Seeker

A universal prayer for Remembrance Sunday or any time: Our globe is nothing but a little star in the great universe.   It is our duty to turn this globe into a planet   whose creatures are not tormented by wars,   nor tortured by hunger and fear,   nor torn apart in senseless divisions   according to race, colour or creed.   Give us the courage and foresight,   to begin this work even today,   so that our children and grandchildren   may one day take pride   in being called human. Stephen Vincent Benet, from 'Prayers Encircling the World', SPCK 1998 This is the prayer of the United Nations. Image Credit: Wikimedia Previous Posts for Remembrance Sunday and Remembrance Day: Remembrance Sunday Remembrance Sunday 2013 Remembrance Day 2013

Like many people I feel torn about military action in an attempt to defeat IS. How will that work? where will it end? I'm not a full-blown pacifist though my natural inclination is towards pacifism and peace-making. I prefer words to fights. I do not accept the so-called Christian concept of a 'just war'. I do think that occasionally as a last resort war can be justified as a lesser evil when faced with a greater evil. Some brutal people and ideologies cannot be reasoned with and only understand violence. So I am reluctantly in support of the decision the UK government took yesterday with overwhelming Parliamentary support. The UK is now giving limited air-strike (bombing) support to the mission in which the US is already engaged in Iraq in an attempt to halt IS control of parts of that suffering land. Perhaps it will help, but peace-loving civilians will inevitably die in the process. Where will it end? Does violence ever actually end violence or just serve to bre...