NYT/AP: Thousands of Christians Protest Iraq War

[DeepModem Mom]

Thousands of Christians Protest Iraq War
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: March 17, 2007

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Thousands of Christians prayed for peace at an anti-war service Friday night at the Washington National Cathedral, kicking off a weekend of protests around the country to mark the fourth anniversary of the war in Iraq.

Afterward, participants marched with battery-operated faux candles through snow and wind toward the White House, where police began arresting protesters shortly before midnight. Protest guidelines require demonstrators to continue moving while on the White House sidewalk....

***

''A lot of the rhetoric that we hear coming from Christians has been dominated by the religious right and has been strong advocacy for the war,'' (John) Pattison said. ''That's just not the way I read my Gospel.''

The ecumenical coalition that organized the event, Christian Peace Witness for Iraq, distributed 3,200 tickets for the service in the cathedral, with two smaller churches hosting overflow crowds. The cathedral appeared to be packed, although sleet and snow prevented some from attending.

''This war, from a Christian point of view, is morally wrong -- and was from the beginning,'' the Rev. Jim Wallis, founder of Sojourners/Call to Renewal, one of the event's sponsors, said toward the end of the service to cheers and applause. ''This war is ... an offense against God.''...

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-War-Protest-Christians.html

[TheConstantGardener]

1. The spirit of Christ definitely

Whether or not you believe in God or many gods or what have you, this does embody the message of Jesus as we know it -- and you can be as religious as they come or a Richard Dawkins fanboy and know that these people are speaking great truth to power and solidarity!

[NI4NI]

2. Although I'm agnostic

I've always had the distinct impression that the chances of Jesus Christ leading an anti-war march were far greater than him ever taking part in a PNAC meeting inside the American Enterprise Institute, or Pentagon.

[Peace Patriot]

3. Fantastic! Thanks for the post! What wonderful people to take Jesus' REAL message to

the White House!

[sutz12]

4. Good to see the real Christians stand up...

I was wondering where they were.

[SKKY]

5. Ahhhh. You vote for "The Decider", give him his "Mandate", and now...

...you're not happy? Feeling kinda stupid for all those waffle jokes you made about Kerry, huh?

[CBHagman]

7. Peace services at National Cathedral predate the Iraq war.

Prior to the invasion in 2003, there was a Martin Luther King Day service that was more or less a peace event and included a procession/antiwar march afterwards.

Self-identified Christians have never been lacking at peace events, "save Darfur" rallies, and the like. While some in the media obtusely assume all churchgoers fit neatly into the red state mentality, that's not the case with the numbers or the reality. You'll see Franciscan friars, Episcopalians, Methodists, et al at these marches and rallies.

[rebel with a cause]

10. Not all christians voted for bush.

Just as all democrats did not vote for Kerry. It is just kind of narrow minded to think that all people claiming to be christians are the same, just as you would be if you thought all members of any group are the same. Like "all Muslims are terrorist" "all whites are members of the KKK" "all African Americans like hip-hop and/or rap music" "all Latinos eat chili and tacos every day" "all Asians know Kung Fu" "all American Indians live on reservations and do rain dances" etc.

I have a head ache from thinking up all these stereotypes, so anyone taking offense from them, give me a break. That was a lot of hard work!

[Hissyspit]

6. .

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

8. Now it'll be the right wingers' turn to use the tired and old...

"...but they're not REAL Christians!"

[IndianaGreen]

9. ''That's just not the way I read my Gospel.''

Jesus would have been one of Bush's enemy combatants, condemned by the High Priests of American Christianity, from James Dobson to Jerry Falwell. Jesus, the radical self-hating Jew that treated women as equals, who never uttered an ill word about homosexuality or abortion, and who constantly preached against the corrupt religious establishment.