Peace

Evangelical Christian and Jewish leaders are calling for immediate sanctions against Iran to discourage the government from developing nuclear weapons.

Dr. Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, joined Paul de Vries, president of the New York Divinity School and leader of the New York Evangelicals, and Joseph Potasnik, executive vice president of the New York Board of Rabbis, in issuing a statement urging all governments to apply sanctions as a tool for effective diplomacy and to encourage human rights efforts of Iranian citizens.

The leaders explained their concern derives from the “grave threat” of a nuclear Iran against people in the United States, Israel, as well as Iran’s Muslim neighbors. The threats posed by a nuclear weapon-possessing Iran include throwing Gulf Arab states into a nuclear arm race that would cause instability in the region; strengthening the rule of the militant Shia regime against Iran’s new reform leaders and youth attracted to human rights; and a likely total confrontation with Israel and the world to hasten the return of the 12th imam. more >>

Some of the world’s top ecumenical church leaders are urging on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the European Union, the United States and Russia to continue the trend toward nuclear disarmament, stressing that “now” is the time to do so.

“It is our conviction that the present opportunity must be transformed into conclusive actions,” expressed the heads of the World Council of Churches, Conference of European Churches, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, and the Canadian Council of Churches.

In a letter dated Oct. 28, the ecumenical leaders acknowledged the steps NATO has taken to reduce its reliance on nuclear weapons. They also welcomed the commitment of the new German government to have all nuclear weapons withdrawn from its soil. more >>

Nearly 50 Christian leaders, who collectively represent 28 million Americans, called on the United States and other world leaders to take urgent action to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

Signers of the Sept. 22 letter to Congress warned that a nuclear-armed Iran would “almost certain[ly]” spark an arms race in the Middle East. The volatile country, known to be the world’s leading state sponsors of terrorism, would also likely sell or give nuclear weapons to extremist groups that consider America an enemy, the Christian leaders warned.

“For the world’s most dangerous regime to obtain the world’s most dangerous weapons is something that neither the United States nor the community of civilized nations can allow,” the leaders assert. more >>

Hundreds of churches across the nation rang their bells Thursday in observance of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II.

While almost all the churches rang their bells for peace amid a world still fraught with nuclear warheads, it is not likely that they did so with the same stance on the 1945 bombing.

According to a new poll by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, Americans are still largely supportive of the decision 64 years ago to drop atomic bombs in Japan. more >>

Correction appended:

Christian advocates for a world free of nuclear weapons said Tuesday that they were encouraged by the commitment of Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev to slash nuclear stockpiles by about a third though some pointed out that the move is not enough.

“It is heartening that the leaders of the United States and Russia have now made a preliminary agreement and public commitment to achieve specific cuts in each country's stockpiles of strategic nuclear weapons,” expressed the Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia, general secretary of the World Council of Churches. more >>