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| OUR
STATEMENT
ON THE KILLINGS OF POLITICAL ACTIVISTS IN THE PHILIPPINES by PBC Team As a Mennonite peacebuilding team committed to the achievement of justice and the resolution of conflicts through peaceful and non-violent means, we condemn the killings of political activists in our country. While the local human rights group Karapatan reports of more than 700 politically-motivated murders in the Philippines in the last five years, Amnesty International put the number at 114. Either report concerns us deeply for we strongly believe in the intrinsic value of every human life as created in the Image of God regardless of religious belief or political ideology. We approach this current crisis-of-violence from the perspective of our religious convictions, to wit: As followers of Jesus, we participate in his ministry of peace and justice. He has called us to find our blessing in making peace and seeking justice. We do so in a spirit of gentleness, willing to be persecuted for righteousness' sake. As disciples of Christ, we do not prepare for war, or participate in war or military service. The same Spirit that empowered Jesus also empowers us to love enemies, to forgive rather than to seek revenge, to practice right relationships, to rely on the community of faith to settle disputes, and to resist evil without violence. Led by the Spirit, and beginning in the church, we witness to all people that violence is not the will of God. We witness against all forms of violence, including war among nations, hostility among races and classes, abuse of children and women, violence between men and women, abortion, and capital punishment. We call on our fellow Christians of all denominations and organizations to witness with us that violence is not the way of Jesus Christ--the Prince of Peace. We challenge every person who claim to follow Christ to participate in the ministry of peacebuilding by serving as volunteers and supporters of various peace movements in our country. We challenge Christian churches, denominations, and organizations to include peacebuilding in their ministry budget. We call on the Government of the Republic of the Philippines to conduct prompt, thorough, impartial and effective investigations into all complaints of political killings. We call on the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of our Government to seek and affirm an alternative imagination towards justice and peace that do not involve violent initiatives, violent retaliation strategies, revenge, or all-out warfare. We equally call on all opposition parties, popular fronts, and civil society organizations to seek and affirm an alternative imagination towards justice and peace that do not involve violent initiatives, violent retaliation strategies, revenge, or all-out warfare. We call for more peace-loving organizations and human rights groups throughout our global community to send your solidarity representatives to the Philippines so that our cry for truth, justice, and peace may be heard and seen around the world. May we all experience peace within us and around us. |
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