Mennonite Weekly Review

In my last column, about the sixth anniversary of the war in Iraq, I mentioned the need to reject complicity with violence that governments commit in the name of their citizens.

Thompson

One way to do this is to join with people of faith — Christians and others — in a united voice for peace.

One such voice is the World Conference of Religions for Peace. The WCRP gathers people from all over the world to speak out together to stop war, end poverty and protect the Earth.

Recently WCRP’s Latin American youth network wrote an open letter to the governments of the Americas. An excerpt: “As young people of faith committed to the construction of peace, we have observed that violence is increasing on our continent, and methods that supposedly respond to it use the same violent logic.

“Daily we hear about how our countries are investing in more military armaments; they declare war against narco-trafficking, act with a heavy hand against delinquency, and daily the news promotes new ideas to combat terrorism… . Even the words used by our states and governments in their efforts and strategies created to offer security to the population are in and of themselves violent.”

This group of youth proposes that peace is not just the destination, it is the way. The letter uses theologian Hans Kung’s words to remind us that “there will not be peace between nations while there is war between religions.”

Since 1970, the WCRP has been dedicated to promote cooperation between the world’s religions. It is the biggest global coalition of religious communities. Its groups work together in conflict transformation, in the building of peace and sustainable development.

While developing models of peaceful dialogue and cooperation, they attempt to hold their governments accountable. They call for the transformation of Latin America and the Caribbean into a continent “where a just and dignified peace prevails.”

They have outlined a global campaign “to reduce military expenditure to advance the Millennium Development Goals” outlined by the United Nations. They request governments to cut their military spending by 1 percent and to channel those resources into sustainable development.

As Christians in the global North, we can support this call to reduce military spending and the use of violence. Our governments, after all, have some of the highest military expenditures in the world.

The example of the WCRP youth from Latin America can encourage those in the global North who are already speaking out that they are not alone. Perhaps it will persuade more of us to speak for peace and justice.

As we write letters, engage in dialogue with people from other traditions and learn about the situations that prompted this courageous letter from young people in Latin America, we will be led by the example of Jesus Christ.