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By a nearly 3-to-1 margin, the Lutheran Church assembly passed this evening a resolution declaring a campaign called"Peace Not Walls: Stand for Justice in the Holy Land." Although the resolution did not commit the Lutherans to supporting divestment from Israel, its wording--hoping for the"stewarding financial resources — both U.S. tax dollars and private funds — in ways that support the quest for a just peace in the Holy Land" endorsed the principle of divestment, given the delgates' conception of what constituted a"just peace."
Delegates claimed that the security barrier constructed by Israel--which has dramatically lowered incidents of terrorism--"isolates and intimidates" the Palestinian people. (Neither the resolution nor any of the assembly's supporting documentation makes note of the Palestinian Authority's inability or unwillingness to contain the suicide murder attacks against Israeli civilians.) In the words of a Pennsylvania delegate, the barrier is a"form of violence" committed"against innocent people."
Delegates did, however, generously affirm that"Israel has every right to protect itself from acts of terrorism."
The irony of this particular assembly lecturing anyone on human rights is rich: the day before, the same delegates defeated a watered-down resolution that would have given gays some opportunity to serve as pastors. The day's session, according to the Church's press release," continued to encourage the church to welcome gay and lesbian people into its life."
At least the convention was consistently hypocritical.
Ralph E, Luker writes: "To believe, however, that we have both an infallible sense of correct action and the courage to take it in critical moments and against overwhelming power, it seems to me, is an illusion."
Precisely so. I think this is an error people often make when they look at the past - they try to make the case that they would certainly have taken the side they believe to have been correct. But that's 20-20 hindsight, and there is no way of knowing how the situation would have looked to a person at the time. We all would like to believe we would have done what we believe, with historical hindsight, to be 'the right thing,' but we can't really know what we would have done had we been faced with the need to make a choice which could well have had fatal consequences. A lot of people knew what the Nazis were doing, and looked the other way, hoping they wouldn't be liquidated as enemies of the state. Many of them survived. Dietrich Bonhoffer made the tough call, and was killed by the Nazis. I don't have the wisdom or the audacity to claim that I would have followed him. Like Mr. Luker, I would like to think that I would - but unless you were there, faced with a life or death choice, you really can't say how you would behave.
All of us have a lot to think about. The churches of Europe were neither as active or as effective in resisting the Nazis as we would like them to have been. But, then, neither were the secular governments, schools, clubs, or other non-religious organizations. And, if one wants to be blunt about it, we haven't gotten much better, have we? Darfur? Rwanda? Bosnia? The world's secular organizations, like its religions, have not been especially effective in finding peaceful resolutions to genocide in the recent past, have they? The Lutherans and other Christian denominations have a lot to answer for, it is true. But so do we all.
Charles V. Mutschler
Ralph E. Luker -
8/16/2005
I would like to think that I would have become a part of the underground or "confessing" church, as my teachers were. To believe, however, that we have both an infallible sense of correct action and the courage to take it in critical moments and against overwhelming power, it seems to me, is an illusion.
Sergio Ramirez -
8/16/2005
Fair enough. I hope we get an answer from KC.
Sergio Ramirez -
8/16/2005
I thought so. And I think you'd have had the courage to leave the Lutheran Church to the Nazis.
Ralph E. Luker -
8/15/2005
In point of fact, I've written about preachers who demanded lynchings from their pulpit. If I decided that I didn't believe in the Gospel merely because some fool said some foolish things, I'd have to disassociate myself from every human community I'm aware of.
Ralph E. Luker -
8/15/2005
It was a question, Mr. Ramirez, a question directed to my colleague, KC Johnson. You chose to read it as a positive statement, one way or another, on my part. That's a misreading.
Sergio Ramirez -
8/15/2005
Dare say it all you will, but having read the relevant literature on Nazism and the Church(s), I know just enough to know that Lutherans were the beneficiary, rather than victims, of National Solution.
I think if my Church made me burn crosses and demand Black be lynched from the pulpit, I'd have the decency to become an atheist.
How about you?
Sergio Ramirez -
8/15/2005
"I suggested that, in war, combatants take on resemblance."
Yes, I do sometimes misread the statements of people I agree with, and I do sometimes agree with you. But the business about comparing the Berlin Wall (built to keep people from escaping) and Security Fence (built to prevent murderers from entering) is a pretty big mistake on your part.
Ralph E. Luker -
8/15/2005
Mr. Ramirez, When the beast rules in the United States, we'll see how much resistance is in you. Slavery is not an area of my expertice, but I dare say that the history of the church in Nazi Germany is not one of yours either.
Ralph E. Luker -
8/15/2005
Mr. Ramirez, "Japanese," please. Why do you insist on misreading what I say? Merely because you think you disagree with it? Do you also misread people you agree with? I didn't say that Israel is three times worse than Palestine. I suggested that, in war, combatants take on resemblance.
Sergio Ramirez -
8/15/2005
We, the US, killed 22 Japs for every one of our soldiers who dies in WW II. Does that make us 7 times worse than Israel?
Sergio Ramirez -
8/15/2005
"It ignores, of course, the imprisonment of faithful Lutherans by the Nazi regime."
The German Lutheran Church signed a peace treaty of sorts with Hitler several months after he came to power, recquiring pastors to do all sorts things (including use bible emblazoned with swastikas). Fewer than one percent of Lutheran pastors refused. Interestingly, refusal generally carried no consequences. Practically no Lutheran pastors were killed, or even imprisoned, in 1933-1945.
Luker really should stick to slavery.
Sergio Ramirez -
8/15/2005
Possibly the 800 plus suicide bombers that have (or tried) to cross from into Israel from Palestinian controlled territory. I don't remember that happening in Berlin.
Anthony Paul Smith -
8/15/2005
Since we allow all ideological viewpoints in KC Johnson-land I have to say I think the U.S. should pull its funding of Israel. If Israel can't survive on its own, well hell, that's just the way of the world. I personally would rather have my taxes go towards health care costs than supporting the military programs of any foriegn power. I'm suprised that more conservatives who believe in free market policies don't take this line. It's nothing against Israeli people (and lets not pretend that Israeli's constitute Judiasm please), but I don't see the U.S. taking care of Columbia's military costs.
Ralph E. Luker -
8/15/2005
I think you understand full well that I was referring to Israel's having killed three Palestinians for every Israeli killed in the conflict.
Don't bother to document the misuse of American aid to fund the jihad, Grant. Just throw accusations. That's what justifies my having called you Horowitz on the cheap.
Grant W Jones -
8/15/2005
How have "we" punished the Palistinians? Besides sending them billions of taxpayers dollars to help finance their acts of Jihad, that is.
Ralph E. Luker -
8/14/2005
When we regard people as barbarians and punish them threefold their bad behavior, we've begun to more than look like them.
Grant W Jones -
8/14/2005
This particular tree will also be judged by its fruit. When the Palistinians stop behaving as barbarians then they'll be re-evaluated accordingly.
Ralph E. Luker -
8/14/2005
Regarding the people of Palestine as barbarians will contribute so much to the resolution of real problems. If I may say so, Grant, that is just ignorant.
My question was directed to KC. I'm happy to let him respond to it as he will.
Grant W Jones -
8/14/2005
The leaders of a German founded Church should really, really know better. Hamas, Hezbollah, Fatah and the rest have stated numerous times that their goal is the eradication of Israel and we both know what that means.
The building of the wall is a last, desperate measure by the Israelis to prevent further buss, and pizza parlor slaughters. This resolution is reprehensible. And given the long, bloody history of Christian anti-Semitism (the exceptions you note don't change that one little bit) this resolution, and many others like it, is deeply disturbing.
In your above question, do you mean to compare Israel with East Germany circa 1961? If not what's the point? A more accurate analogy would be the Great Wall of China. You know, keeping the barbarians out and preserving civilization.
Ralph E. Luker -
8/14/2005
Grant, Your point, I take it, in quoting this is that Martin Luther made anti-Semitic remarks. I'm not sure that anyone contests that. Alan Allport has recently cited the text, from which this little excerpt comes, in the discussions at Cliopatria. To suggest that the position taken by the American Lutherans in their recent meeting follows naturally from a statement made by Martin Luther nearly 500 years ago ignores a 500 year interval into which you don't bother to inquire. It ignores, of course, the imprisonment of faithful Lutherans by the Nazi regime and the death of American Lutheran soldiers in World War II. It ignores, of course, the experience of my own Lutheran teacher, Franz Hilderbrandt, who escaped the SS troopers who were knocking on his front door. He was a Lutheran pastor. He was also half Jewish. You've got a lot to learn.
Grant W Jones -
8/14/2005
"Therefore be on your guard against the Jews, knowing that wherever they have their synagogues, nothing is found but a den of devils in which sheer self-glory, conceit, lies, blasphemy, and defaming of God and men are practiced most maliciously and veheming his eyes on them."
KC, In what ways is the building of the wall between Israel and Palestinian controlled territory justified in ways that the building of a wall between east Berlin and west Berlin was not justified?
