At the CT Conference 2006 Annual Meeting, the following Resolution was adopted:
(The complete “Whereas” sections edited for length . . .)
“THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the delegates of the 139th Annual Meeting of the Connecticut Conference of the United Church of Christ, urge the United States to continue working cooperatively on international plans to resolve peacefully the dispute with Iran concerning nuclear power and development of nuclear weapons and not to engage in a pre-emptive strike against the government and people of Iran, but rather to call upon countries, including the United States, to reduce their nuclear armaments toward the goal of eliminating such weapons of mass destruction; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Connecticut Conference and national staff of the United Church of Christ provide information and suggestions to enable member churches and individual members to understand better the issues related to nuclear weapons, to different cultures and mores, particularly those in Iran and other Middle Eastern Countries, and to provide guidelines for constructive actions to promote peace and justice; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the local churches and individual church members be urged to communicate to members of the United States government and to the media their concerns and convictions relating to the possession, development and use of nuclear weapons by any country and their desire for a peaceful resolution of the dispute the United States and other nations have with Iran.”
I fell over this while looking for any evidence of follow-up/follow-thorugh on the Just Peace proposal for Action adopted by GS15, either on the national or conference or any other level, (still looking and not finding .. .)
I have never heard of this before, either in church or outside of church. Has anyone else seen or heard any educational efforts or calls to communicate with our representatives regarding this?
The reportedly “accidental” joyride 6 nuclear-tipped cruise missiles took mounted under the wings of a B52 from North Dakota to an AF base in Louisiana this past week, (said base is used as a jumping off point for operations in Iraq), coupled with the increasingly loud saber rattling by the Bush/Cheney administration, makes it IMPERATIVE that far greater and more visible attention be paid to this resolution’s directive than has been done thus far.
Surely none of us want to be sitting on our hands, shaking our heads in dismay as bombs, possibly nuclear missiles, rain down on Iran, moving moderate Muslims world-wide who are currently on the fence about the U.S. to a new-found, extremist, radical violent opposition to the U.S.
We have biblical justification and practical motivation to put this resolution into action IMMEDIATELY. How do we go about doing so?
