St Luke's Church Eccleshill - Articles from "The Link"

So we went to war after all

Like many other people, I have had mixed feelings about the whole business of going to war in Iraq.

• I would have liked to see the evidence of weapons of mass destruction published, so that we the people could make up our minds; but I can see there are good reasons for the government keeping this confidential.

• I would have liked Saddam Hussein to have been displaced by democratic means; but I could see that he had silenced the opposition in Iraq too well for that.

• I would have liked a United Nations resolution; but I could see that the UN indecision and bickering was playing into Saddam Hussein’s hands.

• I would have liked to have waited longer; but I can see that we had already waited 11 years, and there must come a time for action.

• I would have liked to have sat on the fence instead of sent troops; but I could see that it was important for the military force to be as strong as possible.

They say that public opinion has changed as the war has been seen to be brief and successful, and I can see this change in my own heart. So what of all our former principles?

As Christians we still believe that God can act, even if he doesn’t do things the way we wanted. So as a church we prayed, and we had the church building open on schoolday mornings for people to pray if they wished.

As I write it looks as if the war is over, but if the war continues or flares up again, St Luke’s church building will be open again from May 7th, 8.30am-9.00am, for anyone who wishes to come and pray. As before, we will provide some written prayers for those who wish to use them, and some music to help us focus on God and not be distracted by noises from the road.

There are quite a lot of young men from this area in the armed forces, and we have heard messages from some of their families during the conflict. There are also quite a lot of people with friends or relations living in Iraq, and we have also been concerned for them. We are very grateful to God that the fighting seemed to be over so quickly, but we have been taken aback at the looting and civil disorder which has followed the military action, and we pray this will end.

One young soldier wrote to his family asking us to pass on a message to us, in which he pays tribute to a chaplain who has been caring unceasingly for the soldiers in his unit, and asks us to encourage him. We are glad to acknowledge that work in this magazine, and we will be making an effort to contact the chaplain concerned.

John Hartley

	*St Luke's Church, Eccleshill - The Link* magazine** The Link is published monthly at 40p (Senior Citizens 35p), and we deliver free within the parish and post copies (at the reader's expense) to those who request it. Please contact us if you would like a free copy for a trial period. May 2003, Page 4.
Home Page. Index of articles. Race & Faiths: index, Islam, Zimbabwe, Islam? Iraq (2), Iraq (3). In this issue: (May 2003) Why vote? Jesus' absence, Iraq, STV.	So we went to war after all Like many other people, I have had mixed feelings about the whole business of going to war in Iraq. • I would have liked to see the evidence of weapons of mass destruction published, so that we the people could make up our minds; but I can see there are good reasons for the government keeping this confidential. • I would have liked Saddam Hussein to have been displaced by democratic means; but I could see that he had silenced the opposition in Iraq too well for that. • I would have liked a United Nations resolution; but I could see that the UN indecision and bickering was playing into Saddam Hussein’s hands. • I would have liked to have waited longer; but I can see that we had already waited 11 years, and there must come a time for action. • I would have liked to have sat on the fence instead of sent troops; but I could see that it was important for the military force to be as strong as possible. They say that public opinion has changed as the war has been seen to be brief and successful, and I can see this change in my own heart. So what of all our former principles? As Christians we still believe that God can act, even if he doesn’t do things the way we wanted. So as a church we prayed, and we had the church building open on schoolday mornings for people to pray if they wished. As I write it looks as if the war is over, but if the war continues or flares up again, St Luke’s church building will be open again from May 7th, 8.30am-9.00am, for anyone who wishes to come and pray. As before, we will provide some written prayers for those who wish to use them, and some music to help us focus on God and not be distracted by noises from the road. There are quite a lot of young men from this area in the armed forces, and we have heard messages from some of their families during the conflict. There are also quite a lot of people with friends or relations living in Iraq, and we have also been concerned for them. We are very grateful to God that the fighting seemed to be over so quickly, but we have been taken aback at the looting and civil disorder which has followed the military action, and we pray this will end. One young soldier wrote to his family asking us to pass on a message to us, in which he pays tribute to a chaplain who has been caring unceasingly for the soldiers in his unit, and asks us to encourage him. We are glad to acknowledge that work in this magazine, and we will be making an effort to contact the chaplain concerned. John Hartley
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