If War Is Not the Answer, Then What Is?
Workshop # 22
Stephen McNeil
Revisiting the Peace Testimony, participants will learn about the current Peaceful Prevention of Deadly Conflict work of the FCNL and the AFSC finding on the UN proposal on the Responsibility to Protect. Based on Quaker spiritual insights, we will advise FCNL on possible actions to take to challenge crimes against humanity.
Percentage of time:
Worship/worship-sharing 25; Lecture 25; Discussion 25; Experiential 25
(PT)
Required Reading: Living in Virtue, by Steve Smith
Open to all
Full Description
My expectations for the week are that Friends will read, worship, and reflect on a most difficult challenge for us: genocide or crimes against humanity through the filter of the case of Darfur. The expectation is to craft a statement for review by FCNL on possible action(s) and directions based within their current Peaceful Prevention of Deadly Conflict project.
Participants will revisit the Peace Testimony and the role of Testimonies in Quaker life through prior reading of Steve Smith’s PHP 378 “Spiritual Roots of the Peace Testimony: Living in Virtue, Declaring Against War” and Robert Griswold’s PHP 377 “Creeds and Quakers: What’s Belief Got to Do With It?” Then participants will learn about the current Peaceful Prevention of Deadly Conflict work of the Friends Committee on National Legislation through reading two FCNLEF pamphlets and a presentation/reflection by FCNL Staffer Ann Vaughan. Third, participants will read and discussion of the recent project of AFSC's Jack Patterson on the U.N. proposal on the Responsibility to Protect (dealing with genocide and crimes against humanity) to be published by AFSC. All readings are relatively short. A review of activists’ work challenging the genocide in Darfur, Sudan will be presented and critiqued by participants. Advice will be sought for use by the FCNL Policy Committee, a member of which may be present, in guidin the work of FCNL on dealing with genocide in the 21st Century. In particular, FCNL grassroots activism by Friends and Friends Meetings will be reviewed and advice also sought on how to tap the spiritual roots of activism when public policy changes are sought.
Besides readings and presentations, at least one DVD and selected parts of DVDs from Darfur campaigns will be shown. Worship and written reflections based on a set of queries will be part of each morning’s sessions culminating in a statement from the workshop to FCNL Policy Committee and Campaigns staff members.
