Are Christians Key to Anti-Nuke Movement?

The Christian God abhors the shedding of innocent blood and nuclear weapons are only capable of widespread, indiscriminate killing and destruction of life.
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It was no joke. On April Fool's Day in 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev agreed to pursue a significant reduction in nuclear arms with "effective verification measures." America and Russia possess the largest nuclear stockpiles in the world by far, which is why Obama told reporters in Moscow, "We must lead by example, and that's what we're doing here today." According to a recent study, 73% of Americans and 63% of Russians support the elimination of nuclear weapons.

With Obama and Medvedev playing nice and public opinion in favor of such action, one has to wonder why there has been little buzz since April. Perhaps there have just been "more important" discussions in Washington. Healthcare has stolen most of the recent front page headlines. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are fighting over page two. And don't forget the economy.

What would you think if someone told you that the key to abolishing nuclear weapons might be Christians? What if all those religious people turned out to be the force that drove this conversation to its tipping point? The unlikely supporters could undoubtedly make an impact if they were to join the conversation. Christians would bring the numerical strength of their voting bloc as well strong moral arguments, which are always helpful on such issues.

The Two Futures Project (2FP) is a non-partisan Christian movement seeking to abolish nuclear weapons from the face of the earth. 2FP does not call for America to disarm unilaterally, but rightly advocates for multilateral, verifiable, and irreversible disarmament. This effort has been endorsed by many on the political left and right, including George Shultz, Cold War architect and former Secretary of State under Ronald Reagan.

Rather than unravel into an explanation of boring technicalities, which you would almost certainly not read, I encourage you to digest the information on the 2FP website. Tyler Wigg-Stevenson, Director of 2FP, beautifully articulates why its necessary that Christians oppose nukes. Additionally, he has done a wondrous job of outlining the path to a world free of nuclear weapons.

I recently joined the 2FP movement because I believe nuclear weapons are unchristian. When absolutely necessary, wars should be fought by soldiers, not declared on innocent civilians. The Christian God abhors the shedding of innocent blood and nuclear weapons are only capable of widespread, indiscriminate killing and destruction of life. As nukes become more prevalent in our world, the chances of a terrorist gaining possession of one grows. And when a nation is attacked by a terrorist, there is often no country to bomb back.

If you are a follower of Jesus and agree that abolishing nuclear weapons is necessary, I encourage you to join this effort by signing on via the 2FP website. Also, watch and share the powerful 2FP! You just might be joining the movement that finally pushes this issue to the political forefront.

Jonathan Merritt is a faith and culture writer and author of Green Like God: Unlocking the Divine Plan for Our Planet. He blogs regularly at www.jonathanmerritt.com.

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