Divine Obedience in Israel

For the past ten days, Israel has been involved in what it calls "defense" operations in Lebanon. Reports from within Lebanon tell a different story: Israel has been committing atrocities and war crimes against the people of Lebanon: bombing roads, bridges, hospitals, power plants, fuel depots, grain silos, and other civilian targets. Over 300 Lebanese civilians have been killed, and the United Nations estimates that nearly one quarter of the Lebanese people have been forced to flee their homes.

One Israeli soldier is refusing to participate.

In an act of "Divine Obedience", that is, obeying the "Higher Law" of God, Reserve Staff Sergeant Itzik Shabbat has refused orders to report for duty in the West Bank in order for free up regular forces for Israel's actions against Lebanon.

According to Sgt. Shabbat, "I know people will attack me and ask how could I not take part in this war when Qassams are falling on my hometown and Katyushas on the towns in the north. In my opinion, only this type of opposition that I've chosen will put an end to the madness that is going on now and will shatter the false feeling that the entire home front supports this unnecessary war that is based on deceptive considerations. Someone has to be the first to break the silence and it will be me."

Israel has the right to defend itself, but its actions of the last ten days go far beyond what could reasonably considered to be "defense." By refusing to participate in these atrocities, Sergeant Shabbat has taken a moral stance against the immoral actions of his government and stands as a courageous example for others to follow.

"Never do anything against conscience even if the state demands it." - Albert Einstein

Think of how good that would feel!

I wrote previously on the “speech” or “sermon” I
delivered at church a couple of weeks ago that
apparently resulted in record giving to the
church's Deacons Fund. If I were going to deliver
a follow-up, I'd probably say something like this:

A few weeks ago I appealed to you to be
especially generous in your giving to the Deacons
Fund, as we had church members in dire need and
the fund was empty. As you've probably heard, we
had record donations to the Deacons Fund, and
because of your generosity, the needs of a member
of our church have been taken care of. Doesn't it
feel good to know that your giving made a
big difference in someone's life?

When I appealed to you to be generous in your
giving to the Deacons Fund, I mentioned that the
early Christians would sell their belongings to
help others, and that they would fast to allow
others to eat. I suggested that if you felt you
weren't able to give anything right now, you could
have a yard sale and give the proceeds to the
Deacons Fund. I also suggested you could eat rice
and beans instead of steak and give the money you
save to the Deacons Fund, or stay home and watch
TV instead of going out to a movie, and give the
money you save to the Deacons Fund.

I doubt that anybody actually had to fast to be
able to give to the fund, but I wouldn't be
surprised if some of you actually did eat rice and
beans, or skipped going to a movie or other
entertainment.

Even if you had to sacrifice something to be able
to give, maybe especially if you had to
sacrifice something, didn't it feel good? When
you know that doing without something is doing
good for someone else who needs it, you really
don't miss it, and it actually feels good to give
it up.

There are a lot of people in the world who need
our help. We have much more than we need, while
others struggle just to feed themselves. Nearly a
billion human beings are chronically
undernourished, and perhaps as many as 60 million
of them starve to death each year. Consider this:
half the people on this planet live on two dollars
a day or less. Think how little you'd have to
change your life to make an enormous difference in
the life of somebody who lives on two dollars a
day. Buy the cheaper brands when you go grocery
shopping, and you could save enough at every meal
to feed a person for an entire day. Carpool to
work with a couple of coworkers, and between you,
you could feed an entire family every day. Make
do with the old car instead of buying a new one,
and you could feed an entire village.

Think of what else you could do to make a
difference in the lives of others. Think of how
little you'd have to give up to make a big
difference to someone else. And think of how good
that would feel.

North Korea missile launches - so what?

Earlier this week, North Korea performed tests of
its missile systems, launching a total of 7
missiles, including the first test launch of the
Taepodong II missile. All the missiles fell
harmlessly into the sea. The Taepodong II missile
failed and blew up shortly after launch.

Immediately after these launches, various nations
expressed “shock” and “outrage” at this
“provocation.” Proposals were made as to the best
way to deal with this “crisis” and “threat.”

I really don't understand what the fuss is all
about.

North Korea has a rather small stockpile of
missiles. They have approximately 600 Scud
missiles, with a range up to 500 kilometers. The
Rodong missile has a range of 1500 kilometers, and
North Korea has about 200 of these. In 1998, they
fired a Taepodong I missile, supposedly to launch
a satellite into orbit, but the satellite was
never detected in orbit and is believed to have
been destroyed when the third stage failed. It is
believed that the Taepodong I missile program has
been abandoned. And now North Korea has test
fired one Taepodong II missile, which failed
shortly after launch.

North Korea is believed to have possibly as many
as 7 nuclear weapons, however, they have never
tested one, and the device they are believed to
have weighs about 10 times more than the Taepodong
II could deliver at its maximum range.

So, in total, North Korea has maybe 800 missiles,
and up to 7 nuclear weapons, but no missile system
capable of delivering those nuclear weapons.

Let's see what the U.S. has. The Federation of
American Scientists (FAS) lists on its website 28
different varieties of air-launched missiles, 21
varieties of ground-launched missiles, 11
varieties of ship-launched missiles, and 7
varieties of submarine-launched missiles. Total
quantities of each of these missile types is
generally classified, but here's some examples:
Of air-launched missiles, there are at least 2400
AGM-158 Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missiles; at
least 600 AGM-130A missiles; at least 19,000
AGM-88 HARM missiles have been built; 35,000
AGM-65 Maverick missiles; 13,400 FIM-92A Stingers.

Of ground-launched missiles, the U.S. has 800 M39
TACMS and 50,000 M-47 Dragons.

Of ship-launched missiles, the U.S. has
constructed 438 ASROCs; at least 4,100 BGM-109
Tomahawks; 6,000 AGM-84 Harpoon SLAMs; 1,600
RIM-116 RAMs.

In addition, the U.S. has approximately 10,000
nuclear weapons, of which 5,000 are launch-ready.
The U.S. has conducted 1,030 tests of nuclear
weapons, and an additional 24 joint tests with
Great Britian. The U.S. nuclear stockpile
includes 529 Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles
capable of delivering 1,490 nuclear warheads, 360
Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles capable of
delivering 2,736 nuclear warheads, and 77 bombers
capable of delivering 1,456 nuclear warheads.

So, why is it that North Korea, having maybe 800
missiles, mostly of relatively short range, and
maybe as many as 7 nuclear devices that have never
been tested and may not even work, with no
capability to deliver their nuclear devices, is
such a threat, but the United States' hundreds of
thousands of missiles and ten thousand nuclear
warheads is not a threat? Is it because we're the
good guys and they're the bad guys? Our hundreds
of thousands of missiles and ten thousand nuclear
weapons are only for peaceful or defensive
purposes, while their 800 missiles and 7 nuclear
weapons are going to destroy the world?

This is crazy, people. When we start reducing our
stockpile of missiles and nuclear weapons, when we
stop spending as much on our military as the
entire rest of the world combined, then we can
start talking about what the other nations have
got. Until then, we're the biggest hypocrites the
world has ever known. North Korea isn't the
problem. The rest of us are.

Oh, one more thing: how can the seven nuclear
weapons that North Korea has but can't deliver be
a bigger deal than the 11 nuclear weapons the U.S.
has lost and never recovered? I'm serious; they
were in bombers that went down, or submarines that
sunk, and so on. Then there's the 50 or so that
the Soviet Union lost.....

Divine Obedience

I have to admire those who are willing to suffer
for their beliefs.

I've written previously about Father Roy
Bourgeois, who heads SOA Watch, an organization
dedicated to closing the School of the Americas,
where the U.S. teaches torture and terrorism to
soldiers from Latin America. SOA grads have been
responsible for horrible atrocities in Latin
America, and names you know – like Manuel Noriega
– are graduates of the U.S. “School Of Assassins.”
Believing that it is wrong for us to train
torturers, terrorists, and assassins, Father Roy
is committed to closing the SOA. To draw
attention to his cause, Father Roy has been
involved in a number of acts that some might call
“civil disobedience”, like illegally entering the
SOA at Fort Benning, Georgia, and playing a tape
of the last sermon of Archbishop Oscar Romero, who
was assassinated by SOA graduates. For his
actions, which he prefers to call “Divine
Obedience”, Father Roy has been imprisoned several
times.

I've also mentioned Sister Jackie Hudson. Sister
Jackie, with two other nuns, cut the chain on the
fence surrounding silo N-8, which contains a
Minuteman III missile armed with a 300 kiloton
nuclear warhead, poured their own blood on the lid
of the silo in the shape of a cross, and hammered
on the lid and prayed until they were arrested.
Sister Jackie and her companions were imprisoned
for several years for their actions, but they were
willing to go to prison in order to bring
attention to their cause of peace and the
destruction of the thousands of nuclear weapons
the U.S. possesses. Jesus said, “Blessed are the
peacemakers”; those who commit acts of Divine
Obedience to end the insanity of nuclear weapons
are surely blessed peacemakers.

The latest to commit an act of Divine Obedience is
First Lieutenant Ehren K. Watada. Lt. Watada is
the first commissioned U.S. Army Officer to refuse
to serve in Iraq. In a statement made on June 7,
2006, Lt. Watada said:

“It is my duty as a commissioned officer of the
United States Army to speak out against grave
injustices. My moral and legal obligation is to
the Constitution and not those who would issue
unlawful orders. I stand before you today because
it is my job to serve and protect those soldiers,
the American people, and innocent Iraqis with no
voice.

It is my conclusion as an officer of the Armed
Forces that the war in Iraq is not only morally
wrong but a horrible breach of American law.
Although I have tried to resign out of protest, I
am forced to participate in a war that is
manifestly illegal. As the order to take part in
an illegal act is ultimately unlawful as well, I
must as an officer of honor and integrity refuse
that order.

The war in Iraq violates our democratic system of
checks and balances. It usurps international
treaties and conventions that by virtue of the
Constitution become American law. The wholesale
slaughter and mistreatment of the Iraqi people
with only limited accountability is not only a
terrible moral injustice, but a contradiction to
the Army's own Law of Land Warfare. My
participation would make me party to war crimes.

Normally, those in the military have allowed
others to speak for them and act on their behalf.
That time has come to an end. I have appealed to
my commanders to see the larger issues of our
actions. But justice has not been forthcoming. My
oath of office is to protect and defend America's
laws and its people. By refusing unlawful orders
for an illegal war, I fulfill that oath
today.”

Like Father Roy and Sister Jackie, Lt. Watada is a
hero. Although his act of Divine Obedience will
likely result in several years of imprisonment,
Lt. Watada has chosen to do the right
thing, the moral thing – he has refused to
participate in what he believes (as I do) is an
illegal and immoral war.

You may ask what possible good can come from acts
of Divine Obedience that result in imprisonment?
Well, if it hadn't been for Father Roy, I might
have never heard of the School of the Americas,
and you probably wouldn't have, either. There are
now protests at the School of the Americas every
year, with up to 20 thousand people participating.
There have been bills introduced in Congress to
close the SOA. That probably would have never
happened if Father Roy had chosen to just stay
home and write letters to Congress. Because
Father Roy obeyed what he calls the “higher law”,
thousands, perhaps millions, of Americans have
become aware that we are training terrorists at
Fort Benning, and are working to put a stop to it.

Because Sister Jackie, Daniel and Philip Berrigan,
and many others were willing to go to prison for
having taken part in the acts of Divine Obedience
they call “Plowshares Actions”, millions of people
have become aware that the U.S. possesses ten
thousand nuclear weapons, enough to end billions
of innocent human lives, perhaps enough to end all
human life.

And now, because U.S. Army First Lieutenant Ehren
K. Watada has refused to participate in the U.S.
occupation of Iraq, millions will become aware
that there is more than one possible point of view
on the Iraq war, even if you're a soldier.
Millions will read about this in the newspapers,
see the story on TV news, hear Lt. Watada's
statements on the illegality and immorality of
this war, and they will have to think about it.
Some of them even may be inspired to take action
to stop the war.

I don't think I've got the courage to take that
kind of action. I wish I did, and who knows,
perhaps someday I will. In the meantime, I will
continue to be inspired by those who do have the
courage to engage in acts of Divine Obedience, who
do have the courage to obey the Higher Law,
regardless of the personal consequences. I will
continue to read their stories, I will continue to
tell their stories, and I will continue to speak
out on the issues they raise. And I hope you will
do the same.

To learn more about SOA Watch, visit:
SOA Watch.
To learn more about Lt. Watada, visit:
Lt. Watada.

A Wonderful Thing Happened To Me.

I had another wonderful thing happen to me.

I get together with my pastor to talk for an hour
or so, just about every Wednesday afternoon. A
couple of weeks ago, he mentioned that a family in
the church had had several financial disasters hit
them, and they were really in a bind. Ordinarily,
the church helps out people like that, and we have
a “Deacon's Fund” just for that purpose. But the
Deacon's Fund was empty.

At the worship service the following Sunday
morning, the pastor mentioned that somebody in the
church was in need, and that the Deacon's Fund was
empty, and to please contribute generously.

I guess he didn't say it strongly enough for me,
as I felt compelled to say more about it. So I
stood up in front of the congregation, and here's
(approximately) what I said:

Some of you may be thinking you are unable to
contribute to the Deacon's Fund at this time. In
Acts 2, we are told that “All who believed were
together and had all things in common; they would
sell their possessions and goods and distribute
the proceeds to all, as any had need.” So if
you're thinking that you can't contribute, have a
yard sale this week, and give the proceeds of the
sale to the Deacon's Fund. One of the early
writers about the church wrote that if there were
hungry people among them, and there just wasn't
enough to go around, that some would fast for
several days to feed the others. Think of that:
“I will go hungry so that you can eat.” Now, I'm
not asking anyone to go hungry, but if you were
planning to go shopping this week, and maybe buy
some steaks, buy rice and beans instead. And give
the money you save to the Deacon's Fund. If you
were planning to go to the movies this week, stay
home and watch TV instead, and give the money you
save to the Deacon's Fund.

After the service, tha pastor told me that there
was more given to the Deacon's Fund that day than
had ever been given to the fund in an entire year,
and that much more money was taken in than was
needed! If you have been reading this blog, you
already know that I want very much to be a
positive force in the world. I want very much to
help people whenever I can. While driving home
from church, I realized that God had just used me
to make a difference in the lives of a family in
need. I thought, “Thank You, Jesus! You know how
much I want to do good, and you just used me to do
good. Thank You!”

I am amazed that God chose me to do this task. I
don't consider myself to be anyone special, I
don't know why God would even notice me. I've
only been a Christian for a couple of years; I'm
sure there are people in the church who could have
said it better than I; I'm sure there are people
in the church who are more respected and
influential than I. But God chose me to do that
job! Wow! I suppose in a way that makes me feel
special, to think that God felt I was able to do
that, but it also makes me feel rather humble: If
God chose me to do that job, it means he noticed
me; it means he sees me. Uh-oh, God is watching
me! If he sees me, and knows me well enough to
choose me for that job, he must also know about
all my defects and faults, and everything I do
wrong. Ouch! But in spite of that, he still
pushed me to the front of the church and put those
words in my mouth. It's kind of humbling.

So, is there a moral to the story? I'm not sure.
Maybe the lesson is that we should remain open to
the possibility that God may choose any one of us
to do His work. Maybe the lesson is that we
shouldn't be afraid to stand up and speak, and
that sometimes we really can make a difference
when we do. Maybe the lesson is that if you point
out to Christians that there's a need, and give
some examples of how Christians met other people's
needs in the past, they will do what needs to be
done. Maybe it's all of these, and maybe it's
something that I'm missing entirely, and maybe
you'll see what the intended lesson is.

I Love Everybody

I had a most wonderful experience a few weeks ago.
I had been thinking for some time about Jesus'
command to love everybody. It's hard to do; there
are some people it's hard to even like. A while
back I had decided that if somebody that I really
didn't like were starving, I would certainly feed
them; does that constitute love? Hmmm, probably
not.

I was riding my bike on the river-front Loop
Trail, thinking about all this. I looked at all
the people going by, and I thought, “you know, all
those people are just like me. Sure, they have
problems, they're far from perfect, but then, so
am I. In spite of their defects and their
problems, Jesus loves them; every one of them.
And in spite of my defects and my problems, Jesus
loves me. If Jesus can love me in spite of all my
defects, and Jesus can love them in spite of their
defects, then I can love them, too.”

And for a few minutes, I think I actually did love
them all. Every one of them. It was wonderful!
I thought “wow, this must be how Jesus feels all
the time!” I think if anybody had looked at me
during those few minutes, I probably would
literally have been glowing. It's like when you
love everybody, maybe you feel the love of
everybody else coming back at you, or maybe God
pours a little extra love on you or something. It
was an amazing feeling.

If you're looking for advice on how to feel that
way, I'm afraid I can't help you. I don't know
how to do it. I don't know what it was that I
did, or that you should do. Pray a lot, maybe?
Ask God to fill you with that kind of love? I
just don't know, but I'm going to keep working at
it. I want to feel that way all the time.