CPTnet
January 20, 2005

IRAQ INVITATION TO PRAYER AND FASTING: January 25, 2005, "Kids Don't Vote"

CPT in Iraq invites you to join with us every Tuesday for a day of prayer
and fasting that will continue until Easter week. At 9am Eastern Standard
Time (1400GMT) on Tuesdays the team will gather for an hour of focused
prayer. You are invited to participate as you are led either by joining us
in fasting (the team will do a bread and water fast) and/or participating
with us a time of joint prayer. Additionally we will provide an action
step(s) connected with the sacred passage that will be the focus for our
time of prayer together. If you are so led, the CPT Iraq team asks that you
participate in the suggested action between Tuesday and Thursday so we can
be working together. We also created a web page where people can post
reflections that occur during their time of prayer. You will find a link to
the website at the end of the release.

Tuesday, January 25, 2005
"Kids Don't Vote"

Deuteronomy 18:10
"Don't sacrifice your children in the fires on your altars"

Moses meant these words as an admonition to the Israelites not to follow the
practices of those already in the land promised to them. He was reminding
them to keep their ways pure in the sight of God.

The old adage in politics, "kids don't vote," comes to mind both in this
Iraqi election, and in the recent U.S. election. Children, in any country,
are those without a voice in the political system. They aren't able to fund
candidates or political parties, can't vote, and don't have influence as a
group. Yet they are the ones we live for, work for, and strive for in our
lives, no matter what our nationality.

Do we sacrifice our children to the fires on our altars, be those altars the
war on terror, the quest for power and control, or the desire for natural
resources to feed our habits? Do we compromise
our children's futures by having them kill and be killed in our wars, or as
we spend large amounts on our military rather than our schools? Are we the
"terrorists" in the way we speak to children
about people of other faiths, other nationalities, or other cultures? Do we
live in such a way as to promote a world free from war and the threat of war
by our prudent use of imported natural resources?

Suggested Actions:

Do something for children this week. Some suggestions include

1) Talk to a group of kids about Iraqis as human beings. Find out
something about the culture, faith and lives of ordinary Iraqis and share it
with kids at your church, a local school, or in your neighborhood. Your own
home is a great place to start.

2) Look at your lifestyle and see if there are ways to reduce your
reliance on foreign products that are often factors in causing wars. A good
place to begin would be decreasing your need for fossil fuels by car
pooling or walking when possible. Get out your bike, your sneakers or your
snow boots!

3) Inform yourself about the war and occupation's effects on Iraqi
children. Find a place to be involved with aiding and assisting those who
are bringing relief to the children who are orphaned, displaced, or injured
by the effects of war. insights that may have come to your during your times
of prayer and action, so that we may encourage each other's spiritual
growth.

To post a comment on our web log, follow these steps:
1) Scroll down to the bottom of the posting you wish to comment on.
2) Click on the place that shows the number of comments made on the
posting. 3) Scroll to the bottom of that page and click where it says,
"Post a comment."