Petitions and Statements from UU Congregations and Districts concerning Iraq Situation

October 10, 2002

A STATEMENT OF CONSCIENCE by the Heartland Chapter of the UUMA

Inasmuch as, we believe that it is in the best interests of our country and of peace among the nations of the world for the United States to act in concert with the United Nations, and not unilaterally, to bring about Iraq’s compliance with United Nations resolutions concerning the destruction of its weapons of mass destruction, the return of property, and the respect for human rights, and

Inasmuch as, we believe that seeking unilaterally to overthrow the regime of Saddam Hussein, especially through force of arms, will incite further hatred and violence between the Muslim and non-Muslim world and will impede efforts
to suppress terrorism, restore stability in Afghanistan, and end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and

Inasmuch as, we believe that it is folly to suppose that it is possible to heal this broken world through threats, intimidation, and force of arms, noting that the scriptures of every major religion extol love and human cooperation above war and oppression, and

Inasmuch as, we believe that the idea of preemptive military action is both against international law and counter to accepted standards of national sovereignty, and

Inasmuch as, we believe that both compassion and prudence dictate that military force should be used only when every other option has been found wanting and when the threat posed by inaction can be convincingly shown to be greater than the destruction and loss of life inherent in military action, and

Inasmuch as, we believe that whenever forceful military action is taken, since by its very nature it is destructive, it must be followed by genuine attempts to heal the destruction within affected country(s) and its people,

We, the Heartland District Chapter of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association, therefore, urge the government of the United States of America to refrain from unilateral military action against Iraq, and instead to work diligently within the framework of the United Nations to pressure Iraq to dismantle its capacity to make, deploy, and use weapons of mass destruction and comply with all United Nations resolutions in the most immediate future.

October 5, 2002 Resolution of Immediate Witness from the UUA Mountain Desert District

Oppose U. S. War on Iraq

Whereas, the U. S. Congress will likely vote on a resolution this week which would authorize the use of military force against Iraq; and

Whereas, the resolution allows the U.S. President to use force preemptively, and without providing evidence of an imminent threat and without United Nations or regional support; and

Whereas, international solidarity is one of our strategic assets; and

Whereas, there are procedures of the United Nations weapons inspection process and the system of international law to deal with the crimes and threats to peace presented by Saddam Hussein, which have not been fully exercised;

We, the assembled delegates of the Mountain Desert District of the Unitarian Universalist Association

Hereby call upon the elected officials of our district to oppose the resolution and instead work with the United Nations to bring Iraq into compliance with United Nations resolutions and move towards lasting peace to the Middle East.

Congregations are urged to share this with their representatives and local press.

A STATEMENT OF CONSCIENCE BY THE Pacific SouthWest District UU Ministers Association

Inasmuch as, we believe that it is in the best interests of our country and of peace among the nations of the world for the United States to act in concert with the United Nations, and not unilaterally, to bring about Iraq's compliance with United Nations resolutions concerning the destruction of its weapons of mass destruction, the return of property, and the respect for human rights, and

Inasmuch as, we believe that seeking unilaterally to overthrow the regime of Saddam Hussein, especially through force of arms, will incite further hatred and violence between the Muslim and non-Muslim world and will impede efforts to suppress terrorism, restore stability in Afghanistan, and end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and

Inasmuch as, we believe that it is folly to suppose that it is possible to heal this broken world through threats, intimidation, and force of arms, noting that the scriptures of every major religion extol love and human cooperation above war and oppression, and

Inasmuch as, we believe that the idea of preemptive military action is both against international law and counter to accepted standards of national sovereignty, and

Inasmuch as, we believe that both compassion and prudence dictate that military force should be used only when every other option has been found wanting and when the threat posed by inaction can be convincingly shown to be greater than the destruction and loss of life inherent in military action, and

Inasmuch as, we believe that whenever military action is taken, since by its very nature it is destructive, it must be followed by genuine attempts to heal the destruction within affected country(s) and its people.

We, the Pacific Southwest District Chapter of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association, therefore, urge the government of the United States of America to refrain from unilateral military action against Iraq, and instead to work diligently within the framework of the United Nations to pressure Iraq to dismantle its capacity to make, deploy, and use weapons of mass destruction and comply with all United Nations resolutions in the most immediate future.

September 25, 2002 - Ohio-Meadville District of the Unitarian Universalist Association

"At our OMDUUPRL (Ohio-Meadville District UU Professional Religious Leaders) fall retreat this week, a member rose on Monday to invite anyone who chose to do so to sign a petition opposing war with Iraq. It was a petition generated by the American Friends Service Committee. In response, I
expressed my desire to sign a UU petition rather than yet another one generated by some other group and asked if anyone present knew of such a
petition circulating. No one did, but four ministers present quickly formed an ad hoc committee to create one: myself, Carol D. Meyer; Mel
Hoover, Rose Edington, and Diane Dowgiert.

The attached petition --one for professional religious leaders and one for all UUs-- were presented to the gathered OMDUUPRL group at our retreat this
morning, September 24. After brief discussion, a motion was passed unanimously to forward these petitions to you all by email."

NOTE: This petition may be adapted for local congregation use.

Sept. 27, 2002 - Northeast District of the UUA

From Roger Comstock, Acting District Executive, Northeast District: "The NED board has agreed on the attached statement, which has been circulated this week to our congregations."

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