US churches call for withdrawal from Iraq
-09/11/06
The General Assembly of the Nation
US churches call for withdrawal from Iraq
-09/11/06
The General Assembly of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA and Church World Service today called for “an immediate phased withdrawal of American and coalition forces from Iraq.” The withdrawal plan is linked to “benchmarks for rebuilding Iraqi society.”
The call came as part of a pastoral message that was officially and overwhelmingly affirmed by the annual General Assembly. It will be sent to the Bush administration, Members of Congress and is also addressed to people of faith and all people of goodwill.
“As men and women of faith, we believe that freedom, along with genuine security, is based in God, and is served by the recognition of humanity’s interdependence,” said the message, “and by working with partners to bring about community, development, and reconciliation for all, and that such freedom and security is not served by this war in Iraq.”
Of the more than 200 delegates voting, only two abstentions and one ‘no’ vote were heard.
Also today the Assembly adopted a new policy on human biotechnologies entitled, “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made.” [http://www.ncccusa.org/pdfs/BioTechPolicy.pdf] The policy proclaims the sanctity of all human life as God’s creation and condemns human reproductive cloning. But the policy acknowledges differences exist among the 35 different member communions regarding stem cell research.
The Assembly, meeting this week (7-9 November 2006) in Florida also unanimously passed two resolutions based on the biotechnologies policy. One calls for a worldwide ban on human reproductive cloning. A second, “Biotechnology and National Security,” calls for more oversight of government and private sector laboratories developing bio-warfare weapons. The resolution calls for creation of a National Science Advisory Board for Bio-defense within the US Department of Health and Human Services. It would have “powers of regulation and oversight” of government and private bio-defense projects.
Delegates to the Assembly come from Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican, historic African American and traditional “peace” churches representing 45 million members in 100,000 congregations across the United States.
US churches call for withdrawal from Iraq
-09/11/06
The General Assembly of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA and Church World Service today called for “an immediate phased withdrawal of American and coalition forces from Iraq.” The withdrawal plan is linked to “benchmarks for rebuilding Iraqi society.”
The call came as part of a pastoral message that was officially and overwhelmingly affirmed by the annual General Assembly. It will be sent to the Bush administration, Members of Congress and is also addressed to people of faith and all people of goodwill.
“As men and women of faith, we believe that freedom, along with genuine security, is based in God, and is served by the recognition of humanity’s interdependence,” said the message, “and by working with partners to bring about community, development, and reconciliation for all, and that such freedom and security is not served by this war in Iraq.”
Of the more than 200 delegates voting, only two abstentions and one ‘no’ vote were heard.
Also today the Assembly adopted a new policy on human biotechnologies entitled, “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made.” [http://www.ncccusa.org/pdfs/BioTechPolicy.pdf] The policy proclaims the sanctity of all human life as God’s creation and condemns human reproductive cloning. But the policy acknowledges differences exist among the 35 different member communions regarding stem cell research.
The Assembly, meeting this week (7-9 November 2006) in Florida also unanimously passed two resolutions based on the biotechnologies policy. One calls for a worldwide ban on human reproductive cloning. A second, “Biotechnology and National Security,” calls for more oversight of government and private sector laboratories developing bio-warfare weapons. The resolution calls for creation of a National Science Advisory Board for Bio-defense within the US Department of Health and Human Services. It would have “powers of regulation and oversight” of government and private bio-defense projects.
Delegates to the Assembly come from Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican, historic African American and traditional “peace” churches representing 45 million members in 100,000 congregations across the United States.