August 2008

In Desperate Need of Remembering
by Rev. Amanda Hendler-Voss

"Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ No, ‘if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans12:14-21

"We saw the B-29 approaching and about to fly over us. All of us were looking up to the sky, pointing out the aircraft. Then the teachers came out from the school building and the class leaders gave the command to fall in. That was the moment when the blast came. And then the tremendous noise and we were left in the dark. Everything collapsed for as far as I could see. I felt the city had disappeared all of a sudden. Then I looked at myself and found my clothes had turned into rags due to the heat. I was burned at the back of the head, on my back, on both arms and both legs…I walked along the railroad tracks in the direction of my home. On the way, I found my grandfather's brother and his wife coming toward us. That was quite a coincidence.  We have a proverb about meeting Buddha in hell. My encounter with my relatives at that time was just like that. They seemed to be the Buddha to me wandering in the living hell."

Every year, my wedding anniversary falls just one day after the commemoration of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. The words from Paul’s letter to the Romans, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all,” were read at my wedding. And this excerpt of a first hand account of the bombing of Hiroshima, as remembered by then-fourteen-year-old Akihiro Takahashi, draws a sharp contrast between the principles of faithful living and the realities of our life together in a nuclear age on this one shared earth.

The tragedy of Hiroshima was immense. And lessons are there for the taking. What could compound a tragedy of this magnitude (which collapsed an entire city and silenced the world) more than my own generation’s failure to forward the lessons learned, inviting them to shape our world? And so we must remember.

Poet and author Wendell Berry notes, “We concluded in 1945, after our atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, that we had made war ‘unthinkable,’ and have gone on thinking of it, preparing for it, fighting it, suffering and profiting from it ever since,” despite the fact that “it can no longer produce a net good, even to the winner.”  Who could have imagined, in the midst of a disastrous war in Iraq, that we would be in such desperate need of remembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

And yet, according to former chief UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter, “the war between the United States and Iran is on.”  More than 230 members of Congress are co-sponsoring a resolution, which includes language that sounds an awful lot like a diplomatic quarantine and a unilateral naval blockade of Iran--deemed by the UN to constitute an act of war unless sanctioned by a Security Council resolution. And in case you missed it, Congress already approved $400 million to fund a major escalation of covert operations against Iran (which may include a major air attack and a nuclear option).

With the inauguration of a new president and a new Congress next January, people of faith have an opportunity to inform the debate and spark real progress for new directions in U.S. foreign policy and nuclear weapons policy.

One church in my community is doing just that. Circle of Mercy congregation unanimously approved a statement called “We Say NO,” in opposition to war with Iran. They state:

“Despite assurances to the contrary from the U.S. Administration, we believe our nation’s leaders may be seriously calculating the benefits and risks of attacking Iran. We fear that our political leadership--led by the Administration with the complicity of Congress--is pushing us to the brink of moral, financial, ecological, and diplomatic bankruptcy.  It is not our habit to engage in partisanship on any political party’s agenda. We believe in the separation of church and state. But not in the separation of values from public policy. Accordingly, should the U.S. preemptively attack Iran, we shall vigorously protest. For some of us, this commitment includes the willingness to engage in nonviolent civil disobedience. 

The only enduring security is mutual security. Another way is possible. Waging peace will require at least as much commitment—as much courage, pride, honor, and ingenuity—as the pursuit of war. We say no to war against Iran. We say yes to the strategies of multilateral diplomacy and other nonviolent initiatives. We invite other Christians, other people of faith, and other people of conscience to deliberate these convictions and consider similar commitments. Sisters and brothers, especially in the household of faith: the Apostle Paul’s instruction—overcome evil with good (Rom. 12:21b)—is both a spiritual truth and the foundation of politically realistic strategies to transform conflict.”

In truth, we cannot wait until January for substantive change in Washington. Like Circle of Mercy congregation, we need to begin now, urging presidential and congressional candidates to pursue peace, depart from the doctrine of preemptive war, and wipe nuclear weapons from the face of the earth. We know that our advocacy makes a difference, because even now Congressional co-sponsors of the Iran resolution are withdrawing their support under the pressure of Americans resisting another rush to war.

As we round the bend on yet another anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the question remains: When will we learn that guns, nukes, and war don’t deliver a more secure world?

For WAND’s congregational study guide (a great resource for fall religious education classes) on non-partisan get out the vote efforts, please visit: “In Times of Great Decision: How Congregations Can Take Part in Legal, Non-Partisan Election Activities.”

Amanda Hendler-Voss Faith Communities Organizer Rev. Amanda Hendler-Voss is the Faith Based Coordinator for the Women’s Action for New Directions Educational Fund and the Minister of Christian Education at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Asheville, NC. She is a graduate of the master of divinity program at Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, where she received certificates in the Black Church Studies and Church and Community programs. Her studies have taken her to London, England and Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Amanda serves as a member of the Wellspring Clergywomen’s Alliance of the Black Church and Domestic Violence Institute. She has a background in case management and experience working with people with HIV/AIDS and single parent families. Amanda is ordained in the United Church of Christ.