http://ldsvswar.lege.net/prove_it
http://ldsvswar.lege.net/prove_it/
It is a sin not to oppose it
I will prove it to you by the words of the Prophet and by the words of the President of the United States
http://ldsvswar.lege.net/prove_it/
by Leif Erlingsson
October 25, 2003
The U.S. coalition's unprovoked invasion of Iraq was an evil of such magnitude that it is a sin not to oppose it. I will prove it to you by the words of the Prophet and by the words of the President of the United States.
The cause of peace requires that we oppose -- and not appease -- the men whose threats otherwise can grow into global war:
President George W. Bush: "The cause of peace requires all free nations to recognize new and undeniable realities. In the 20th century, some chose to appease murderous dictators, whose threats were allowed to grow into genocide and global war. In this century, when evil men plot chemical, biological and nuclear terror, a policy of appeasement could bring destruction of a kind never before seen on this earth." [ George W. Bush's March 17, 2003 Address Preparing the Nation for War -- http://legal.lege.net/an_annotated_critique/#appease ]
We must renounce war and proclaim peace:
President Gordon B. Hinckley: "Modern revelation states that we are to ``renounce war and proclaim peace'' (D&C 98:16)." [ President Gordon B. Hinckley's April 6, 2003 War and Peace speech at the Sunday Morning Session of the 173rd Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-353-27,00.html ]
Elder Russell M. Nelson: "As a Church, we must ``renounce war and proclaim peace.''(D&C 98:16) As individuals, we should ``follow after the things which make for peace.''(Romans 14:19)" [ Elder Russell M. Nelson's October 2002 "Blessed Are the Peacemakers" speech -- http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-315-13,00.html ]
There never was any evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with the September 11th attacks:
President George W. Bush: "We've had no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with September the 11th." [ President George W. Bush, September 17, 2003 -- http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Politics/ap20030917_1736.html ]
Condoleezza Rice: "We have never claimed that Saddam Hussein had either direction or control of 9-11." [ Condoleezza Rice, September 14, 2003 -- http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Politics/ap20030917_1736.html ]
Only to defend our homes and our liberties, our wives and our children, and so on, are we justified in going to war:
President Gordon B. Hinckley: "When war raged between the Nephites and the Lamanites, the record states that ``the Nephites were inspired by a better cause, for they were not fighting for . . . power but they were fighting for their homes and their liberties, their wives and their children, and their all, yea, for their rites of worship and their church.''" [ President Gordon B. Hinckley's April 6, 2003 War and Peace speech at the Sunday Morning Session of the 173rd Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-353-27,00.html ]
President Gordon B. Hinckley: "When all is said and done, we of this Church are people of peace. We are followers of our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, who was the Prince of Peace. But even He said, ``Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword'' (Matthew 10:34)" [ President Gordon B. Hinckley's April 6, 2003 War and Peace speech at the Sunday Morning Session of the 173rd Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-353-27,00.html ]
Only when we are not dealing with peaceful men, can we be justified in going to war:
President George W. Bush: "Peaceful efforts . . . have failed again and again -- because we are not dealing with peaceful men." [ George W. Bush's March 17, 2003 Address Preparing the Nation for War -- http://legal.lege.net/an_annotated_critique/#peaceful ] The truth is of course that the peaceful efforts indeed did succeed in disarming Saddam. The ease at which the U.S. went to Baghdad is proof enough. The truth is that Saddam didn't allow himself to be provoked (this time) into throwing the U.N. inspectors out.
And who are the peaceful men? Let's listen to President George W. Bush for a moment:
President George W. Bush: "F... Saddam. We're taking him out." [ President George W. Bush, Early 2002 to Senators in the White House -- http://truthout.org/docs_03/042103I.shtml ]
President George W. Bush: "This is a person who has had contacts with al Qaeda.", "He's got connections with al Qaeda.", "This is a guy who has had connections with these shadowy terrorist networks.", "We know he's got ties with al Qaeda.", "We know that he's had connections with al Qaeda.", "He's had connections with shadowy terrorist networks like al Qaeda.", "We know that he has had contacts with terrorist networks like al Qaeda.", "This is a man who has had contacts with al Qaeda.", "This is a man who has had al Qaeda connections.", "He's had contacts with al Qaeda.", "This is a man who has got connections with al Qaeda." [ http://uggabugga.blogspot.com/2002_11_03_uggabugga_archive.html#84038908 ] ...despite the U.S. intelligence's own skepticism of such a claim. [ October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate -- http://why-war.com/resources/files/read.php?id=50 and http://why-war.com/resources/files/nie_excerpts.html .
President George W. Bush: "The regime...has aided, trained, and harbored terrorists, including operatives of al Qaeda." [ George W. Bush's March 17, 2003 Address Preparing the Nation for War -- http://legal.lege.net/an_annotated_critique/#trained ]
President George W. Bush: "We know that Iraq and al Qaeda have had high-level contacts that go back a decade ... after September the 11th, Saddam Hussein's regime gleefully celebrated the terrorist attacks on America." [ George W. Bush, October 7, 2002 -- http://whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/10/20021007-8.html ] (The glee is easily understood when we recall the unprovoked U.S. bombing of Baghdad in December 1998 and other attacks. [ http://legal.lege.net/no_fly_zones/ or http://ldsvswar.lege.net/the_facts/#facts.zones ])
President George W. Bush: "I have also determined that the use of armed force against Iraq is consistent with the United States and other countries continuing to take the necessary actions against international terrorists and terrorist organizations, including those nations, organizations, or persons who planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001." [ George W. Bush, March 21, 2003 Presidential Letter from the President to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and President Pro Tempore of the Senate -- http://whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/03/20030321-5.html ]
President George W. Bush: "You can't distinguish between al Qaeda and Saddam when you talk about the war on terror." [ George W. Bush, September 25, 2002 -- http://usembassy.state.gov/tokyo/wwwhse1735.html ]
President George W. Bush: "The battle of Iraq is one victory in a war on terror that began on September the 11, 2001 -- and still goes on." [ George W. Bush, May 1, 2003 -- http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/polls/9-11_saddam_quotes.html ]
REMEMBER, The cause of peace requires that we oppose -- and not appease -- the men whose threats otherwise can grow into global war.
We must renounce war and proclaim peace.
There never was any evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with the September 11th attacks, even President George W. Bush has admitted to that fact in public.
There never was any evidence that Saddam Hussein in any way might attack the United States.
But there ARE evidence that at least SOMEBODY has al-Qaida ties:
Bush himself -- believe it or not -- is the one that really have the al-Qaida ties. Just think `Bandar Bush'. Perhaps you didn't follow that reference? William Bunch explains: ``19. What is in the 28 blacked-out pages of the congressional Sept. 11 report? It's not a total mystery. Everyone has acknowledged that the pages contain highly embarrassing information about links between the Sept. 11 hijackers and the government of Saudi Arabia, America's supposed ally in the Middle East and home to the world's largest oil reserves. One of those officials is said to be Saudi ambassador Prince Bandar, whose wife, Princess Haifa, indirectly funded at least two of the Sept. 11 terrorists during their time in San Diego. The prince is so close to the Bush family that he's known, incredibly, as "Bandar Bush." This week, Time reports that just after the Sept. 11 attacks, when U.S. commercial airspace was still closed to our citizens, Bush allowed a jet to stop at 10 U.S. cities to pick up and fly home 140 prominent Saudis, including relatives of bin Laden. A new must-read book by investigative reporter Posner - "Why America Slept" - takes the conspiracy to the highest of levels of the Saudi government. He says a top bin Laden lieutenant, Abu Zubaydah, who was captured in March 2002, stunned investigators when - allegedly given the "truth serum" sodium pentothal - fingered three top Saudis. They were Prince Ahmed bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz, the Westernized owner of 2002 Kentucky Derby winner War Emblem; Prince Turki al-Faisal bin Abdul Aziz, the kingdom's longtime intelligence chief, and Prince Fahd bin Turki bin Saud al-Kabir. The most incredible part of the story is what happened next. In an eight-day period in late July 2002, Prince Ahmed died at age 43 from a heart attack, Prince Turki died in a car crash and Prince Fahd "died of thirst." Coincidence? What do you think?'' [ Why Don't We Have Answers To These 9/11 Questions?, by William Bunch / bunchw@phillynews.com, Thursday, September 11, 2003 (Philly.com) http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/local/6742902.htm http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/local/6742902.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp ]).
And we must indeed confront and hold accountable the terrible forces of evil for their actions -- be they "friend" or foe.
President Gordon B. Hinckley: "The terrible forces of evil must be confronted and held accountable for their actions. This is not a matter of Christian against Muslim." [ President Gordon B. Hinckley's October 2001 The Times in Which We Live speech at the General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-225-27,00.html ]
And while our respective national leaders have access to greater political and military intelligence than do the people generally:
President Gordon B. Hinckley: "As citizens we are all under the direction of our respective national leaders. They have access to greater political and military intelligence than do the people generally." [ President Gordon B. Hinckley's April 6, 2003 War and Peace speech at the Sunday Morning Session of the 173rd Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-353-27,00.html ]
And while it presently was adjudged to be the case that Saddam and Iraq threatened the United States:
President Gordon B. Hinckley: "In the course of history tyrants have arisen from time to time who have oppressed their own people and threatened the world. Such is adjudged to be the case presently, and consequently great and terrifying forces with sophisticated and fearsome armaments have been engaged in battle." [ President Gordon B. Hinckley's April 6, 2003 War and Peace speech at the Sunday Morning Session of the 173rd Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-353-27,00.html ]
The truth is of course -- as was well understood in most parts of the world well before the March 2003 war -- that:
The simple truth is that wrong impressions helped support Iraq war, as this very thorough scientific study amply illustrates: Misperceptions, The Media and The Iraq War, October 2, 2003 Report by PIPA/KN -- http://propaganda.lege.net/misperceptions/ . President Gordon B. Hinckley is of course right, our respective national leaders have access to greater political and military intelligence than people generally do. And he is also correct in that it presently was adjudged (i.e. officially pronounced) to be the case that Saddam was the one that threatened the world. In his speech, he made clear that if this was the case, the war was righteous. But as was generally understood in most of the world even before the war started, this was never the case. The United States was virtually the only major country of the world that `misperceived' this fact. In most other countries peaceful men renounced war and proclaimed peace. Even most governments renounced war and proclaimed peace. Again, this was not information readily available to people generally in the United States, just as President Gordon B. Hinckley said; ``our respective national leaders have access to greater political and military intelligence than people generally do''. [ http://propaganda.lege.net/misperceptions/ ]
The truth is of course that Saddam and Iraq never threatened the United States, but that the United States indeed threatened Saddam and Iraq.
The truth is also that the United States and her allies aided, trained, and harbored the 9/11 terrorists, including operatives of al Qaeda. (President George W. Bush: "The regime...has aided, trained, and harbored terrorists, including operatives of al Qaeda." [ George W. Bush's March 17, 2003 Address Preparing the Nation for War -- http://legal.lege.net/an_annotated_critique/#trained ]) They received their flight training in Florida. Should Florida then be targeted? They received their money from Saudi Arabia, should Saudi Arabia then be targeted? Those who assisted the terrorists received help from the President of the United States to leave the country when noone else was permitted to fly. -- Maybe Florida and Saudi Arabia and the President of the United States should be targeted, but why then was Afghanistan and Iraq targeted? It's true that al-Qaida had bases in Afghanistan -- and in Pakistan, by the way. But why is it that the war in Afghanistan has already killed more Afghanistan civilians than 9/11 did Americans? Where is the justice in this? Why wasn't Afghanistan's and the Taliban's offer to hand over the terrorists accepted by the United States? All Afghanistan asked for was some proof!
We must indeed confront and hold accountable the terrible forces of evil for their actions.
And it is beyond reasonable doubt, for informed, thinking people, where the terrible forces of evil are to be found. [ The Ideology of American Empire -- http://ideology.lege.net/ and Backyard terrorism http://ideology.lege.net/backyard_terrorism/ . Or even The Hidden History of the United States -- http://uscrisis.lege.net/hiddenhistory/#expose [this link added 11 Nov 2003] ]
Some correspondents have tried to argue with me that like when Nephi was constrained by the Spirit that he should kill Laban, President George W. Bush have been constrained to conquer Iraq.
It is an interesting argument. But while Nephi did not retrieve his family's fortune, President George W. Bush and his staff has huge personal economical interests to defend in Iraq. That and the fact that he has lied repeatedly to the whole world and to his own people about the reasons for the war(s) [ http://ldsvswar.lege.net/the_facts/#facts.20lies http://ldsvswar.lege.net/the_facts/#facts.40lies http://legal.lege.net/an_annotated_critique/ ], makes it extremely difficult to have any confidence whatsoever in his motives. Also, recall that the Prophet did not condone a war to conquer Iraq, but only a war to defend the United States from attack. (``The Nephites were inspired by a better cause, for they were not fighting for . . . power but they were fighting for their homes and their liberties, their wives and their children, and their all, yea, for their rites of worship and their church.'')
If indeed God has told Bush to conquer Iraq and other places, I'd like to hear about it from God or from the Prophet. But the fact is that I haven't. Have you?
However, the conclusion remains the same, we must indeed confront and hold accountable the terrible forces of evil for their actions! And the responsibility to find out what is right is ours -- we cannot blame anyone else (in the words of George W. Bush, ``it will be no defense to say, "I was just following orders"'' [ George W. Bush's March 17, 2003 Address Preparing the Nation for War -- http://legal.lege.net/an_annotated_critique/#orders ]). The Prophet has, however, a more forgiving attitude: "I believe that God will not hold men and women in uniform responsible as agents of their government in carrying forward that which they are legally obligated to do." [ President Gordon B. Hinckley's April 6, 2003 War and Peace speech at the Sunday Morning Session of the 173rd Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-353-27,00.html ] Perhaps God will not hold men and women responsible -- but George W. Bush is right when it comes to human law. War crimes are international crimes, and giving support to this may be a crime punishable in the ICC (International Criminal Court). [ http://legal.lege.net/ , http://legal.lege.net/military_necessity/ ] (While it's true that the U.S. has done it's best to sabotage the ICC in order to prevent it's citizens to be tried for war crimes there, the ICC still has strong support in many parts of the world, and considerable U.S. threat of military force might be necessary for your release, should you be captured and tried abroad.) The rest of the world is not as forgiving of war crimes as the United States usually is. This is a factor to consider, once you are convinced that just maybe you are not a solider for God but for Mammon. [ Blood Money by William Rivers Pitt http://truthout.org/docs_03/022803A.shtml or http://truthout.org/docs_03/printer_022803A.shtml ]
So, with the words of both the worldly and the ecclesiastical President, we must conclude that it is a sin not to oppose this evil.
Or, to borrow some words from a favorite prophet of mine, Brigham Young on standing up to unjust and illegal mandates, even from the United States: "If we will stand up as men and women of God, the yoke shall never be placed upon our necks again; and all hell cannot overthrow us, even with the United States to help them. It is not pleasant to the natural feelings to be obliged to talk in this manner about fellow-citizens with whom we have been reared; but when they act like the Devil, it is impossible for us to bow to their unjust and illegal mandates without becoming as corrupt as they are. It is an honour to resist the wicked; and my name will be had in honour, and so will Joseph Smith's, and so will your names, for not bowing to their iniquitous doings." [Journal of Discourses, Vol.5, p.332, Brigham Young, October 7, 1857] People and families do suffer under the oppression of the unjust and illegal mandates, even from the United States. This link hints at some of the problems many Americans are having presently: http://marchforjustice.com/10.03.AAA.MASRelease.php .
And, if all this discourages us, take comfort together with me -- the Lord God knows that I need the comfort -- in these wonderful words by the same wonderful man, when he explains that it's imperative that we learn to think -- and think independently -- or we can never be saved: "Now those men, or those women, who know no more about the power of God, and the influences of the Holy Spirit, than to be led entirely by another person, suspending their own understanding, and pinning their faith upon another's sleeve, will never be capable of entering into the celestial glory, to be crowned as they anticipate; they will never be capable of becoming Gods. They cannot rule themselves, to say nothing of ruling others, but they must be dictated to in every trifle, like a child. They cannot control themselves in the least, but James, Peter, or somebody else must control them, They never can become Gods, nor be crowned as rulers with glory, immortality, and eternal lives. They never can hold sceptres of glory, majesty, and power in the celestial kingdom. Who will? Those who are valiant and inspired with the true independence of heaven, who will go forth boldly in the service of their God, leaving others to do as they please, determined to do right, though all mankind besides should take the opposite course. Will this apply to any of you? Your own hearts can answer. Do you know what is right and just, as well as I do?" [From a discourse ``The Privileges And Blessings Of The Gospel'' delivered by President Brigham Young at the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, February 20, 1853. (Journal of Discourses, Volume 1, p.312-313, Brigham Young, February 20, 1853.)]
Now go and find out what is true, and be true!
Leif Erlingsson
Hägerstens Församling,
Stockholms Södra Stav,
Sverige
October 25, 2003
_ _ _
About the word ``adjudged'', that was used by the Prophet to describe the way things were generally perceived in the United States: The Prophet may have borrowed the word from James E. Talmage in Jesus the Christ, Ch.34, p.639 - p.640, where it says that ``they had adjudged Jesus worthy of death.'' That is, it didn't say that Jesus _was_ worthy of death. Nay, it said that they had "formally pronounced" or "officially pronounced" Jesus to be worthy of death. In like manner -- not making any other comparisons with Christ -- when President Gordon B. Hinckley says that ``In the course of history tyrants have arisen from time to time who have oppressed their own people and threatened the world. Such is adjudged to be the case presently, and consequently great and terrifying forces with sophisticated and fearsome armaments have been engaged in battle.'' -- then he is simply stating what the whole world already knows, that the official story [of the U.S. government and the coalition of the willing] is [was!] that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant who threatens the world. This is important because of what President Hinckley is _not_ saying. Technically, President Hinckley is _not_ saying that Saddam Hussein threatens (or threatened) the world. Which saves the day for our faith -- at least for my faith -- because it has been well known in most parts of the world at least since March 2003 -- before the land-war really started in Iraq -- that Saddam Hussein did indeed _not_ threaten the world with weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The Prophet is not a liar, and therefore one must be very careful not to say that he condoned the war. On the contrary, he spoke against the war. Perhaps inspired by John Taylor, Third President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who cautioned that ``You who have made yourselves acquainted with the political structure and the political intrigues of earthly kingdoms, I ask, whence did they obtain their power? Did they get it from God? . . . Go to any power that has existed upon this earth, and you will find that earthly government, earthly rule and dominion, have been obtained by the sword. It was the sword of men that first put them in possession of this power. They have walked up to their thrones through rivers of blood, through the clotted gore and the groans of the dying, and through the tears and lamentations of bereaved widows and helpless orphans; and hence the common saying is, "Thrones won by blood, by blood must be maintained." By the same principle that they have been put in possession of territory, have they sought to sustain themselves the same violence, the same fraud, and the same oppression have been made use of to sustain their illegitimacy. . . . -- JD, 1:223-225, April 8, 1853.'' [The Gospel Kingdom, selections from the Writings and Discourses of John Taylor, Third President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, p.315.]
_ _ _
A version of the present article suitable for email can be downloaded here: http://ldsvswar.lege.net/prove_it/prove_it.txt
Additional reading: http://ldsvswar.lege.net/resources/ Resources
Copyleft © 2003 Leif Erlingsson or author.
Updated 11 November 2003