Security and Faith
Disarmament, International Cooperation, and Peace Building
Throughout its 20-year history, the Disarmament Working Group (DWG) of the Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice has worked for peace in our world. This effort stems from the spiritual values of individual members and their respective faith communities. For a variety of reasons, we see three major challenges in promoting global peace….
The first is to overcome the continued reliance of many nations on nuclear weapons for their “security” and the concurrent effort by other nations to acquire weapons of mass destruction. The second is to encourage international cooperation in the framework of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations. And, third is the need for peace education to overcome the lack of hope by many that peace is possible. Our desire is that your congregation will give serious attention to the issues articulated in this statement, that you will work as a faith community to bring about the realization of the goals expressed here.
Reduction and eventual elimination of weapons of mass destruction. Nuclear weapons have been with us since the end of World War II (for nearly 60 years). Efforts to eliminate these weapons of mass destruction from the world’s arsenals are almost as old. Throughout the period of the Cold War, nuclear disarmament efforts were stymied by the notion that these weapons were a deterrent to full-scale war. The end of the Cold War brought new vigor to nuclear disarmament efforts. The world’s nuclear arsenals have shrunk, the moratorium on nuclear testing has held, and only a few nations have chosen to disavow the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
In spite of this progress, dangers from nuclear weapons still exist. It is our view, in fact, that the dangers of nuclear weapons are, in many respects, greater today than ever. Among the most troubling is the presence of nuclear weapons in the Middle East and South Asia – two areas that have been filled with conflict for the entire nuclear age. Also troubling is the potential ease with which “rogue states” or terrorist groups might acquire nuclear weapons. The refusal of developed nations to end their reliance on nuclear weapons – in spite of the fact that the threat for which they were thought to be a deterrent has past is also a major concern. Not only have we failed to go forward with nuclear disarmament, there is organized opposition to nuclear disarmament in many countries. Finally, and most worrisome, citizens throughout the world are apathetic to these dangers.
Whatever usefulness nuclear weapons may have had during the Cold War as a deterrent (and this is certainly debatable), there is no justification for their continued presence. Our opposition to nuclear weapons is based in such a view. More importantly, our position represents the fundamental belief that mass murder of large numbers of civilians under any circumstance is always immoral. It is counter to religious values, whether they are expressed as faith in the plan of a loving God, showing respect and honor to mother earth, or the Buddhist value of Metta (loving-kindness) for all beings. Opposition to these weapons of mass destruction is not based on a notion of these weapons as singularly evil. Rather, the same ethical principles that underlie opposition to nuclear weapons underlie opposition to all weapons of mass destruction.
Rededication international cooperation, the principles outlined in the United Nations charter, and rebuilding the United Nations. At a time when virtually the entire world was in conflict, the United Nations was envisioned as an organization through which individuals and nations could work together to resolve the issues that led to the great wars of the 20 th century. The underlying principle on which the United Nations is built is that in spite of our differences, all individuals (and therefore all nations) share a common heritage. The problems facing the world today – conflicts between nations and between groups within nations, disparities in wealth and level of development among nations, starvation and poverty among large numbers of the world’s people, global diseases, degradation of the environment and the potential for global annihilation – are the concern of all people and nations. The United Nations exists as a structure through which people and nations can come together to address these universal concerns.
Sadly, the United Nations has not fulfilled much of its promise. While the United Nations has had a positive impact on world affairs throughout its history, the world faces many of the same problems that were present 60 years ago when the United Nations was chartered. Equally distressing, many individuals in the world and many nations seem to have lost faith in the concept of the United Nations. Some no longer feel that we can (or need to) address the problems of the world in a common effort. This, we feel, must change. The common spiritual values that bind us together as well as the traditions of our individual faith communities emphatically endorse the principle that all people must work together to address global concerns. We believe that the United Nations represents the best possible forum currently available for making this happen. This position is derived from our most basic spiritual values, whether we believe that all human beings are children of the same God, affirm “the oneness of man,” or believe in the dignity and worth of all individuals. This understanding that we are all brothers and sisters underlies are view that we must endorse the concept of a United Nations and that we must work to make it become the effective organization its founders envisioned.
We do not envision the United Nations as becoming the “one world government” that some fear; nor do we naively expect the United Nations to miraculously solve the world’s problems. What we do hope, pray and work for is a world body with the moral authority to mobilize the best efforts of individuals and nations in the pursuit of our common interests. This original vision of the United Nations is still valid today.
Peace education as a remedy for despair. Among the most distressing trends of the present time is a loss of hope by many people that peace is possible. Peace is possible, but we must remain dedicated to building it and seek ways to strengthen it.
One of the most important steps for building a more peaceful world is to study and promote alternatives to violence on all levels and for conflicts ranging from the interpersonal to the international. Peace education gives all of us the tools we need to find effective alternatives to violence in the home, in our communities, and in the world. We encourage congregations and to incorporate peace education into their religious education programs.
