[Dialogue] 9/19/13, Spong: SYRIA, POISON GAS, MISSILE STRIKES AND PEACE?

Ellie Stock elliestock at aol.com
Mon Sep 23 19:07:51 PDT 2013







          
   


                              
      
        
          
            
              
                                
                  
                    
                      
                                                
                          
                            
                              
                                

                                
                              
                              
                                
                              
                            
                          
                        
                         
                    
                  
                
                                
                  
                    
                      
                                                
                          
                            
                              
                                                                                                                              
                            
                            
                              
                                
                                  
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 SYRIA,                                            POISON GAS, MISSILE STRIKES                                            AND PEACE?
                                          
 It has been both an                                            emotional and a political                                            roller-coaster. The                                            television newscasters and                                            the print media informed us                                            that a political debate was                                            underway as to whether or                                            not the armed might of this                                            country should be used to                                            punish the Syrian government                                            for violating the universal                                            condemnation against                                            chemical warfare that has                                            governed the world since the                                            horror of gas in the                                            trenches in World War I.                                            Pictures were released of                                            small children, who had been                                            the victims of sarin gas.                                            The pictures were chilling.                                            I enquired of a medical                                            expert about the effects of                                            sarin gas on the human body.                                            He shuddered even to talk                                            about it. His sentences were                                            short and declarative. “It                                            is deadly.” “There is no                                            protection.” “Suffering is                                            intense.” “Death is                                            inevitable.” For almost one                                            hundred years, despite                                            brutal wars, both worldwide                                            and local, with weapon                                            enhancements like atomic                                            power and cruise missiles,                                            the prohibition against                                            chemical warfare has still                                            been generally adhered to by                                            the nations of the world                                            until this moment. Now the                                            Syrian government has                                            breeched this taboo, in an                                            action widely believed to                                            have been ordered by its                                            president, Bashar al-Assad.                                            I did not disagree with the                                            official statement of facts                                            and yet the debate itself                                            struck me as deeply                                            irrational.
                                          
 Condemning one tactic of                                            war as inhumane, while                                            condoning the war itself,                                            strikes me as a strange line                                            of reasoning. The nuclear                                            bombs dropped on Hiroshima                                            and Nagasaki in the last                                            days of World War II killed                                            about 100,000 civilians in                                            each city. There were,                                            however, no photographs                                            except that of a mushroom                                            cloud. We did not see                                            victims in the last stages                                            of life because the bomb                                            vaporized them. Estimates                                            are that the poison gas                                            attacks in Syria killed over                                            1400 hundred people. Well                                            over 100,000 people,                                            however, had been killed                                            previously in this cruel                                            civil war. It seems to me                                            that all of them are equally                                            dead. One wonders if the                                            means by which they died is                                            of any great significance to                                            the victims.
                                          
 Nevertheless political                                            leaders at home and abroad                                            engaged this debate quite                                            publicly. The “war hawk”                                            part of the Republican                                            Party, led by Senators John                                            McCain of Arizona and                                            Lindsey Graham of South                                            Carolina quickly endorsed                                            the call for a military                                            response. Neither has ever                                            seen a war they did not                                            favor. Politics being what                                            they are, however, neither                                            could resist using their                                            endorsement to slam the                                            President for not engaging                                            this war much earlier and on                                            the side of the rebels. They                                            were soon joined by House                                            Speaker, John Boehner, but                                            how many Republican votes he                                            can control in his caucus is                                            always a question, not just                                            on this issue, but on any                                            other. The Libertarian wing                                            of Republican Party, led by                                            Senator Rand Paul, was                                            vehemently opposed to any                                            military intervention. They                                            are far too isolationist in                                            their foreign policy ideas                                            to embrace anything that                                            might lead to another                                            unpopular and expensive war.                                            War is also an activity of                                            “big government,” which they                                            oppose. They were joined in                                            this opposition by the “hate                                            Obama” wing of this party                                            which seems to infect in                                            varying degrees all                                            Republicans. These political                                            operatives act on the                                            premise that if President                                            Obama is for it, even if it                                            is an idea that was                                            originally a Republican                                            proposal, they are against                                            it. That is a strange way to                                            be an opposition party, but                                            that is what ideologically                                            driven American politics has                                            degenerated into being.
                                          
 Those on the Democratic                                            side of the aisle did not do                                            much better. The tensions                                            within this party are                                            equally real. In the last                                            twenty-five years this                                            nation has been led into                                            three Middle Eastern wars:                                            Iraq I, Afghanistan and Iraq                                            II. All three resulted from                                            foreign policy decisions                                            made by Republican                                            presidents. None of these                                            wars was conclusive. All                                            were expensive. There is no                                            doubt that the unbudgeted                                            costs of these three wars                                            contributed both to the                                            out-of-bounds deficit we                                            still seek to get under                                            control and to the economic                                            collapse that occurred in                                            2008. There is, therefore,                                            little stomach among leading                                            Democrats for another                                            military action in another                                            Middle Eastern country. Many                                            in this nation have                                            discovered the unintended                                            consequences of war                                            decisions far too often to                                            be interested in going down                                            that road yet once again.                                            Middle Eastern civil wars                                            with deep religious                                            overtones, we have observed,                                            do not lend themselves to                                            military solutions anyway.                                            This decision to begin                                            retaliatory military                                            procedures against Syria,                                            however, came from a                                            Democratic president,                                            perhaps more importantly,                                            from a president who has                                            spent his first term in                                            office unwinding the wars in                                            Afghanistan and Iraq. Could                                            the Democrats ignore this                                            call from their own elected                                            leader? This president                                            surprisingly then decided to                                            do what few other presidents                                            have done. Before ordering                                            this strike he asked                                            Congress to authorize his                                            action. It was high risk to                                            ask this almost                                            dysfunctional body of                                            legislators to do much of                                            anything, making the                                            president clearly                                            vulnerable.
                                          
 The polls showed that the                                            American public did not                                            favor a new military                                            engagement in the Middle                                            East and the Congress began                                            to reflect that popular                                            will. The Obama                                            administration, sensing                                            defeat, tried to minimize                                            the “punitive” response. It                                            would be a “surgical                                            strike,” they said. “It will                                            be designed not to destroy                                            the Assad regime, but only                                            to destroy his capacity to                                            use chemical weapons.” Our                                            purpose is only to                                            “degrade,” that became the                                            new code word, “his ability                                            to wage war.” Perhaps these                                            words helped acceptance to                                            grow, but that is unlikely.                                            These distinctions were also                                            non-sensical. If these                                            attacks were to “degrade”                                            Assad’s ability to wage war,                                            does that not lead to his                                            removal from power at the                                            hands of the rebels? Is it                                            not the stated public policy                                            of the government of the                                            United States to remove                                            Assad from power? Who then                                            are we fooling? Are we ready                                            to embrace the rebels as our                                            choice for the future of                                            Syria? Is there any evidence                                            that the rebels want our                                            endorsement? Is the devil we                                            know worse than the devil we                                            do not know? How many Muslim                                            terrorists, members of                                            Hezbollah or the Taliban                                            have infiltrated the ranks                                            of the rebel forces? The                                            issues are not clear.
                                          
 If the president of the                                            United States asks Congress                                            to authorize a military                                            strike and Congress were to                                            refuse, is not permanent                                            damage inflicted on the                                            office of the presidency                                            itself? Would any future                                            president ever again ask for                                            congressional approval for a                                            military initiative? Would                                            that not open this country                                            up to a president who would                                            then seem to have the                                            unilateral power to begin a                                            war that no one wanted? So                                            the debate raged and good                                            options began to disappear.                                            Irrationality seemed to                                            reign supreme.
                                          
 Then a new initiative                                            appeared from a surprising                                            source that, on the surface                                            at least, seemed better than                                            any other alternative. There                                            was not only a rush to                                            embrace that initiative, but                                            also a rush to claim credit                                            for it, despite the lack of                                            comfort that surrounded it.                                            Suddenly the only way out of                                            the Syrian debacle required                                            that we trust Russia’s                                            Vladimir Putin, who now                                            seemed to occupy center                                            stage. Through the op-ed                                            page of the New York Times                                            Putin was allowed to speak                                            to the American people. That                                            was more than some                                            politicians could manage.                                            Mr. Putin also ridiculed the                                            popular political claim to                                            “American Exceptionalism.”                                            One well known Republican                                            Senator told the world that                                            he “wanted to throw up” as                                            he read the Putin piece.                                            There were, however, no                                            other options on the table                                            around which anyone could                                            rally. Leaders thus held                                            their noses and sought to                                            use this offer to move the                                            process along. At week’s end                                            a tentative agreement was                                            reached. If it holds there                                            are many benefits. If it                                            fails there are huge                                            downside risks.
                                          
 Syria’s chemical warfare                                            arsenal was to be turned                                            over to an international                                            body and destroyed. A                                            powerful message would thus                                            be sent to rogue governments                                            from North Korea to Somalia                                            that the civilized world was                                            watching and was ready to                                            act. Such an agreement would                                            surely encourage the new                                            government in Iran to seek                                            better relations with the                                            world. This agreement, if                                            successful, might actually                                            open the door to a                                            negotiated settlement to the                                            entire Syrian civil war. If                                            that were successful, then                                            perhaps the door would be                                            ajar for a much larger                                            Middle Eastern peace                                            proposal that would create a                                            permanent settlement between                                            Israel and the Palestinians,                                            a settlement than many                                            people regard as the key to                                            Middle-Eastern peace.                                            International relations do                                            turn on breakthrough                                            moments. Perhaps this Syrian                                            settlement will prove to be                                            one of those moments. Time                                            alone will tell us whether                                            this is so. If it is, then                                            we will have seen a new                                            alternative to both power                                            politics and to the “balance                                            of terror” that has kept the                                            world’s fragile peace since                                            the end of World War II.
                                          
 That would be an                                            exceptional result. Perhaps                                            “American Exceptionalism” is                                            not something we are, as we                                            like to pretend, but                                            something we are called to                                            be, in this case                                            peacemakers. That would be a                                            new idea. Perhaps real                                            leadership could then emerge                                            both at home and abroad,                                            based not on political                                            posturing, but on solving                                            real problems in the service                                            of all the people at home                                            and abroad. For now let us                                            dare to hope.
                                          
 If this initiative fails                                            or turns out to be little                                            more than the stalling                                            tactic that many fear it is,                                            then we would have to turn                                            to “Plan B.” The only                                            trouble is that there does                                            not appear to be a “Plan B!”
                                          
 John Shelby Spong
                                             
                                          
 Read the essay online here.
                                        
                                      
                                    
                                  
                                
                                                                                                
                                  
                                    
                                      
                                        
                                          
                                            Question & Answer
                                          
 Mike Rand from Dorset, UK,                                            writes:
                                             
                                          
                                            Question:
                                          
 I work for the Dorset                                            police here in Dorset,                                            England. I do not come from                                            a Christian family although                                            I did attend a Methodist                                            Sunday School as a boy. I                                            have been searching to try                                            and make sense of the                                            Christian message and many                                            of the complex questions                                            that the Bible throws up. I                                            have read a number of your                                            books and I have to say that                                            they are the first                                            publications that make any                                            sense to me. The question of                                            the death of Jesus being a                                            method of atonement from                                            original sin has always been                                            a major block to faith for                                            me. I have in the past                                            completed the Church of                                            England’s Alpha courses, but                                            the answers given by                                            well-meaning clergy have                                            never made any sense to me.                                            The literalist view of the                                            Bible in this modern day and                                            age doesn’t aid                                            understanding. I am halfway                                            through your latest                                            publication relating to the                                            Fourth Gospel. I feel for                                            the first time a sense of                                            enlightenment with the view                                            that the life of Jesus was                                            to show us the vision of                                            what we can be and to assist                                            as a gateway into the                                            mystical union with God.                                            This at least gives a real                                            purpose to Jesus’ life and                                            work. My question is where                                            can I, and others like me,                                            go from here. I have yet to                                            find a church organization                                            that isn’t governed by                                            restrictive creeds and                                            regulations? If we do find a                                            new faith and belief, where                                            and what should the next                                            stage be to becoming all                                            that we are meant to be? Is                                            it enough just to believe in                                            a private and individual                                            way? Do we need to find a                                            group of like-minded people                                            with similar views or is it                                            sufficient just to go it                                            alone? I am coming up to                                            London with a good friend of                                            mine in October to hear you                                            lecture in Streatham. I am                                            really looking forward to                                            seeing you. Any advice you                                            can give me on my “where                                            next” question would be                                            gratefully received.
                                             
                                          
                                            Answer:
                                          
 Dear Mike,
                                          
 Thank you for your letter.                                            I have great respect for                                            those who serve as policemen                                            in England. I have a nephew,                                            who is a Special Forces                                            policeman in Devizes, which                                            is very near you. I shall                                            look forward to meeting you                                            at the October lecture in                                            Streatham. Maybe I can get                                            him to come and introduce                                            him to you.
                                          
 Many parts of the                                            established Church of                                            England are in fact                                            moribund. Someone observed                                            that rigor mortis would be                                            too lively a word to                                            describe many of its                                            congregations. This Church,                                            out of which my Episcopal                                            Church has come and to which                                            we are still related, sings                                            from a hymnal entitled                                            “Hymns Ancient and Modern,”                                            but “modern” barely gets to                                            the 19th century. It is                                            burdened with the structures                                            of yesterday, with patronage                                            and with a hierarchy so                                            bound to the establishment                                            that its leaders do not                                            realize how out of date it                                            is. Traditionally this                                            Church was divided into                                            three groups that were                                            affectionately designated                                            “high and crazy, broad and                                            hazy and low and lazy.” The                                            high and crazy group is more                                            catholic than the Pope. They                                            chant the mass, use incense                                            on every occasion and employ                                            a variety of worship                                            traditions to make sure the                                            13th century liturgical                                            forms will not be disturbed.                                            Like their Roman Catholic                                            cousins, this “high and                                            crazy” group does not                                            generally care for women                                            priests.
                                          
 The “low and lazy” group                                            is made up of the                                            evangelicals who still seem                                            to believe that God wrote                                            the Bible and therefore that                                            it must be inerrant. They                                            offer salvation and the                                            bliss of heaven only to                                            “true believers,” i.e. those                                            who agree with them. They                                            publish what is surely the                                            worst church paper I have                                            ever read called “The Church                                            of England Newspaper.” They                                            seem to me to reserve their                                            passion for church fights to                                            the task of saving the                                            Church of England from the                                            pollution of both                                            homosexuals and women,                                            because they think the Bible                                            defines gay people as evil                                            or “deviant” and women as                                            subservient. The Alpha                                            course is a product of this                                            “low and lazy” way of                                            thinking in the Church of                                            England.
                                          
 The “broad and hazy” group                                            used to be the ones who gave                                            the Church of England its                                            flavor and its entertainment                                            value. This group takes                                            religion somewhat less than                                            seriously, but they don’t                                            reject it because it is part                                            of what it means to be                                            English. They also want an                                            institution in which their                                            babies can be “christened,”                                            their children married and                                            themselves buried, not so                                            much because these things                                            are inherently of great                                            value, but because that is                                            the proper way to do things,                                            the English way.
                                          
 As secularism rises, this                                            broad group has, however,                                            essentially given up                                            religion so that all of                                            England’s fierce religious                                            disputes are now between the                                            “high crazies” and the “low                                            lazies.” Both of them tend                                            to bore thinking people.
                                          
 In England there is a                                            group called the Progressive                                            Christian Network,                                            originally headed by the                                            Rev. Hugh Dawes, one of the                                            most creative priests I’ve                                            ever known. It is now headed                                            by the Rev. John Churcher,                                            an outstanding and brilliant                                            Methodist clergyman. They                                            sponsor and support study                                            groups in all parts of the                                            UK. A constituent part of                                            the Progressive Christian                                            Network is the progressive                                            wing of the United Reformed                                            Church of England, a merger                                            originally between English                                            Congregationalists and                                            English Presbyterians. This                                            Church has produced some                                            great leaders, including                                            Fred Kaan, whom I regard as                                            perhaps the greatest                                            Christian hymn writer of the                                            20th century. This Church                                            has also sponsored national                                            conferences called “Free to                                            Believe,” where they have                                            encouraged lay people to                                            wrestle with the real                                            questions that Christians                                            living in the 21st century                                            need to face if Christianity                                            is to live and be relevant.
                                          
 So my advice to you is to                                            seek contact with a group                                            associated with the                                            Progressive Christian                                            Network of the UK and begin                                            to work with one of its                                            groups. Perhaps some members                                            of that organization,                                            reading this response to                                            your question, will get in                                            touch with you directly or                                            through this column if they                                            prefer.
                                          
 I look forward to meeting                                            you in October and thank you                                            for your letter. You are the                                            kind of person toward whom                                            my whole life’s work is                                            directed.
                                          
 Live well!
                                          
 John Shelby Spong
                                        
                                      
                                    
                                  
                                
                                                                                                
                                  
                                    
                                      
                                        
                                          
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