Peace and Rights

Catching glimpses of news reports about the Iraq prison scandal has been tough. It was hard to see bombs being dropped and buildings destroyed. This is even tougher as it seems so much more personal. As I see various people try to justify, or explain, away what happened it begins to feel like the trial in "A Few Good Men" where Tom Cruz is grilling Jack Nicholson. I find myself realizing that I really can't handle the truth, at least not that truth. Nothing about it appears right. Yet, what do I say to the person who has a family member serving over there? It feels like any statement I might make against what is happening is a statement against their family member. At the same time I do not wish to make blanket statements of support, because I cannot wrap my head around enough to be of full support.

Then I slip into my Ethics II class about Human Rights. Some of us there have then struggled with the question of whether or not we can demand human rights? If I belong to God, if God has claimed me as I often confess, then what right do I really have to demand anything from anyone? I am God's and God's alone. Any demand that I make, whether it is of God or my fellow man, is to turn the focus on to me and away from God. I begin to navel gaze, as Luther might explain it. So what do I do with that?

To return to the prison scandal it seems that if somehow I were to find myself as one of the prisoners I would personally have no grounds to be treated a certain way, even though I would hope to be treated humanely. Yet I am not there and I am called by God to love my neighbor as myself. That is call to fight for the prisoners to be treated fairly, and humanely. Did not Jesus speak of this when quoting God, "Whatever you have done unto the least of these you have done unto me"? In that passage Jesus spoke of visiting, caring for, the prisoner. So we fight for the rights of others, even though we might not have any ourselves. So we fight for peace because it seems as if there is none.