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April 30, 2006

United Methodists Should Discipline Bush/Cheney

Rev. William E. Alberts, Ph.D., a hospital chaplain, a Unitarian Universalist and a United Methodist minister, writes today that the United Methodist Church, of which both President Bush and Vice President Cheney are members, has an obligation to bring disciplinary action against the men for war crimes.

Evidence continues to mount that Bush, a United Methodist, deliberately used his religious faith to deceive the American people in the run-up to his administration's pre-meditated war against non-threatening, sanctions-weakened, defenseless Iraq. He then continued using his faith in "the ways of Providence" to justify the invasion and occupation of Iraq. He has violated a long-cherished United Methodist Book of Discipline social principle: that "war is incompatible with the teachings and example of Christ . . . [and] we insist that the first moral duty of all nations is to resolve by peaceful means every dispute between or among them." (pages 123, 124, 2004)

Rev. Alberts details the ways in which Bush and Cheney have violated the principles of the church and calls on the church to "object with boldness":

When will these United Methodist bishops really begin to "object with boldness" against the "governing powers" who have violated the gospel's "message of self-emptying love?" The "governing powers," who have also violated United Methodism's insistence that "the first moral duty . . . is to resolve by peaceful means every dispute between [nations]," are these bishops' own church members: President Bush and Vice President Cheney! Furthermore, the "rush toward military action based on misleading information "was not an act of "the United States Administration" but of the Bush administration. And contrary to the opinions of certain "military professionals," the present "quagmire" is not believed to be about making "mistakes" in the invasion and occupation of Iraq, but about committing war crimes.

If these 95 United Methodist bishops really believe the invasion and occupation of Iraq is "unjust and immoral," their next bold step should be presenting a resolution to their own Council of Bishops, calling for the censure of President Bush and Vice President Cheney. The Council should also recommend to the Church's Jurisdictional Council that, in accordance with the Book of Discipline, these two "professing member[s] . . . be charged with the following offenses: . . . (b) crime . . . and (c) disobedience to the Order and Discipline of The United Methodist Church." ("Chargeable Offenses," p. 719) And local churches, Annual Conferences, the Methodist Federation for Social Action and its Conference chapters, and other related agencies across United Methodism could also initiate resolutions censuring Bush and Cheney, which might include calls for impeachment proceedings.

Let's hope the Church takes Rev, Alberts' advice.

Posted by Becky at April 30, 2006 03:26 PM

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