October 15, 2001
The Honorable Barbara A. Mikulski (Sarbanes, Wynn, Bush)
Suite 709
Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Senator Mikulski:
With our fellow Americans, fellow Christians around the world, and indeed the entire world family, we are stunned by the events of September 11 and we grieve for those that are lost and those that have been profoundly affected. As individuals, we try to grapple with our feelings of anger and confusion, even as we come together to lean on each other.
As people of faith, we are also struggling with our nation's response to the actions of the terrorists. We struggle with the words of Jesus that ask us to turn the other cheek, and to turn our backs on violence and war. We struggle with the cries of so many of our fellow Americans that clamor for revenge, for retaliation, for inflicting damage that reflects what we have suffered. We struggle with our fears of what the future might bring. And we struggle with the fact that Afghanistan and other possible military targets are populated by children of God.
Most of us are not ready to be unconditional pacifists. Nonetheless, we feel called to speak. We urge you, our elected representative, to steer our government in the direction of peaceful means to seek justice for this criminal act, not towards military means to exact retribution. We urge diplomatic cooperation with nations around the world to bring terrorists to justice, not violent shows of military might to punish those who do not cooperate. We urge a focus on preventing future acts of terrorism, not a broadening of purpose to include other economic and political goals. We see our nation's strength in its compassion, its character, its fairness, and its generosity. These are the strengths we want to show the world, and we believe these are the strengths that will prevail in this conflict. Our considerable strengths of military might and technology, we fear, will only serve to draw us into a global conflict that eclipses the events of September 11.
We pray for peace, for God's wisdom for you and your colleagues, and for God's comfort to the many grieving souls in our world
In Peace,
|
Martha Geores, Clerk |
Laura Collins, Moderator |
The Session of Takoma Park Presbyterian Church
Webmaster : Brian C. Monsell