Gene Stoltzfus, founder of Christian Peacemaker Teams in: Retooled Myths from VietNam to Iraq, draws on his 40 years of experience in war zones.

While history never repeats itself there are myth like patterns that are recycled. We rely upon myths to explain war, peace, politics and the heavens. Myths are part of our collective story that become more visible in times of war. The five myths about US involvement in Iraq I discuss below, were alive during the VietNam war 40 years ago.

Myth I: Blame the Victim: Myth II: If We Believe we are Helping it must be OK;Myth III: War Helps Human Rights: Myth IV Our Exit Brings Greater Violence: Myth V: These People Have Always been at War:

He dissects each myth and ends with:

Our vision of the peaceable world can become truncated and used as a club for manipulation by preachers, generals, and politicians and sometimes even by ourselves. I wish I could tell you that the world could be neatly separated between those who only embrace the good myths and those who only embrace the bad myths. But it is not that way. The myths of epic battles, violence and separation have life in all of us. It takes generations to infuse ourselves and our institutions with the habits of love.

Kevin Powell, a Canadian Lutheran Minister was embarrassed by a question posed to a Mennonite by a young man about peace being left-wing nonsense. Powell talks about how we perceive peace and how Jesus is peace, the toughness and surprise of shalom.

Contrary to what my friend and colleague says, this peace thing is not a left wing thing. It’s not a right wing thing. It’s a Jesus thing.

Peace is at the heart of who God is. Part of our Guiding Principles as a congregation is that we “participate in God’s reconciling love for the world.”

And finally a moving and personal letter at The Washington Independent from a junior officer in Iraq who questions what is being done. It Becomes Almost Impossible To Find a Purpose in What We Do. Serving in the war zone the officer unconsciously echoes the myths Stoltzfus writes about.