April 15, 2003
by Holly Nye

When bombs started falling on Iraq, the Rev. Dick Capron, a United Methodist pastor in Delanson, N.Y., decided to embody his prayers for peace by beginning a spiritual fast.

The 54-year-old pastor and pastoral counselor has maintained his fast since March 19, when U.S.-led forces began the military action to topple Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

"I couldn't see life going on as usual while people are being killed in an unnecessary action," Capron explains.

Though his concerns continue, he has chosen Easter Sunday, April 20, as an ending date for his witness. His fast will have lasted 32 days. "The day of resurrection is a good time to move forward with life," he says.

Having read the works of Mohandas Gandhi, Capron believes fasting can "release a kind of moral energy into the universe." He considers his fast a spiritual response to the world situation. "It's a way to pray with one's whole body, not just with the mouth," he says.

For 10 years, Capron fasted one day a week as a gesture of opposition to capital punishment. He understands his action to be part of a long tradition of spiritual fasting. When he discussed his fast with colleagues in a peer group, he reports, a Korean pastor said, "In Korea we do that sort of thing all the time."

Capron was moved to begin his fast as he contemplated his frustration at the outbreak of war. "I had tried to be part of the resistance to this action," he says. "But now I had a sense that this was something that human hands alone could not change, and I needed help. I prayed, 'What can I do?' When the idea of a fast came to me, I began to pray for strength to see it through."

For 18 days, Capron lived on water. Responding to his spouse's concerns about his health, he began taking nutritional drinks twice a day and eating small amounts of yogurt.

Even as the active phase of the war seems to be winding down after the first three weeks, Capron is clear that the danger to U.S. troops and to Iraqis is not over. Attacks on occupying forces will likely continue, he believes.

"As a therapist," he says, "I know that the way to reduce aggression is make people feel safe." People commit acts of aggression such as suicide bombing in reaction to feeling overpowered, he says.

Beyond the immediate danger to the lives of civilians and military personnel, Capron says his fast shows concern for the future consequences of the war. "What are the long-term effects on the infrastructure, on the environment - the soil, water and air?" He also wonders about the long-term health effects, both to the Iraqis and to U.S. personnel. "Innocent people will continue to be affected," he asserts.

Capron affirms that he supports U.S. troops, and wants to see them return home safely. He has a nephew serving on a supply ship somewhere in the region, and is concerned for him and for all those affected by the conflict.

Says Capron: "I'd just like the killing to stop."

United Methodist News Service
Holly Nye is the communication director for the Troy Annual Conference.