The following remarks were delivered by outgoing Executive Director Jennifer Copeland at the Triangle Peace Action press conference opposing the war in Iran, held October 20 outside Roy Cooper’s campaign offices in Raleigh, North Carolina.
There is a lot of a talk on the airwaves these days about America being a Christian nation, which, of course, it is not. It’s a nation built on freedom of religion that happens to have a majority of Christians. That said, one might expect to hear some Christian values brought to bear in discussions about war. Only most of what I hear from elected officials is antithetical to the teachings of the Prince of Peace. Most of what I hear makes a mockery of the prophetic vision that “nation shall not lift up sword against nation, [and] neither shall they learn war any more” (Isaiah 2:4b).
Here are some reasons Isaiah and Jesus disavow war:
- War brings us loss of life. Yes, there is the lives of those who are military personnel paid to kill each other across battle lines. That’s bad enough, but worse still is the loss of life for those caught between the battle lines, inside the war zone, or casualties of the side effects of war. Those lives usually include children, elderly, and other vulnerable people without a stake in the wages of war.
- War brings lingering trauma for those who survive—all of those who survive: the paid fighters, the medical personnel, the innocent bystanders, the orphaned children, the childless parents. No one really survives a war; some people just live through it.
- War brings economic ruin. It’s not just about the cost of bombs and bombers, drones and missiles, guns and ammunition. Yes, those things cost money, but it’s also about the rising cost of food and fuel, things essential for survival by those who never come anywhere near the war zone, but who now find they can’t pay their bills because there is a war.
- War brings chaos to the earth, destroying fertile land, polluting pristine streams, contaminating the very air we breathe to sustain our lives. Indeed, war destroys the very gift of creation bestowed by God.
I could go on. The Bible is chock full of reasons to pursue peace. Roy Cooper knows this. I hope, if he is elected as our next senator, he will take that belief with him into the halls of congress and help to move the levers of power to halt this immoral abuse of power and greed. Thank you.
