The Road of Bones

The Webster Retort
By Stephen Webster
Publication date: Feb. 24, 2006

May God Bless the Peacemakers

On Saturday, Feb. 18, 2006, the U.S. National Council of Churches denounced the war in Iraq. The statement was issued at the largest gathering of Christian churches in over a decade. Thirty-four world-wide denominations stood together and declared the war to have been “launched in deception, and [in violation of] global norms of justice and human rights,” adding, “We mourn all who have died or been injured in this war. We acknowledge with shame abuses carried out in our name.”

Now, before you write off that entire paragraph as the grumblings of a handful of west coast liberal intellectuals, consider the scope of the announcement. The U.S. National Council of Churches encompasses quite a few Christian denominations, including the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church, the United Methodists, Orthodox Christians and Baptists. In other words, most of your neighbors now belong to an organization that is opposed to the Iraq war. The council does not include the Catholic Church, but that’s okay - the Pope doesn’t support the war either.

The announcement is the first of its kind from America Right. The perception of many liberals in America is that the largest Christian denominations are the driving force behind much of the pseudo-fascism emanating from the White House. But I knew better. I was raised Methodist. I even went to private Christian academies until my mid-adolescence. Deep down inside, I knew that true, peace-loving Christians would not – could not – go along with the war for very long. I was right, thank God.

Around the world, human societies are in the midst of a great upheaval; a social evolution that has pitted the systems of old against the forces of new, driven by the ever-expanding human consciousness. In America, we have our Neo Conservatives and Liberal Elite. That group, though divided by bitter, partisan struggle, wants one thing: control. The Republicans are also privy to small government conservatives, whereas the Democrats have their “liberty” liberals (a term of my own invention). Both groups seek peace and the betterment of our society and others around the world. This group connects people in an ever-shrinking global economy.

The Connect Culture and the Control Culture are philosophical inventions of Harvard Sociology professor Phillip Slater. He argues that the two are in the midst of a great struggle around the world. Indeed, the existence of control and connect negates the right versus left divide that has been imposed on American politics. The idea cuts each half into fourths, bringing members of both groups closer together.

The revolt began in the 60’s, when a large portion of our society spontaneously rose up against the Control Culture. For the first time in our history, the people of this nation stopped a war and embarrassed those who started it. Today’s American Neo Conservatives are a multiplication of the hate and fear elicited by the rapid movement of the earliest connectors. The Bush administration is a fierce rebuttal to a brief period when the connectors of both America Left and Right – and around the world - began to make progress. As the internet and mass communication becomes the norm, people are being drawn closer together. For the first time, all over the world, truly civilized societies are realizing the utter worthlessness of war and the immense value of cooperation. In a global society, stepping on another’s toe can effectively break your own leg.

However, the transition from Control to Connect is far from over. One system has yet to relinquish its grasp, and the other has yet to fully take hold. Ideologues cut from the same mold hold sway over America and the very modern Islamic Republic of Iran. When Mahmoud Ahmadinejad makes statements that put a shine to Adolf Hitler, the connectors of Iran pitch fits. When George W. Bush evokes the crusades – the wholesale slaughter of Muslims at the hands of Medieval Christians – American connectors cringe just as greatly. Together, the controllers of both cultures are trying to whip up a new conflict to perpetuate their power, extending the systems of old.

The U.S. National Council of Churches is the first sign that the connectors of America Right are waking up again. Welcome back, friends. We may disagree on economic policies and social programs, but a very clear, defined majority of Americans now stand together with the joined purpose of ending the Iraq war and preventing the invasion of Iran. It is good to know some of my Christian brothers and sisters still believe the peacemakers to be blessed by God.

The end of the Control Culture may not come within my lifetime, as movements such as this are more a force of human evolution than conscious choice. Given the transcendental scope of mankind’s awakening, I find comfort in knowing that future generations may not have to suffer the unending tragedy of war.

Stephen Webster is an Investigative Reporter and Syndicated Columnist with The News Connection, a Staff Columnist with George W. Bush’s hometown weekly The Lone Star Iconoclast, and a former Contributor to The Dallas Morning News’ Science & Technology section.

Posted by The Gonzo Muckraker on Tuesday, February 21, 2006 at Tuesday, February 21, 2006 | Permalink