

The UN said it was shocked by the latest accusations.

It said Eritrea was making its mission impossible, detaining local staff and restricting the movement of its vehicles.

"Since its inception, the mission has worked hard to contribute to a lasting solution to the conflict between Eritrea and Ethiopia, and we are shocked to learn that we are now part of the problem," Unmee said in a statement.

"We of course acknowledge that we are guests in Eritrea. When a guest is no longer welcome in a house, it is the prerogative of the host to decide what to do next."

Until pictures come out, this will of course be ignored by most of the world's press, no investigation will take place much less trials, and Americans of various persuasions will continue to call for us to turn Iraq over to the UN. Heaven help the Iraqis if the latter succeed.

(Thanks to MCJ and Tim Blair for the link.)

UPDATE: The Eritrean government might be exaggerating or lying for political purposes. I doubt that Amnesty International is, in a report on the trafficking of women on Kosovo released last week:

Since the deployment in July 1999 of an international peacekeeping force (KFOR) and the establishment of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) civilian administration, Kosovo has become a major destination country for women and girls trafficked into forced prostitution. Women are trafficked into Kosovo predominantly from Moldova, Bulgaria and Ukraine, the majority of them via Serbia. At the same time, increasing numbers of local women and girls are being internally trafficked, and trafficked out of Kosovo.

Less than three months after the deployment of international forces and police officers to Kosovo, trafficking had been identified as a problem by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE); and by January 2000, UNMIK's Gender Advisor had acknowledged, but not yet acted on, the problem. Despite subsequent measures taken by UNMIK and others to combat trafficking, by July 2003 there were over 200 bars, restaurants, clubs and cafes in Kosovo where trafficked women were believed to be working in forced prostitution.

Here's one example of what has been uncovered:

Evidence of the involvement of KFOR troops in the trafficking of women in Kosovo has been documented from early 2000. Repeated allegations have been made against members of the Russian KFOR contingent, both as users of trafficked women, and in the trafficking of women–either directly or with the assistance of Serb traffickers. As early as 2000 Russian KFOR troops were allegedly involved in bringing Moldovan and Ukrainian women–allegedly disguised in Russian army uniforms–into the Russian base at Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje. A Hungarian NGO working with trafficked women "reported that Russian KFOR was involved in bringing in women for sex work... They [the trafficked women] believed their clients were KFOR soldiers, NGO staff, OSCE staff and quite a few locals.

The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (hardly a right-wing outfit) has more on UN involvement and complicity in human rights violations here.
Athanasius on 05.10.04 @ 09:30 PM EST [link]

The latest from Macedonia

The Winston-Salem Journal, in it's lead story this morning, says the end is near for Macedonia Moravian Church in Advance, NC, at least as a unified congregation:

The pastor and many members of Macedonia Moravian Church will begin a new church in Davie County at the end of this month, a move that will split one of the county's largest churches.

In a letter sent to the congregation this week, church officials told members that the new, independent church will begin meeting at North Davie Middle School on May 30, the Sunday after its pastor, the Rev. Greg Little, is scheduled to perform his last service at Macedonia Moravian.

For those who may be unaware of how this has come about, the Journal provides a bit of background:

The Moravian Provincial Elders' Conference of the Southern Province removed Little as pastor in April. Little and several Macedonia board members protested the PEC for more than a year about a number of issues, including how the church has responded to controversial remarks made by a Moravian minister two years ago that questioned whether Jesus is the only route to salvation.

That minister, the Rev. Truman Dunn, was allowed to keep his job at Messiah Moravian Church in Winston-Salem after meeting with church officials for more than a year, a move that angered many conservative Moravians.

Macedonia church leaders responded to the PEC's handling of Dunn in part by withholding dues to the province. PEC officials removed Little because they said that he was not abiding by the agreements he made when he was ordained to follow the rules of the Moravian Church.

As they did with Dunn, province officials had met with Little many times to discuss their differences before he was removed.

For those keeping track, the list of clergy who have resigned, been fired, or had their call revoked because of disagreements with either Northern or Southern provincial actions include Hampton Morgan, Sonna Schambach, Linda Faber, Doug Norwood, Jeff and Colleen Schneider, Luke Bell, and Greg Little. More than a dozen laypeople have also left various positions, particularly with the Board of World Mission. The issues of homosexuality and pluralism continue to simmer.
Athanasius on 05.10.04 @ 01:12 PM EST [link]