Swanson decries London attacks
Bishop James Swanson joined other United Methodist leaders in expressing sympathy and support July 7 for the people of London following explosions that authorities believe were set by terrorists.
"My heart goes out to those in London who, even as I write, are trying to pick up the pieces of their lives, make sense out of what appears to be sheer evil, and go on with life," Swanson wrote in his blog shortly before The Call went to press.
Nearly 40 people were believed killed and more than 700 injured, but British authorities were still assessing the toll July 7, according to United Methodist News Service. A group purporting to be an al-Qaida organization in Europe claimed responsibility, but the authenticity of the claim could not be confirmed.
The Rev. R. Randy Day, chief executive of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, wrote a letter of sympathy and concern to the Rev. David Deeks, top staff executive of the Methodist Church of Britain.
"In my letter, I recalled the importance of the expressions of support that came to the board from around the world at the time of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in New York and Washington D.C.," Day said in a separate statement.
"Terrorists are cowards in that they attack the most vulnerable - in the London case, men and women, young and old, on the way to work on a Thursday morning. Such action is senseless and cannot foster any cause," he said.
The National Council of Churches USA said it joined in praying for the injured and offering sympathy to those who lost loved ones.
"While we recognize that religion is sometimes used to legitimize such acts of violence, we together with other mainstream religious organizations, including many in the Muslim community, thoroughly and unequivocally condemn such violence and enjoin all religious communities to pursue peace in a thousand ways," said the Rev. Bob Edgar, top staff executive of the council and a United Methodist pastor.
Here is Bishop Swanson's complete statement, as it appeared in his "Soaring" blog at http://bishopsblog.holston.org:
It appears that we live in a world that continues to respond to pain by inflicting pain on others. I am aware that many in the Arab world have felt for many years that their cries for a homeland for Palestinian people have fallen upon deaf ears. Yet, I cannot condone or have sympathy for those who are determined to get their way by violent means.
My heart goes out to those in London who, even as I write, are trying to pick up the pieces of their lives, make sense out of what appears to be sheer evil, and go on with life. Jesus lived in a time when it would appear that violence was needed to secure the human rights of his people, yet he never advocated the violent responses we see from terrorists who ask us to be sympathetic to their concerns.
I realize that the continual conflict between the Palestinian people and the nation of Israel, coupled with the war in Iraq, are complicated events. I do not profess to be an authority on what produces terrorists outside of the condition of sin. I pray for anyone who allows hurt to make them hate to the point that they would kill not only those who have hurt them, but kill indiscriminately. My prayer also is that those of us who are disciples will realize that when we allow disagreement with others to consume us, our anger and hatred smothers out the love of God in Jesus Christ.
I call upon all Holston Conference United Methodists to:
(1) Begin praying on a scheduled basis for the intervention of peace and to find ways to promote sisterhood and brotherhood, especially with people who are not like us; and (2) Set up prayer circles where we might seek ways to advocate for peace in our communities, our states, our nation, and around the world.
Please don't let this hurt cause you to forget him, the Prince of Peace.
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