Whereas the ecumenical movement has stated since the end of the Second World War that "war is contrary to the will of God" [Amsterdam, First Assembly, World Council of Churches, 1948]; and

Whereas the ecumenical movement has always affirmed that "through [our] reconciliation with God by the cross, [our] reconciliation with one another is possible" [New York, Meeting of the Provisional Committee of the World Council of Churches, 1945]; and

Whereas the ecumenical movement has consistently argued that "peace requires an attack on the causes of conflict between the powers" [Amsterdam, First Assembly, World Council of Churches, 1948]; and

Whereas the world ecumenical movement has stated that "the production and deployment of nuclear weapons as well as their use constitute a crime against humanity [Vancouver Assembly 1983]; and

Whereas the Kentucky Council of Churches has declared in its statement, "We Are A Household of Faith," that "we believe ourselves to be called together to live out our hope, to encounter one another in honesty and openness, to bear witness to the work of Christ in our presence in the world, and to seek justice, peace and reconciliation;" and further, that "we believe we have been sent to share the Gospel with others, to do works of mercy and compassion; to relate to each other in ways which respect the dignity of each one; and to enable all people to live in peace" [Kentucky Council of Churches, We Are A Household of Faith, adopted 1989?]; and

Whereas Christ blessed those who are the peacemakers and called his followers to be "salt and light" to the world [Matthew 5: 9, 13-15]; and

Whereas the calls by President Bush and others in his administration for pre-emptive military action to remove Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq have grown more insistent;

Therefore, this 55th Assembly of the delegates to the Kentucky Council of Churches, hereby affirms the following points:

1. Peace requires that all avenues of reconciliation must be explored.

2. We are concerned about the situation in Iraq, and are convinced that the Iraqi government has a duty to stop its internal repression of its citizens, end its threats to the peace of the world, abandon its efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction, and respect the legitimate role of the United Nations in ensuring that it does so.

3. We believe that the international community is weakened and respect for law is undermined when national governments act individually rather than collectively to secure justice, safety, and peace among the nations. We affirm with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops: "This 'war on terrorism' should be fought with the support of the international community and primarily by non-military means, denying terrorists resources, recruits, and opportunities for their evil acts. As our nation seeks to defend our people and values, we should hold fast to our basic principles of justice, freedom, fairness, and openness in our treatment of all persons, especially vulnerable immigrants and refugees." [Statement released by the USCCB on Sept 10, 2002]

4. We observe with grave concern as the United States government makes statements that seem to indicate that it will act unilaterally, no matter what opinions and positions are taken by other nations.

5. We worry that the lack of compelling evidence that Iraq has developed nuclear weapons undermines the democratic process whereby a sound decision may be made regarding the justification of an attack on Iraq. We question whether there are sufficient grounds to fear an imminent attack on the United States. We are concerned also about internal discord and division in our nation just at a time when we have been learning the great worth of community and honoring the amazing diversity within our nation.

6. We believe that a potential pre-emptive attack against Iraq would exacerbate the violent crisis that continues between Palestine and Israel. Moreover, we also believe that there is grave danger that military action, far from defeating terrorism, will create even more terrorists, fueling a conflagration of hatred that will last for generations to come. The events of September 11th have shown us that it is very hard to protect citizens against terroristic violence that does not discriminate between civilians and the military. This is a new situation in human history. Again, we join our voices to the eloquence of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in asserting: "As we confront evil acts, which no cause can justify, this 'war on terrorism' must not deflect us from sustained commitment to overcome poverty, conflict and injustice, particularly in the Middle East and the developing world, which can provide fertile ground in which hopelessness and terrorism thrive. Our faith calls us to seek not only a safer world, but a more just and peaceful world for all God's children." [Ibid]

Thus, we, the delegates to the 55th Annual Assembly of the Kentucky Council of Churches hereby resolve:
· To call the United States government to restraint in the use of military action against Iraq and stop the rush to war;
· To urge the pursuit of all diplomatic means possible, in active cooperation with the United Nations, to work toward reconciliation to resolve the crisis with Iraq;
· To ask that our member communions and their congregations to pray for peace and justice for all people, actively engage in study and dialogue about the issues with Iraq that are pushing the world to the brink of a war that seems to us to have as likely a chance for devastating consequences as positive results;
· To encourage all Christians to be in touch with their elected leaders and the media to express their opinions of conscience and concern as God gives them light and wisdom.

Adopted unanimously this 18th day of October, 2002, in Lexington, Kentucky by the delegates and officers of the Kentucky Council of Churches, meeting in their 55th Assembly.

RESOURCES FOR FURTHER STUDY:
Nearly all of our member denominations have a statement from national church leadership. These may be accessed via the Internet at their web-sites. If you do not know your denomination's national web-site, you may access it through the Kentucky Council of Churches' web-site at:
www.kycouncilofchurfches.org

We also call your attention to the following sites not affiliated with our member communions:
www.coe-wcc.org (World Council of Churches)
www.ncccusa.org (National Council of Churches)
www.usccb.org (U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops)
www.fourthfreedom.org (Fourth Freedom Forum)
www.urgentcall.org (Urgent Call for Nuclear Disarmament)

There are also useful links at each of the above sites that will turn up more information. Several of our member denominations are producing study booklets, and insofar as possible we will have a display of these available at the Kentucky Council of Churches Annual Assembly.