Going After the Church
The World Council of Churches has condemned proposals to tighten U.S. sanctions on Cuba that would restrict humanitarian aid to groups like the Cuban Council of Churches.
The group Pastors for Peace largely works through such organizations. They draw support from a number of mainline protestant bodies who have relations with them and with sister churches in the Cuban Council of Churches, such as my own congregation.
The WCC said the idea represented "a gross violation of religious freedom." Indeed. How Bush gets identified as a supporter of religion when his administration goes after churches, such as in this instance, is lost on me. Rev. Kobia went on to say:
"We strongly feel that it is completely inappropriate for the U.S. Government..to determine who is and who is not a legitimate national council of churches, and to restrict or deny Christian fellowship and humanitarian assistance to any particular national church council"
8 Comments:
I agree. This is all very disturbing. It also reminds me of the House bill that would have made it illegal for a church to offer food to an illegal immigrant. How can the government really prosecute humanitarian efforts?
I wonder what will happen if Castro really gives away power permanently?
How can we propagate Christ's teachings when we have a retaliatory attitude towards those who have no hand in Cuba' control? If the US hates Cuba, let it not hate the churches who have nothing to do with Castro's ruling style at all.
Read what the Czechs say.
They've had some experience with Communists Front Churches. You don't want to be on the wrong side just as the regime collapses.
This post really infuriates me. I don't understand why our government needs to continually use every single measure in it's disposal to block any kind of relationship between the nations of Cuba and the United States. If we don't agree with your governmental policies, don't expect to recieve any kind of help from us whatsoever, even if it means we have to undermine our own stated religious freedom to halt humanitarian aid. Sickening.
I've been visiting this blog quite often lately and I just wanted to compliment Dwight on his great posts. Very interesting. I'm relatively new to blogging and I have a blog that's partially devoted to the relationship between spirituality/religion and our current political environment. Pay me a visit sometime. I'll try to keep informed by coming here on a more regular basis.
Sorry, forgot to post my url:
spiritualitydemonstrated.blogspot.com
The latest on Guillermo Fariñas
And a post a while back where I chastized Wheaton College's Lindy Scott for being way too sympathetic to Castro at the expense of dissidents, like Fariñas... Scott's daughter responded,
I just don't understand why we're so harsh on Cuba when there are plenty of other injustices going on around the world that we casually ignore, perhaps you could enlighten me.
So much for Christian ethics.
I'm not suggesting that the human rights abuses and the system Castro has built ought to be defended or ignored. I am suggesting that having the federal government deciding which churches we must cut off ties from, churches which have a long history of ecumenical contacts in the US and around the world is a bad idea. I don't see how isolating churches from each other is likely to address the concerns you've raised Bill.
My point is Liberal religions failure to raise them... that was my whole exchange with Lindy Scott...
They fail to speak truth to power.
That won't go unforgotten either by the Cuban people at liberation which is soon I think.
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