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A Faith-Based Response to the Events of September 11 & Beyond

So many words have been written and spoken these past few days.  Our concern, as a community of faith, is based on two precepts.  First, our Institute was founded on the precept, “If you want peace, work for justice.”  And secondly, consistent with the precepts of all the great religions, “in the face of escalating violence, escalate love.” 

• Justice as the basis of our nation’s response.  The terrible evil inflicted on us as a people must be righted according to the basic principles of international law.  Our nation has a unique opportunity to enlist the resources and good will of all the peoples of the world in a global effort to combat the terrorism that threatens all of us.  The United Nations is the appropriate channel for such an all-out global search for the terrorists.  As enticing as it is to want to punish the perpetrators and anyone remotely associated or geographically near them with a massive military response -- an all-out war -- this will only add fuel to the spiral of violence that is behind these terrible deeds.  We will become the evil we want to eradicate.
• Justice demands that we address the roots of these terrorist deeds.  As unpleasant and unpopular as it is to be saying such things, the evil that we are striking out against is partly our own doing.  Terrorism, as ugly and unjustified as it is, nevertheless comes from some long-standing injustices.  We must look at the ways we have unjustly treated peoples and nations for two centuries -- see the “beam” in our own eyes -- to understand where such violence came from.  Unless we are willing to address the on-going humiliation of the Palestinian people, the 10 years of horrendous suffering by the people of Iraq, and the widening gap between rich and poor nations, we will not get at the roots of terrorism and the spiral of violence will only escalate.  If we want peace, we must work for justice -- not vigilante justice, but justice based on the rule of law and the precepts of our faith traditions.
• “In the face of escalating violence, escalate love.”  While we address these evil deeds directly, we can also address them indirectly.  As all the great faith traditions have emphasized, the spirit of violence, the spirit of evil, can only be overcome by the spirit of love.   As Gandhi lived and preached, “We must become the change we wish to see in this  world.”  The Pledge of Nonviolence gives all of us a concrete way of overcoming the evil spirit behind the deeds of September 11 and those being considered as a way of retaliating.  For those of us who are Christian, the words and tears of Jesus as he looked out over his beloved city of Jerusalem are particularly poignant,  “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, if only today you knew the things that make for peace” (Luke 19: 42).  He weeps again today, over the Middle East, over the United States, over the Sudan, and so many other places, pleading with each of us to “do the things that make for peace.”  Practically, how can we escalate love?
  • Respect Self and Others.  In the face of escalating words of hate, we can escalate our words of kindness toward others -- in check-out lines, on the street, driving, being extra patient with one another.
  • Communicate Better & Listen Carefully.  In the face of escalating anger, especially if the anger is directed at us in some way, we can escalate our willingness to listen non-defensively and acknowledge the deep hurts and fears that underlie a lot of this anger and not respond in kind.
  • Forgive.  In the face of escalating cries for revenge, we can escalate our willingness to become more forgiving toward anyone with whom we have some issues.
  • Act Courageously.  In the face of escalating acts of hate directed at Muslim and Arab people and others, we can escalate our courage and stand by them, protest, perhaps even accompany them in places where they feel afraid.  We can pray with them daily and especially on Fridays, their sacred day of prayer.  And in the face of escalating cries for war, we can courageously and lovingly offer a different perspective.