Presented by the Commission for Witness Life of the Maine Conference of the United Church of Christ

A. Background . . .
Whereas The fruits the American War in Iraq have borne are: the loss of hundreds of thousands of human lives, political instability in an already-fragile region, the fostering of anger and hatred toward America and the resulting breeding ground for the next generation of terrorists, environmental damage on a staggering scale, and profits for many multi-national corporations with little accountability or oversight;
Whereas The Just Peace Pronouncement at General Synod 15 (1985) of the United Church of Christ calls all settings of the United Church of Christ to be “Just Peace Churches,” defining "just peace" as the interrelation of friendship, justice, and common security from violence, calling the church to a vision of shalom rooted in peace with justice, and placing the UCC General Synod in opposition to the institution of war;

Whereas the 2002 Annual Meeting of the Maine Conference of the United Church of Christ passed a resolution opposing a pre-emptive or unilateral military strike on Iraq and calling for a peaceful resolution to the crisis at that time;

Whereas the Council of Conference Ministers and national Executives of the United Church of Christ signed a Pastoral Letter stating “The recourse to war, according to our Christian tradition, is an admission of human failure . . . Instead of war, we advocate . . . for a more humane and moral course of action which emphasizes economic justice, God’s mercy, and a new vision of what it means for humanity to live together on this planet we share”;

Whereas the Collegium of Officers of the United Church of Christ are currently encouraging us to sign on to a Pastoral Letter dated June 22, 2007 also calling for an end to the American War in Iraq;
Theological and Biblical Foundations . . .

Whereas The Prophet Isaiah speaks of the world God intends for us, saying . . .
“God shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” (Isaiah 2:4)

Whereas Psalm 34:14 calls all people of faith to “seek peace and pursue it”;

Whereas Zechariah speaks of the coming Messiah who shall “command peace to the nations” (9:10);

Whereas we witness that the One the Prophets spoke of is Jesus the Christ, our Lord and Savior; and whereas we seek to be faithful disciples of Jesus the Christ, we remember how He said “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9) and how He said “All who take the sword shall perish by the sword” (Matthew 26:52) and how He practiced what He taught, “turning the other cheek,” not returning violence when it was done to Him;

Whereas we look forward to the day when God’s liberating reign means peaceful coexistence among all peoples and creatures (Isaiah 11:1-9; Revelation 21:1-6);

Whereas James, in his Letter, promises “a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace” (3:18);

THEREFORE:

Be it resolved that The Maine Conference of the United Church of Christ vote to declare itself a “Just Peace Conference.”

Be it further resolved that we call upon our churches and members to consider signing a Pastoral Letter written by the UCC’s Collegium of Officers (see it at http://www.ucc.org/news/significant-speeches/a-pastoral-letter-on-the-iraq.html);

Be it further resolved that since Christians (through Christ), Jews (through the Patriarchs), and Moslems (through the Prophet Mohammed – Peace Be Upon Him – and beyond Mohammed to Ishamel and Hagar) all claim one common ancestor in their faith – Abraham – we call upon the Churches of the Maine Conference of the United Church of Christ to enter into dialogue with other Children of Abraham and to stand with them in their own witness for peace;

Be it further resolved that although the Maine Conference of the United Church of Christ disagrees with the war in Iraq, we lift up the men and women of the armed forces who are stationed there for their courage and sacrifice and hold them and their families in our prayers;

Be it further resolved that The Maine Conference of the United Church of Christ call for an immediate end to the American War on Iraq and the immediate development of a timetable for a measured, safe withdrawal of our troops stationed there;

Be it finally resolved that this resolution, if approved, be sent to Maine’s Representatives in Congress and its Senators.