North Carolina Religious Leaders Remain Neutral on War in Iraq

March 23, 2003

Source: News Observer

http://newsobserver.com/news/story/2366598p-2207123c.html

On March 23, 2003 the News Observer reported that "the United States is waging a war fraught with religious overtones, but leaders of Triangle churches, synagogues and mosques [in NC] are steering far clear of the fray. On the first weekend of war in Iraq, they are sticking to eternal themes of peace and love, saying the politics of war have no place in the pulpit. The reasoning is simple: Clergy don't want to offend large segments of their congregations who support the war... 'Discussions are better than pronouncements from the pulpit,' said the Rev. Bob Albritton, pastor of Millbrook Baptist Church in Raleigh, who discusses the matter privately with congregants when asked... That's a shame to some who think religious leaders are missing out on a chance to look deeper."