June is Torture Awareness Month

Hebrews 13:3 (NRSV)

Remember those who are in prison,

As though you were in prison with them;

Those who are being tortured,

As though you yourselves were being tortured.

Join us at vigils nationwide on Tuesday June 26^th as we remember torture victims and raise awareness about the use of torture at the domestic and international levels.

Torture is a poignant social justice concern because its use not only ignores individual rights but violates human dignity. As Christians, we believe that each individual is made in the image of God and thus has intrinsic dignity and worth. Torture then becomes “a form of intimate, humiliating terror, a crime against the human spirit and God’s image in us” (Resolution on Torture 2006). Torture occurs worldwide and is used by US affiliated organizations and individuals even though the US Government has signed and ratified conventions against its practice (UN Declaration of Human Rights, UN Convention against Torture, the International Covenant on Civic and Political Rights). Awareness and accountability are necessary in order to end torture.

June is Torture Awareness Month and the PC(USA) Office of Public Witness has partnered with the National Religious Campaign against Torture (NRCAT) and various human rights organizations to coordinate events under the theme “2012 – Confronting the Culture of Torture.” NRCAT has provided a variety of resources and suggested activities for congregations. These include worship resources, DVDs with discussion guides, banners and resources for grassroots advocacy. The Resolution Against Torture, published by the PC(USA) after 217^th General Assembly in 2006, is another resource you can use to inform yourself and others. Continued advocacy is needed in order to confront the culture of torture and bring the practice to an end.

We encourage you to participate in Torture Awareness Month events on the local and national level.

• Vigils are coordinated nationwide on Tuesday, June 26^th, which is the UN International Day in Support of Torture Victims. A list of local vigils can be found here. In Washington, D.C., we are hosting a screening of the new documentary “Doctors of the Dark Side” at E Street Cinemas (11^th and E Streets) at 6:00pm. This screening will be preceded by a vigil at the US Navy War Memorial (8^th St and Pennsylvania Ave) from 4:30pm to 5:30pm.
• A toolkit for organizing a vigil in your area can be found here.
• Inform yourself and others by watching these NRCAT videos “Repairing the Brokenness” (10  minutes) and “Solitary Confinement: Torture in Your Backyard” (20 minutes). Discussion guides and other resources can be accessed through the above links.
• If you are in the Washington, D.C. area, consider joining us on June 24^th for the DC March Against Torture, Guantanamo & NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) from 1-2:30pm at the Capitol Reflecting Pool.  

For a more complete list of Torture Awareness Month events, consult the Torture Awareness Month page of the NRCAT website.

“The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) opposes the use of torture and all forms of ‘cruel, inhuman, or degrading’ interrogation by all agencies, employees, or agents of the United States government, and all foreign governments and/or combatants, and supports the application of the Geneva Conventions to all enemy soldiers and the humane treatment with due process for all combatants held by U.S. forces anywhere in the world, and supports the provisions of the Bill of Rights and the principles of judicial review and congressional oversight over Executive branch operations, now including counterterrorism, Homeland Security, and domestic surveillance programs, both classified and publicly acknowledged.” (Resolution on Human Rights 2006)

Statement on the Shooting of Trayvon Martin in Florida

A Pastoral Message to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.):

Wake Up! The Struggles of Race and Gun Violence in the United States Have Not Gone Away



Trayvon Martin

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. (Romans 12:15-18)

Our nation is facing the terrible implications and heartbreaking aftermath of the tragic shooting death of a young man.  Trayvon Martin was a 17-year-old African American boy who was shot to death by George Zimmerman, a mixed race man. Trayvon Martin was shot and killed in Sanford, Florida, on February 26, 2012. George Zimmerman was acting as a neighborhood watch “captain.” Martin wore a “hoodie” sweatshirt and carried Skittles candy and a can of ice tea – items that have become symbols of solidarity with Trayvon and his family. Zimmerman claims he was acting in self-defense. As the nation reels from this racially charged incident, it is important that faith communities, especially churches, not be silent regarding two important implications of this incident.

Prayer for the Families

First, with empathy and compassion, we must join in prayer for the families of both persons involved in this unfortunate incident. Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton (Trayvon’s parents) were both active in Trayvon’s life. They mourn the loss of their son, God’s precious gift to them. Trayvon demonstrated promise and had visions of attending college like his older brother. He was actively involved in developing a future path for himself, under the direction of his parents.

Today and in the days ahead, this family needs our prayers. Parents who face the death of a child confront a lifelong sorrow that the rest of us can only imagine and dread. However, our faith reminds us that “If we live, we live to the Lord and if we die we to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.” (Romans 14:8-9).

As people of faith, we must also prayerfully lift up George Zimmerman and his family. Although we do not know the full motivations of his actions, our Christian faith teaches us "Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses." (Mark 11:25)  Our prayers must be offered with the belief that the God of salvation is able to reveal truth amid the confusion and anger that this incident is causing.

I encourage Presbyterians to be in prayer while the details are sorted out and these two families search for healing.

A Challenge to Racism and Gun Violence

Second, this incident is raising the issues of race and gun violence to the forefront of the national attention. Our challenge as a Church is to recognize that racial injustice is not a thing of the past. Florida’s Stand Your Ground law, a controversial measure that allows armed civilians to use deadly force when they feel they are in danger of imminent — but not necessarily lethal — harm, rather than attempting to flee, is raising questions regarding racial profiling. Was Zimmerman acting as a racially biased vigilante? Did the “hoodie” that Trayvon Martin wore set off inner city racial stereotypes that labeled him a criminal in Zimmerman’s mind? Was this a premeditated murder caused by the remnant of historically racist thinking? These questions are among many being raised within communities across the nation, including the African American community. Protests are wide spread and racial tensions are high in our nation.

The complexities of this shooting are fueled by both race and gun violence.  The 219^th General Assembly (2010) adopted the resolution, “Gun Violence, Gospel Values: Mobilizing in Response to God’s Call.” In that document it Encourage[s] the church at every level… to become informed and active in preventing gun violence, to provide pastoral care for victims of gun violence, and to seek a spiritual response of grief and repentance, grace and courage to resist that violence and celebrate the Lord and Giver of Life.

The 2010 policy further restates the 202^nd General Assembly’s resolution (1990) that called on the U.S. government to establish meaningful and effective federal legislation to regulate the importation, manufacture, sale and possession of guns and ammunition by the general public. Such legislation should include provisions for the registration and licensing of gun purchasers and owners, appropriate background investigations and waiting periods prior to gun purchase, and regulation of subsequent sale.

The 219^th Assembly also acknowledges that “little change has been seen in the policies enumerated, and these same calls can and should be echoed today.”In this nation, gun violence is responsible for about 35,000 completely preventable deaths every year. The shooting of Trayvon Martin was facilitated by a law that gives a person possessing a gun the right to self-determine when his/her life is threatened, even when there is no indication of a lethal provocation. This type of law opens the door for vigilante activity on our streets and in our neighborhoods.

The 219^th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) called on churches to ensure that “liturgies not only call for periodic preaching on gun violence but also contain prayers for the victims and perpetrators of gun violence and confession of our own complicity in the perpetuation and toleration of violence in all its forms in the culture.” We cannot remain silent!

Gun violence is the intolerable by-product of a nation struggling with the essence of community building. Our congregations are essential to communities overcoming the need to choose guns over love. Let us use this tragic event for good and work toward the “peaceable Kingdom.”

As we respond to this tragedy, let us hold up the families of those who have been devastated by this crime, and let us hold out hope that our social conscience and love of justice will allow us to put down our guns and pick up our tools to build communities that learn to study racism and gun violence no more. It is then that Trayvon’s brief life and the nameless others who die such tragic deaths will truly be honored.

Reverend Dr. J. Herbert Nelson II, Director

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness

100 Maryland Avenue, NE

Washington, DC 20002

ga_washington_office@pcusa.org

 2012 ADVOCACY TRAINING EVENTS

March 23 – Compassion Peace and Justice

Training Day

“Presbyterians and Economic Justice”

New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, Washington, DC

Come join the Office of Public Witness and all the ministries of Compassion Peace and Justice in a training day in Washington, DC. Participants will have a full day of practical church based training and investigate the role Christians must play in today’s changing society - particularly on issues of economic justice.  Topics of plenaries and workshops will include faith-based community organizing, practical tools for simple living, justice as discipleship making, social responsibility through investing, and many more!

 March 23-26 – Ecumenical Advocacy Days

“Is this the Fast I Seek? – Economy, Livelihood, and Our National Priorities”

Come to the 10th annual EAD, March 23-26, 2012, in Washington, DC where we will explore economy, livelihood and our national priorities through the lens of Isaiah 58. Join other Christians in seeking a global economy and a national budget that break the yokes of injustice, poverty, hunger and unemployment throughout the world — heeding Isaiah's call to become "repairers of the breach and restorers of streets to live in."

In a global economy based on scarcity, corporate greed, and individualism, we will seek God's alternative vision for global community: one that breaks the chains of injustice and creates the possibility of a sustainable livelihood with dignity for all, thus living into a reality of God's abundance.

Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Come to "Is This the Fast I Seek?," EAD's Tenth Anniversary Celebration, March 23-26, 2012 in Washington, DC and help shape our national priorities!

For more information go to http://www.advocacydays.org/

For more information call the PC(USA) Office of Public Witness at (202) 543-1126

Register Now for Both Events Below @

http://www.pcusa.org/events/18750/compassion-peace-and-justice-training-day/

Reverend Dr. Margaret Aymer Oget 

is the opening preacher at the

Ecumenical Advocacy Days