"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them" Genesis 1:27 then man created God in his own image; tribal, parochial, they created Him. With selfishness and hate they formed Him. To blunder, maim and kill in His name they conceived Him

Excerpts From Lincoln's Second Inaugural Speech "Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces, but let us judge not, that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered. That of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes. "Woe unto the world because of offenses; for it must needs be that offenses come, but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh."" "With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."

These great words of Lincoln are in contrast with those who want to invoke God in the modern events of the Middle East. All those who create God in their own image of hate and violence. If I may paraphrase Lincoln's last paragraph: With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive to seek peace, to bind up the wounds of Israelis and Palestinians, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and to be as an example to all nations.

	Quotes "According to our faith traditions, killing innocent in the name of God is a desecration of His Holy Name, and defames religion in the world. The violence in the Holy Land is an evil which must be opposed by all people of good faith. We seek to live together as neighbors respecting the integrity of each other’s historical and religious inheritance. We call upon all to oppose incitement, hatred and misrepresentation of the other." The First Alexandria Declaration Read Full Declaration
	"The ways of Torah are ways of pleasantness, and our purpose will not be achieved by violence" Israel's Chief Rabbi Metzger
	“[W]henever a Muslim, a Christian or a Jew refuses to act in violent revenge, creating terror and threatening or killing the innocent, that person bears witness to the true God.” Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams
	Appropriating Heaven By Uzi Benziman--HAARETZ.com The Talmudic tractate of Avot says: "Moses received the Torah at Sinai and gave it to Joshua, and Joshua [gave it] to the elders, and the elders to the prophets, and the prophets to the men of the Great Assembly." Note that it does not say that the Torah was given to Moses directly by God; even the writers of the earliest texts were hesitant to say something that explicit. But Rabbi Avraham Shapira, in the statement he issued this weekend ordering soldiers to refuse to participate in implementing the disengagement plan, spoke in the name of Heaven and presumed to express the will of God. Read Full Aricle
	A New Confession of Christ By Jim Wallis--Sojourners Magazine Confessing Christ in a World of Violence Our world is wracked with violence and war. But Jesus said: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God" (Matt. 5:9). Innocent people, at home and abroad, are increasingly threatened by terrorist attacks. But Jesus said: "Love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you" (Matt. 5:44). These words, which have never been easy, seem all the more difficult today. Nevertheless, a time comes when silence is betrayal. How many churches have heard sermons on these texts since the terrorist atrocities of September 11? Where is the serious debate about what it means to confess Christ in a world of violence? Does Christian "realism" mean resigning ourselves to an endless future of "pre-emptive wars"? Does it mean turning a blind eye to torture and massive civilian casualties? Does it mean acting out of fear and resentment rather than intelligence and restraint? Faithfully confessing Christ is the church's task, and never more so than when its confession is co-opted by militarism and nationalism. Read Full Aricle
	In what image do you create your own God? email quotes and comments to: quotes@Daysofthemessiah.com email now

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