ACPlog part 4

this is the final installment of my Annual Conference journal.

6/2/2007 - 10:30ish AM

It's time to discuss the Iraq War resolution. I'm interested to hear how it goes. (FYI: An amendment to the resolution was passed that completely watered it down.) This is a devisive issue among churches, families, communities, the nation, even within myself. When the war started I was all for it. "Give'em Hell! Kick their asses! Get Saddam out of power. Return Iraq to it's people - all of it's people." I haven't changed on some of those thoughts. Iraq should be for all Iraqis: Sunni, Shiite, Kurds, etc.

But in the last few months I have become/am becoming more of a pacifist. (Keep in mind as you read, I voted for George W. Bush twice.) This is the result of a few things: the continuing loss of life in Iraq & Afghanistan (I'm talking all life. Some estimates have the total killed around a million; even low estimates are about a quarter of that.), a deepening feeling that there may well be no resolution to the violence there, and my opinion that Jesus was (and is) a pacifist. Jesus was markedly non-violent and, I would say, anti-violence. Jesus had the ability and the authority to reign by force if needed. (Read Matthew 26:52&53) But he chose a non-violent approach. Even in Gethsemane when the soldiers came to arrest him, he criticized Peter for his violent act.

That's it, that's everything I wrote at Annual Conference. I really enjoyed the experience. I hope to go back some day. I saw tons of people I knew I even talked to a few of them. If you saw me and I saw you, but I didn't speak... well, I'm not always sure people recognize me. And I don't want to impose. I'm a little odd that way. Counseling would probably help.

Anyway... now back to the regularly scheduled blogging.