Presbyterian peacemaking statement assails U.S., capitalism for 'monstrous suffering' By John H. Adams The Layman Online Wednesday, October 6, 2004 A Presbyterian group has assailed the United States for pursuing a "global empire, backed by unprecedented military supremacy," its commitment to a "capitalistic economic system [that] has enriched the corporate ruling class at the expense of the earth and the poor," and generating "monstrous inequality and massive suffering." Those charges were leveled in a statement called the "Stony Point Declaration," which was issued after a national colloquium on "Peacemaking in Time of Terror, Violence and War." The colloquium was sponsored by the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy and the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program of the Presbyterian Church (USA). The advisory committee and peacemaking program have been harshly critical of the United States - particularly during the administration of President George W. Bush. They played a key role in writing resolutions, later approved by the 216th General Assembly, that called for Presbyterian divestment of stock in corporations doing business with Israel and declared the U.S. invasion of Iraq "immoral, unwise and illegal." The 1,321-word Stony Point Declaration was issued on Sept. 29 at the conclusion of a three-day colloquium at the PCUSA's Stony Point Conference and Retreat Center 35 miles north of New York City. David Moore, Stony Point Declaration facilitator, sent copies of the declaration to the media by email, including the names of 39 people who, he said, had signed the document. His cover letter said the group was seeking additional signatures. Dr. James Forbes, senior minister of Riverside Church in New York City, and Rick Ufford-Chase, moderator of the 216th General Assembly, were the keynote speakers at the colloquium. Workshop leaders – described by a colloquium flier as "the best leadership in the church" – included a number of social activists: "Ronald Stone and Edward Long, both social ethicists and chief drafters of two documents to study. Cynthia Combs on the anatomy of terrorism, Elenora Giddings Ivory on protecting civil rights as we fight terrorism, Anne Barstow on the role of church in time such as this, Douglas Bartlett and Roger Powers on non-violent responses in the violent world, Robert Smylie and Jennifer Butler on global security frame work and the roles of United Nations, Bill Galvin on Conscientious objections, and more …" The declaration had clear political tones that reflected a bias against the incumbent president. "We gather at a time of a presidential election, a time when our denomination faces criticisms for statements and actions, a time of national numbness, a time of fear and of misguided policy and action," it said. The statement called for resistance against the use of military power, without suggesting any latitude for response to terrorism or other circumstances. "We gather in this moment of unique opportunity … to prepare to resist the next war and to 'do church.'" It described the horrors of war without attributing any of them to radical Islamic groups or acknowledging that freedom from persecution may be a remedy: "We hear the long silenced cries of people, who long for peace: children whose bellies are swollen from hunger and malnutrition; women who are systematically raped as an instrument of war; men tortured and killed merely because of their faith. Meanwhile, the world watches sleepily, doing nothing." Without specifying whom they believed to be the guilty partners, the declaration's signers stated, "The language of faith is co-opted by the powerful to legitimate their policies and action, thereby, perverting the message of the gospel. Other gods include war and the market. The media is largely ignorant or complicit in this process, or used deliberately as a form of propaganda." They called on Presbyterians "to face the truth that our nation, the United State of America, pursues global empire, backed by unprecedented military supremacy. Its un-qualified [sic] commitment to economic growth through a global, capitalist economic system has not served God's purposes of justice, peace, community, and the integrity of creation, but has enriched the corporate ruling class at the expense of the earth and the poor. It has generated monstrous inequality and massive suffering. It has seduced many, including many of us, into a lifestyle of excessive consumption, which destroys earth's capacity to sustain life and fails to provide the abundance that Jesus came to give. It continues to pursue a policy that reflects the threads of imperialism that has affected so many indigenous people throughout the world." The signers recommended a redistribution of wealth by ensuring: a living wage for all the rescinding of recent tax cuts in order to provide for those below the poverty income the cancellation of debt owed by poorer nations the restructuring of the policies and practices of international economic and trade institutions the adoption of simpler lifestyles to reduce consumption and reallocate resources The statement gave one-sided views of persecution issues -- condemning abuse of prisoners at the Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq, the treatment of Palestinians and U.S. regulation of its borders. " … we identify with those subject to abuse by state power." There was no indictment of any terrorist movements, in Iraq, Israel, Afghanistan or elsewhere. The signers affirmed the General Assembly resolutions calling for selective divestment of stock in global corporations that do business in Israel, opposing the construction of Israel's separation barrier to protect Israelis from Palestinian suicide bombers and the occupation of Iraq. The statement raised again the specter of a military draft – an issue that Democrats have used in their attempts to discredit the Republican administration. On Tuesday, House Republicans arranged a showdown. They called a vote on the Democratic proposal to reinitiate the draft. It was crushed by a vote of 402-2. President Bush, campaigning in Des Moines, Iowa, Tuesday, reiterated his position. "We don't need a draft," Bush said. "We will not have a draft as long as I'm president of the United States."

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