Torture Is Not a Methodist Family Value
Posted on Friday, May 9, 2008 by wallwritings
Guest Column by Andrew Weaver
Editor’s Note [from James Wall]: Andrew Weaver is a good friend of mine and a close observer of the United Methodist Church. I asked him to write the first guest column for this blog. Andrew is a United Methodist minister and research psychologist living in New York City. He is a graduate of The Perkins School of Theology, SMU.
On April 8, Southern Methodist University President R. Gerald Turner sent a letter to all the delegates of the South Central Jurisdictional Conference (SCJ) of the United Methodist Church (UMC). Turner wanted to persuade the delegates to support the proposed Bush library and partisan think-tank at the SMU Dallas campus.
Three days later, George W. Bush, who is to be honored by the Bush library, acknowledged that he has been deeply involved in the details of the torture he has authorized.
An ABC News report indicated: “President Bush says he knew his top national security advisers discussed and approved specific details about how high-value al Qaeda suspects would be interrogated by the Central Intelligence Agency.” According to White House sources, the discussions about torture techniques were so detailed that some of the “interrogation sessions were almost choreographed”.
Earlier, on March 8, Bush vetoed legislation that would have banned water boarding and other methods of torture by government employees. The legislation would have limited CIA agents to 19 less-aggressive tactics outlined in the U.S. Army field manual. The president stated that the government “needs to use tougher methods than the U.S. military to wrest information from terrorism suspects”.
Water boarding has a long and sickening history. It was used as a means of torture and coerced baptism during the Protestant Reformation. During the Spanish Inquisition the Catholic Church used the torture to convert Jews, Mennonites, witches, and other suspected heretics.
It is a brutal and horrifying method in which the torturer immobilizes the victim on his or her back. The head is tilted downward. Water is poured over the face forcing the inhalation of water into the lungs. As the victim gags and chokes, the terror of imminent death is pervasive.
In the supposedly “less enlightened” 18th century, the Methodist Church founder, John Wesley, explicitly spoke strongly against any torture of prisoners of war.
For Wesley, war is justifiable only on the principle of self-preservation: Prisoners of war are confined for the purpose of preventing them from harming their captors. A war of self-preservation does not give a nation the right to torture, or kill, or to enslave an enemy when the war is over.
United Methodist Bishop Scott J. Jones of Kansas, a SMU trustee, describes Bush as a “faithful member” of the United Methodist Church. The Rev. Mark Craig, an SMU trustee and senior minister of the Highland Park Church in Dallas dismissed opponents of the library and think tank as a “fringe group, a marginal group without any standing other than the fact they happen to be one of 8 million United Methodists”. The Bush family are members of the Highland Park Church.
President Bush refers to himself a “proud Methodist”, but he has shown little sign of contrition, regret or repentance for his personal behavior which violates Methodist standards set long ago by John Wesley. Instead, Bush attempts to justify himself and place a shield of protection around government officials who use torture.
The half billion dollar partisan think-tank to honor President Bush on the SMU campus is being designed by Karl Rove. Neither SMU nor the United Methodist Church will have any control over the direction of the program or the people they hire. Consider the implications: Scooter Libby as distinguished Chair of political ethics?
This absence of university control was made clear in 2005 when, according to a New York Times story:
In outlining the project to prospective universities in 2005, two officers of the foundation, Marvin P. Bush, a brother of the president, and Donald J. Evans, said the institute would be answerable to the foundation, not the university. And they said: “Part of its mission will be to further the domestic and international goals of the Bush administration,” including “compassionate conservatism” and “defeating terrorism.”
The South Central Jurisdictional Conference of the United Methodist Church will meet July 15-19, to debate and then vote on whether to approve the construction of the Bush Library and think tank. There will be 290 United Methodist clergy and laity delegates to that conference representing 1.83 million United Methodist church members from Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Arkansas and Louisiana. These delegates are the ultimate authority over the use of the land where the new project is scheduled to be built.
A significant majority of these delegates are progressives and moderates who have the power to say no to the construction of the library and the think tank honoring Bush. To encourage delegates to consider a no vote, you may go to www.protectSMU.org and sign a petition protesting the Bush library on SMU’s campus.
(Source)
Original Message—–
From: Rev. Dr. Alexander Hast [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 11:48 AM
To: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]; [email protected]
Subject: A petition to Bishop Jeremiah J. Park to recover misused Church money
Dear Brother in Christ Bishop Jeremiah J. Park,
I have received this petition which is addressed to you and only calls for an investigation and justice. If the accusations are true, the situation deserves a resolution. No one should be victimized – especially not by their own church. I don’t know the situation, do not know if any of the accusations are remotely true, but have witnessed similar cases. An impartial investigation could bring interesting unknown facts to your attention.
GOD bless you!
Rev. Dr. Alexander Hast
Dear Brother in Christ Bishop Jeremiah J. Park,
I have received this petition which is addressed to you and only calls for an investigation and justice. If the accusations are true, the situation deserves a resolution. No one should be victimized – especially not by their own church. I don’t know the situation, do not know if any of the accusations are remotely true, but have witnessed similar cases. An impartial investigation could bring interesting unknown facts to your attention.
GOD bless you!
Rev. Dr. Alexander Hast
——————————————————————————————–
The corrective majors are long over due or just ignored by the leaders.
From:[email protected]
Sent: Thursday, October 11, 2007 4:22 PM
To: [email protected];[email protected]. [email protected]
Subject: Building Funds Questions – Korean Church
Dear Bishop:
This all sounds as though the leadership of our church has handled a “difficult situation†in a poor way. Are these matters of injustice in the claims of those who cry out about the fraudulent use of building funds and trust funds of the Korean Church in New York? Real leaders not only do things right… but in the critical points of decision making…do the right thing. What is the “right thing†in his matter? It is an embarrassment to the whole community of faith.
Chuck Gummer
Former District Superintendent
Former Wyoming Conference Executive
Wyoming Confeence
‘[email protected]’
Dear Brother in Christ Bishop Jeremiah J. Park,
I have received this petition which is addressed to you and only calls for an investigation and justice. If the accusations are true, the situation deserves a resolution. No one should be victimized – especially not by their own church. I don’t know the situation, do not know if any of the accusations are remotely true, but have witnessed similar cases. An impartial investigation could bring interesting unknown facts to your attention.
GOD bless you!
Rev. Dr. Alexander Hast
A petition to Bishop Jeremiah J. Park to recover misused Church money
Dear Bishop Jeremiah J. Park:
Current and earlier events need the attention of your office because they will test the meaning of Christian values and of honor among Koreans.
Recently, you advocated, “No tortureâ€, and with other religious luminaries you have marched to the United Nations to protest against the torture and abuse of suspected terrorists held at U.S. facilities in Guantanamo, Iraq, and Afghanistan. However, why have you not condemn the torture and abuse of the innocent members within your church?
Unwittingly it seems to appear the double standard of morality in the episcopacy as you overlooked the torture agony within a Methodist church.
In any event, the church should not be let alone in a Mafia image under your jurisdiction.
More specifically, Mr. Steve Park, and other church officers, had deliberately and consistently tortured and abused my family for many years while the church remained silent. He and his church underlings used the church’s name and trust fund to malign my family and me in order to rid of us from the church. It was to cover up the looting of the church money.
For instance, for one of the three frivoouls lawsuits, Mr. Park falsely accused my son and me that we planned to kill him, his family, his attorney, and other church members in one of his court depositions:
12 A “He said watch out, you asshole,
13 Specifically said you asshole, you watch out, if
14 You don’t watch your step; I’m going to kill you.
…
5 A “I’m going to kill your whole family.â€
6 Q That’s what Dr. Sone said to you?
7 A “Yes.â€
P. 62; 9-17, 21-23.
9 Q You’re claiming that Dr. Sone
10 threatened to kill you and your whole family?
11 A “Yes.â€
Furthermore, he substantiated his assertion that more than 10 persons had witnessed our threats to murder. His witnesses included Reverend Wontae Cha, Y. S. Kim, K. D. Shin, Y. H. Lee, Y. J. Kim, D. J. Chun, Paul Choi, Y. J. Kwon, and I. C. Lee.
Rev. Cha is a good colleague of yours according to information.
Because of his false allegations, my son and I were on trial at the New York State Supreme Court in Nassau County. He used the church’s funds to finance his lawsuit against us. In his lawsuit, Mr. Park also demanded $4,000,000 in damages, while pushing us into the jail as felons.
His lawsuit had nothing to do with the church and was simply a personal vendetta against us. My only offense against Rev. Cha, Mr. Park and others was to strictly observe my fiduciary duty as the chairman of the Board to protect the church’s Building Fund. Nevertheless, according to the court records, officials from the church hierarchy and Steven Park had deceived the judge as if the case was a church-related during an ex-parte conference.
Now, Bishop Jeremiah J. Park must be responsible to identify the persons who were at the secretive meeting with the judge. He must investigate all and any conspiracy against the church and its members. The bishop’s actions matter much with the prestige of the episcopacy.
The year 2008 is the 87th anniversary of the Korean United Methoidst Church and Institute. Bishop Jeremiah J. Park, Reverend Won Tae Cha, Steven Park, Young So Kim and other such characters one day must come to the church and faithfully explain to the worshippers for the justification of the looting for either personal gain or criminal racketeering against the innocent loyal members.
The cowardly leadership owes an explanation to the fellow church members about the mismanagement of church finances: For example, an $180,000 building renovation contract lost for nothing. It only enriched the related parties. Or, another example when the chairman of the board of trustees embezzled $70,000 he is awarded with church money to pay for his legal fees and for part of his embezzlement. Also his faction paid the fines for the sanctions and the contempt of court with the trust fund although they had to pay. Another irony is Methoidst Mission Fund donated $50,000 to the trust as if an incentive to the looting
The judge and NYS Attorney General advised to recover the funds from the abusers. But, why anyone in the church leadership has done anything about these malfeasances?
Now, the time has come to your office to clarify the ultimate moral issues. On July 15, 2007, the church decided to hire a certified public accountant (excluding Korean CPA) to audit the church finances starting from year 2000. The audit is to determine if any fraud has occurred. But, since then, Reverend Chang, the current pastor, who is a friend of yours according to information, has not yet started it.
The church must recover the stolen funds from Mr. Park and the embezzlers. Perhaps, the church may file an insurance claim for the stolen funds so that the insurance company can compensate them. But, you, the bishop, must enforce church rules and order to help this church recover financially as well as morally. Otherwise, the church has no standing as “a light house†to the dark world.
Now, remember that any decent mind cannot allow our historic church to be built on the foundation of the age-old scandals, but on “the rockâ€. Most of all, the church should be liberated from evil capitulation still in power. If Mr. Park and others like him have succeeded to scapegoat the church scandals on an innocent family, then they would have said, “Halleluiah!!†The church should be maintained as a house of prayer, but a “den of robbers.†(Matthew 21; 13)
Without any further delay, you must recognize that the Korean United Methodist Church and Institute has been under the control of the spiritually-dead clergies and criminals who are filled with demons, falsehoods, hatreds, and deception. It does appear to be a moral crisis of the Korean Church, the NY Annual Conference, and, perhaps, the United Methodist denomination.
I am praying for your spiritual victory in good faith and for the renewal of our historic church. The Book of Discipline guarantees open meetings and free speech. Why can’t we have an open debate for the renewal at the church or a public media? The congregation wants your spiritual leadership as the bishop of the NY Annual Conference as well as the top church leader of the Korean immigrant Christian community.
Please let me remind your office that it is my duty and mission to continuously protect the church’s common interests, according to the church’s rules and the Christian teachings. That is my only way to seek justice and to restore our family name as I have learned from the church throughout my life.
Alas! The church is spiritually, morally broken as it is now.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Chae S. Sone and family
Please forward the e-mail petition to:
Reverend Jeremiah J. Park, Bishop
New York Annual Conference
White Plains, New York
e-mail address: [email protected]
Reverend Chul Woo Chang
e-mail address: [email protected], OR WRITE TO
633 WEST 115TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY10025
Forward to our distinctuished spiritual leaders:
[email protected]
UMC: [email protected].
NCC
Grassley, Chuck (R)
[email protected]
Charles Schumer (D)
[email protected]
Hillary Clinton (D)
[email protected]
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Let us pray for the Bishop to do His will accordingly. Especially it is a wakeup call for Korean Christian community – It is a cyber age.
__________________
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Torture is the #1 Value of the Bush Crime Family!