Monday, October 29, 2012

Torture In America

The following is reposted from the Church of the Brethren's Peace Witness Ministries website.  I am sharing it here because I feel strongly about this issue and the article is worded better than I could rewrite!  I do not know if the links referrenced within are active and will take you to the intended website.  If not, just copy it and paste it into your browser.
In Jesus' Love,
gdg



ACTION ALERT
Calling on Our Leaders to Stop Torture in America and Set an Ethical Example for the World
October 25, 2012
"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed."
(Proverbs 31:8 NLT)
Hasn’t torture already been outlawed here in America? Well, yes and no. It is true that in 2009 President Obama signed Executive Order 13491, which banned the use of torture during detainee interrogation. This was a major step forward from America’s regrettable recent history of water-boarding detainees.
However, despite the positive changes, torture is still all around us. America still has not closed Guantanamo Bay, last year Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act (Subtitle D, Counterterrorism), which allows for the indefinite detention of American citizens without charge or trial.
Torture and abuse in U.S. prisons, immigration detention centers, and other places of confinement is becoming more apparent every day. Recently, Shane Bauer, one of the three American hikers unlawfully imprisoned by Iran in 2009, wrote an eye-opening story about the shocking similarities he noticed between his time imprisoned in Iran and the conditions and abuse he saw in prisons he was investigating in California. His story is a current and sobering reminder that torture and abuse happens every day, both abroad and here in America.
As a denomination, the Church of the Brethren adopted a strong "Resolution Against Torture" at Annual Conference in 2010. The resolution clearly states that, "Torture is a blatant violation of the tenets of our faith, and it seeks to break the human spirit. In reality, it devastates both the one who is tortured and the one who tortures."
The Church of the Brethren continues to speak out against torture as a member of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT), which brings together religious groups from all backgrounds with the goal of eliminating torture of every kind in all areas of the world. NRCAT is reaching out to us and other member organizations to gather signatures in support of their upcoming visit to the White House where they will present a petition calling on the President to join 63 other countries in signing the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT).
OPCAT sets up oversight bodies and other national mechanisms that prevent torture and abuse in places of confinement including: jails, prisons, mental health facilities, immigration detention centers, detainee centers like Guantanamo, and police stations. Independent monitoring of conditions is crucial to preventing torture because it is the most reliable way to ensure that policies are clearly followed.
We, the Church of the Brethren Advocacy & Peace Witness Office, believe in the importance of this effort and hope that our fellow members of the Church of the Brethren feel the same way. Human Rights Weekend (December 7th-9th) is rapidly approaching, and this issue is crucial to empowering the global human rights movement.
How you can take action:
  1. Sign the Petition! 3 Ways to Sign:
  2. Participate in Human Rights Weekend December 7th-9th
    NRCAT offers worship resources and materials tailored for Human Rights Weekend.
Want more info? Visit NRCAT’s website
In God's peace,
Bryan Hanger
Advocacy Assistant
Church of the Brethren and National Council of Churches
Bryan Hanger was born and raised in Roanoke, Virginia and has attended Oak Grove Church of the Brethren all of his life. He graduated in May 2012 from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia with a degree in Political Science and after graduating applied for Brethren Volunteer Service. Bryan says, "After attending BVS orientation #299 with 24 other volunteers, I was lucky enough to be placed at the Advocacy and Peace Witness Office here in Washington DC. The area and job are both new to me, but I am excited to become a part of the District and look forward to advocating on behalf of the Church of the Brethren on important issues."
Click here to receive action alerts from the Church of the Brethren, and/or other e-communications.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

The Harbinger: A Book Review


The Harbinger, by Jonathan Cahn, bears the subtitle "The Ancient Mystery that Holds the Secret of America's Future".  Written in narrative form, Cahn admits in his one sentence Forward:  "What you are about to read is written in the form of a story, but what is contained within the story is real."  He would have been better off ending the sentence after the word "story" and leaving it at that.  For in fact, this is nothing more than a fictional novel along the line of National Treasure spiced with religious flavoring.

The story is built on what Cahn honestly believes are biblical prophecies concerning the United States of America.  It seeks to explain the events that led to the terrorists attack on September 11, 2001 and continued through the economic collapse of 2008.  What Cahn describes as a "mystery" is revealed gradually throughout the book but hinges on his interpretation of Isaiah 9:10 which reads:  "The bricks have fallen, but with hewn stone we will rebuild;  the sycamores have been cut down, but with cedars we will plant in their place."

In telling his story Cahn uses a fictional journalist named Nouriel Kaplan and a Manhattan publishing executive named Ana Goren.  There is also an unnamed character identified only as The Prophet.  Kaplan approaches Goren with his tale of mysterious meetings with The Prophet.   In these meetings Kaplan is given a series of nine seals, or clay discs referred to as harbingers.  Each harbinger reveals a portion of the overall mystery that is rooted in Isaiah 9:10, an ancient prophecy that supposedly predicts the events of 9/11 and those in the following decade.

Cahn repeatedly seeks to establish a clear parallel between ancient Israel and modern-day America.  In doing so, unfortunately, he is forced to use very poor exegesis while freely interjecting far too much personal bias.  Rather than using the scriptures as inspiration for his teaching, Cahn begins with his own preconceived theories and then tries to plug in scripture that gives a weak and unconvincing effort to support his claims.  The result is a fictional novel that is sadly misinterpreted by far too many well-intentioned Christians as an authentic interpretation of the Bible, particularly the Old Testament.  Truth be told, there is nothing Christian about The Harbinger.  Jonathan Cahn is President of Hope of the World Ministries and the Senior Pastor of the Jerusalem Center/Beth Israel.  He claims to be a Messianic Rabbi.  I have no reason to doubt him.  Still, his ministry and his book The Harbinger is far more Jewish than Christian.  This is evidenced by the use of Jewish names in the book along with quoting the Old Testament scriptures.  While God is mentioned with some regularity, Jesus is strikingly obscured. 

I found the dialog between Kaplan and Goren labored and tedious.  It is not well written from a literary point of view.  But what bothered me even more were the assumptions and manipulations presented as biblical truth.  Even some of his historical presentations are not entirely accurate.  It begins with Cahn's belief that Ancient Israel and modern America are the only two nations in history that were founded on the Word of God and uniquely dedicated to God's purpose.    In reality many differences exist, however.  Israel was found as a theocracy.  The United States was not.  In fact the Constitution clearly states that the United States is prohibited from establishing or endorsing any religion.  In the truest sense, then, the United States is a secular nation.  Even though many of the founding fathers were known to mention the name "God" from time to time, this cannot be construed as a desire to make the United States a "Christian Nation".  Indeed, quite the opposite was true.  Such quotes must be understood as little more than political jargon intended to win the support of potential voters.

Another difference is found in the fact that Israel was established by a covenant with God.  The United States was established by revolution and rebellion.

Cahn also says that the year 732 B.C. was the year God removed his "hedge of protection" from Israel allowing the Assyrians to successfully strike a devastating blow.  This, he argues, is mirrored in 9/11/2001 when the terrorists struck a devastating blow to the United States.  In both cases Cahn states that the enemy struck and then left without dealing a fatal blow.  The truth is, however, that Assyria not only struck a devastating blow to Israel in 732 B. C., they did conquer the nation and took the citizens into Exile.  The Kingdom of Israel would never again exist as an independent, sovereign nation.  What Cahn fails to mention is that the Kingdom of Israel as it was under Saul, David and Solomon had divided into two separate kingdoms upon Solomon's death.  These two kingdoms were entirely separate entities, as separate as Great Britain and the United States following the American Revolution.  The Northern Kingdom retained the name Israel.  The Southern portion took the name Judah.  It was the Northern Kingdom of Israel that was attacked and destroyed by the Assyrians in 732 B. C.  The King of Assyria chose not to attack Judah because of her alliance with Egypt.  Conversely, on September 11 the United States was indeed attacked but was never defeated.  No one was captured and taken into Exile.  Rather than a prolonged war as experienced by Israel the terrorists made their attack in the course of a few hours.

Cahn goes on to claim that the Assyrians "are the spiritual fathers of al Qaeda (page 39)"   based on his understanding that Assyria occupied what is modern day Iraq.  This understanding has a few flaws to it, however.  For one thing, Ancient Assyria only occupied a small portion of Northern Iraq.  It actually consisted of as much of Southeast Turkey as it did Iraq.  Secondly, I fail to see the connection between Iraq and al Qaeda.  Saddam Hussein was many things but I do not recall anyone who ever claimed he was a member of al Qaeda.   Cahn continues by comparing the torturous techniques of the Assyrians with the practices of al Qaeda, yet the truth is many, many groups and nations in history could share such a claim.  The ancient Aztecs, the Sicarii of the 1st Centuray A.D., Nazi Germany, the Japanese before their defeat in World War II, the South American Drug lords, and far too many more to list here.

One of the parallels Cahn tries to make between Ancient Israel and the United States is found in the response to their respective "terrorist attacks".  Following the Assyrian invasion of 732 B. C. the Kingdom of Israel showed a defiance toward Assyria and toward God, whom the people blamed their demise on.  What Cahn fails to reveal is that the Northern Kingdom of Israel began defying God the very moment they broke from the House of David and formed their separate nation in the year 930 B. C.    Yet even with such oversight, Cahn's comparison fails when we consider that the response of the American people in 2001 was, generally, a call for repentance and a plea for God to protect this nation.  From the words of President Bush to Senator Tom Daschle and many others it is clear that the United States never truly promoted a rejection of God because of the terrorists attack on September 11.  Thus the comparison between Israel and the United States does not stand up.

I could cite many other flaws in the book itself but I am actually more concerned about a deeper effect.  I am amazed and disappointed in the remarkable interest shown in this book by an overwhelming number of Christian believers.  Evangelical and fundamentalist Christians seemingly buy into the message that is promoted by The Harbinger.  I am sure most of these people are good and faithful followers of Jesus.  Yet I also fear they are so easily misled because of their lack of biblical and historical understanding.  The Harbinger falls into a similar category of the Left Behind series (which I will refrain from detailing at this time).  That is to say it builds on a culture of popular sensationalism and intrigue with just enough biblical seasoning and religiosity as to entice Christians into falling for its premise, no matter how flawed it may be.  I have to agree with the opinion of Dave James who says of The Harbinger "...because of serious flaws throughout the book, the potential dangers may well outweigh the benefits."  He goes on to say "the book could well leave its readers with serious misunderstandings about how to appropriately interpret and apply the Word of God.  Beyond this, in trying to support his conclusions Cahn appears to variously overstate his case, see prophetic fulfillment where arguably none exist and presses details to draw parallels between historical events beyond what the facts reasonably support."

In conclusion, the only "mystery" I found in The Harbinger is how such a book so flawed and sensationalized ever managed to become a New York Times Best Seller.


G. D. Gehr
October 22, 2012

Sunday, October 21, 2012

IN HONOR OF AN AMERICAN PATRIOT: George McGovern (1922 - 2012)


George McGovern died early this morning at the age of 90.  It is only fitting that this blog site, dedicated to promoting the cause of peace and social justice, should take a moment to honor the life and legacy of this American hero.

George McGovern dedicated his life to the service of his country.  At the age of 22 he became a  bomber pilot in World War II, flying 35 missions and receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross.  In 1958 he was elected to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and in 1962 he was elected U.S. Senator from South Dakota, where he served three terms.  He became a tireless critic of the War in Vietnam and eventually launched an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic Presidential nomination in 1968.

McGovern continued to express opposition toward the U.S. policies in Vietnam and finally won the nomination for President in 1972.  His opponent was the incumbent Richard Nixon.  McGovern's campaign began on a rocky note when it was learned that his Vice Presidential running mate, Thomas Eagleton, had been hospitalized for depression and on one occasion had even received electroshock therapy.  This was enough of a concern in 1972 that Eagleton eventually resigned as the VP Candidate.  He was replaced by Sargent Shriver, the former Director of the Peace Corps.

From there the McGovern campaign went downhill.  Several key events worked against him, including lackluster support from his Democratic rivals Hubert Humphrey and Edward Kennedy.  Also worth noting was McGovern's inability to gain the endorsement of organized Labor.  Even though McGovern had a consistently strong voting record with Labor in Congress his anti-war views were opposed by AFL-CIO President George Meany, who was a strong supporter of the War in Vietnam.  As expected the Nixon camp successfully portrayed McGovern as a liberal extremist who could not be taken seriously.  Nixon even refused to debate his opponent during the entire campaign.

Of course, a contributing factor in the election of 1972 was the strategy of the Republican Party.  This included the break-in of Democratic headquarters at the now famous Watergate Hotel.  Though its effect on the election results of '72 may have been minor, it was yet another factor that worked against the McGovern campaign.  Ironically, this rather obscure event went on to bring Nixon down by resulting in his humiliating resignation as President only 2 years later.

When all was said and done the Election of 1972 was a total landslide in favor of Nixon.  The Incumbent went on to win an amazing 520 electoral votes, including McGovern's home State of South Dakota.  George McGovern received a mere 17 electoral votes.  It was one of the most lopsided elections in American history.

Following his defeat George McGovern returned to his Senate post where he served until 1980.  He went on to become the U. S. Ambassador to the United Nations and working tirelessly to overcome hunger in the world.  Along with Republican Senator Bob Dole he cosponsored the bill that created the Food Stamp program in the 1960's.  President John F. Kennedy named McGovern Director of Food for Peace in 1961.  His influence in the fight against hunger led to the International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program, a program of the U. S. Department of Agriculture,  which supports education and nutritional needs for some of the world's poorest and most needy children.  Together with Republican Senator Bob Dole, McGovern received the World Food Prize in 2008 in recognition of his lifelong efforts to eliminate hunger.

These two themes of hunger and peace advocacy characterized the life of George McGovern.  He has earned the respect of the American people and the world.  The causes he stood for and fought for will live on because of men and women like him.  I heard Columnist Mark Shields on Friday quote Steven Ambrose, whom Shields labeled the poet laureate of American military heroes, who said that George McGovern was as great a patriot as he ever knew.  Ambrose goes on to say, according to Shields, that McGovern proved one "does not have to be a hawk to be a great patriot.  And George McGovern was that.  He was a great patriot."


G. D. Gehr
10/21/2012