CPTnet
December 4, 2004

IRAQ INVITATION TO PRAYER AND FASTING: December 7, 2004, "Security: A False
God"

An Invitation to Prayer
 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 December 7, 2004
"Security: A False God"

"A ruler is not saved by an army,
nor a warrior preserved by strength.
A vain hope for safety is the horse;
despite its power it cannot save . . .

Our soul is waiting for God.
God is our help and our shield.
In God do our hearts find joy.
We trust in God's holy name.
May your love be upon us, O God,
As we place all our hope in you." (Psalm 33:16-17, 20-22)

"My guardian is God . . . . . Those to whom you pray besides God cannot help
you, nor can they help themselves." (Qur'an 7:196)

"Stay safe." We hear it all the time in Iraq. "Our soldiers are keeping
us safe." One hears it all the time in the Western world.

Citizens of the west agreed to go to war because they wanted to be safe from
WMD's. We remain at war because we want to be safe from terrorism, and we
pour billions of dollars into war and defense instead of into schools,
healthcare, and social services.

Security, security, security. It has become a false god. We are obsessed
with "staying safe" and are willing to use violence in order to do so. But
"a vain hope for safety is the horse" --or the mini-nukes, fighter jets,
tanks, and arms buildup. Despite their power, they cannot save.

What will save us? What about a just distribution of the world's resources,
justice and human rights in all our affairs, an attitude of trust rather
than suspicion, friendship rather than intimidation, and an openness to
learn rather than to preach. When we remember to place our hope only in God
and God's presence in each other, perhaps at last we will be truly safe.

Suggested Action Steps:
For U.S. citizens: Consider that nearly 50% of your tax dollars go toward
military spending in search of a "security" that does not exist. Visit the
National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee website (www.nwtrcc.org)
and consider ways to reallocate your tax dollars.

All citizens: Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper.
Express your concerns about your country's approach to security, and suggest
alternatives.

Website for posting now available: Christian Peacemaker Teams in Iraq has
begun a webpage http://prayerandactionforiraq.blogspot.com We encourage you
to post any insights that may have come to you during our mutual time of
prayer.

We also encourage you to post any heartening or disheartening aspects of
your prayers and actions so that we may encourage each other's spiritual
growth.