In addition to censuring films that promote violence, I would like to lift up films and books that promote peace and justice--my "Golden Dove" award.
This year's "Golden Dove" award goes to "Argo," a thriller in which no shots were fired, no one was killed, and the CIA agent rescues people using creativity and courage rather than force.
A second "Golden Dove" goes to "Life of Pi," for being an imaginative and intriguing film about the quest for God. In this film, the hero learns to coexist with rather than kill the man-eating tiger--a step in the right direction towards becoming fully human.
The "Golden Dove" award for best non-fiction book goes to "Interfaith Just Peacemaking," edited by Susan Thisthewaite. This is a fascinating collection of essays by leading Muslim, Christian and Jewish scholars/activists exploring the ten practices of "just peacemaking" from a theological and practical perspective.
Other books on peace and justice I recommend:
- "Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control" by Medea Benjamin.
- "Our God is Undocumented: Biblical Faith and Immigrant Justice" by Ched Myers and Matthew Colwell.
- "Cultivating Peace: Becoming a 21st Century Peace Ambassador" by James O'Dea.
- "Subversive Wisdom: Sociopolitical Dimensions of John's Gospel" by Bert Newton
- "Making Housing Happen: Faith-Based Affordable Housing Models" by Jill Shook
- "On God's Side" by Jim Wallis
I am open to your suggestions about other books, films and documentaries you feel promote justice and peace.
Here is the opinion piece about "Zero Dark Thirty" and torture written by Rev Frank Wulf.
Opinion: Fact and fiction and "Zero Dark
Thirty"
By Rev. Frank Wulf
It belongs to a genre of entertainment that
glorifies torture as an effective means to bring perpetrators to justice. It
does this in an untruthful way that neglects the complex moral, legal and
pragmatic issues that motivated our government to implement torture to achieve
its military and diplomatic goals. This film deceives the audience by alleging
that inhumane torture methods coerced critical information that ultimately led
to Osama bin Laden's capture. As a country that cherishes and strives to uphold
individual freedoms and inherent human dignity and worth, how can we justify
torture as a defense of democracy?
Last December, the Senate Intelligence
Committee adopted a report of more than 6,000 pages detailing the CIA's use of
post-9/11 torture. This report is the result of an extensive, three-year
investigation examining more than a million pages of documents detailing
interrogations of detainees in CIA custody. Senator Dianne Feinstein, chair of
the Senate Intelligence Committee, has been an outspoken opponent of the film,
which she asserts is "grossly inaccurate and misleading." Other
officials have reiterated her claims, including Sen. John McCain - himself a
survivor of torture - Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, former CIA Director
Michael Hayden and acting CIA Director Mike Morrell.
It is time for the Senate Intelligence
Committee to release its report to the public, which will shed light on the
misconceptions about torture that fester in an atmosphere of secrecy. The
half-truths and outright lies advanced by works of fiction such as "Zero
Dark Thirty" only gain traction because the truth is kept hidden, and
those with little knowledge of intelligence operations will take the film at
face value. People have the right to know if their government is or has tortured
people on their behalf.
Intelligence experts have repeatedly stated
that torture is counterproductive. It doesn't produce reliable or unique
information and only serves to enrage people who are already looking for
reasons to attack us. Interrogators have themselves admitted that non-coercive,
traditional, rapport-based interviewing approaches provide the best possibility
for obtaining accurate and complete intelligence. Torture is also illegal under
the U.N. Convention Against Torture, which the United States signed in 1994.
And finally, torture is immoral. It runs contrary to the teachings of every
major religion, and violates our deepest sense about the dignity of every
person.
As a Christian pastor, I cannot condone
torture under any circumstance. Jesus, who was himself tortured, serves as my
guide. With the Academy Awards approaching, we must ensure that the deception
of "Zero Dark Thirty" is demystified. We must work for transparency
on this issue, and so I join the National Religious Campaign Against Torture in
calling on our government to share with us its findings of our nation's dark
legacy of torture activities. As the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee,
Sen. Feinstein has a critical role to play in pushing for the public release of
her committee's report.
The Rev. Frank Wulf is a United Methodist
minister in the California-Pacific Annual Conference. He currently serves as
the pastor of United University Church in Los Angeles, a union congregation of
the United Methodist Church and Presbyterian Church (USA).
This op apppeared in the following sources:
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LA Daily News
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Torture also violates the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which our country put forward in 1948 as the standard for all nations of earth to follow. Indefinite detention without charges or trial also violates the Rights of the detained. One could go on and on with examples of activities that we have condoned in our government, but which violate this recognized standard of Human Rights. It is time we set an example for the world of upholding the Human Rights that we promulgated to the world.
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