Religious, Military Leaders Address Nuclear Weapons Threat

CHICAGO (ELCA) Calling nuclear weapons instruments "of indiscriminate effect and terror," the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) joined religious and former military leaders this month in a call for "verifiable arms control and non-proliferation efforts to safeguard nuclear facilities everywhere."
The events of Sept. 11, 2001, should not be used "as a justification for use of nuclear weapons," the leaders warned.
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson was one of 21 religious leaders and 13 retired military leaders who signed the statement, "A Reaffirmation: Concerning Terrorism and U.S. Nuclear Policy." The statement was made public by the Nuclear Reduction/Disarmament Initiative through the Churches' Center for Theology and Public Policy. The Churches' Center is a national, ecumenical research center, located at Wesley Theological Seminary, a United Methodist Church seminary in Washington, D.C.
This statement affirms a similar statement issued in 2000 and includes some commentary on the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. In June 2000 several religious and former military leaders proclaimed long-term reliance on nuclear weapons is "morally untenable and militarily unjustifiable." The Rev. H. George Anderson, then ELCA presiding bishop, signed that statement.
The 2002 statement notes there are "worldwide apprehensions about the nature of U.S. military responses" to the Sept. 11 attacks. In particular, the threat of the use of nuclear weapons "represents an abhorrent condition we seek to eliminate cooperatively," the statement said.
"Nuclear weapons constitute a threat to the security of our nation, a peril to world peace [and] a danger to the whole human family," the statement said. Controlling such weapons must become top priority, it said. Exports of related materials and technologies must be prevented, governments should be persuaded to "turn away" from nuclear weapons, and terrorists must be prevented from obtaining such weapons, the statement said.
"Strengthening international cooperation in bringing unlawful conduct to justice, in addressing the root causes of terrorism, and working through the rule of law to eliminate nuclear weapons is a path toward greater security consistent with international requirements and our basic American values," the statement concluded.
Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders were among those who signed the statement. Leaders representing the ELCA's full communion partner churches also signed the statement. They represented the Episcopal Church, Moravian Church in America, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Reformed Church in America and United Church of Christ. Also signing was the Rev. Bob Edgar, general secretary, National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. -- -- --
Information about the Nuclear Reduction/Disarmament Initiative can be found at http://www.nrdi.org on the Web.

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