Support a Summer of Peace

UUA President Sinkford and UUA Moderator Diane Olson at the Hiroshima Memorial in Japan, 2003.

The guest book at Hiroshima Memorial Park signed by Rev. Sinkford, Diane Olson, and UUA International Relations Director Rev. Olivia Holmes.

“I asked our Japanese hosts, ‘How could you possibly have forgiven us for our use of the atomic bomb?’ After thinking for a moment [our host] replied, ‘If we had not lost...we would have become you and it would have crippled the soul of our nation.’”

Witness against the ravages of nuclear weaponry and war

In his report to the 2003 General Assembly, UUA President William G. Sinkford recalled his trip to Japan that year. He said, "While I was in Japan, I took a day to visit the Hiroshima Peace Park, the memorial to the 250,000 Japanese who were killed when we dropped a weapon of mass destruction on that city. And at a wonderful dinner at the Tsubaki Grand Shrine after our ritual Misogi cleansing, I finally found the question I needed to ask our Japanese hosts."

Sinkford related the story: "How could you possibly have forgiven us for our use of the atomic bomb?” A member of the Grand Shrine Board, a retired nuclear physicist named Mr. Feruda, responded...He said: “Despite the horrific death toll and the devastation, we actually have come to see our loss as a blessing. You see, if we had not lost that war, the military government would probably still be in power and we would still be out colonizing and appropriating resources to fuel our industrial machine. If we had not lost, the attitude of arrogance that was a part of Japanese life during those times would still be with us, the belief that because we had the might, we had the right to do as we willed."

Sinkford's host continued, "You see, if we had not lost… we would have become you. We would have become you and it would have crippled the soul of our nation."

This year marks the sixtieth anniversary of the dropping of the first atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima (August 6) and Nagasaki (August 9), Japan. Those two explosions caused the deaths of over 200,000 people and injured hundreds of thousands more. Today, the danger of another nuclear holocaust still exists.  More nations are pursuing nuclear weapons, and tons of nuclear bomb-making material remain unsecured and vulnerable to theft by those who would not be deterred from using a nuclear weapon.

This summer, as war and death continue in Iraq, offers us an opportunity to increase our public witness for peace and prepare for the fall when Congress will debate the The Homeward Bound Act (bipartisan legislation for a phased withdrawal of US troops from Iraq). Several other bills headed for hearings this fall will address nuclear proliferation.

Let us make this summer a summer of peace. There are many intergenerational activities our congregations can participate in that will mobilize congregants to work for peace and the hope of a better world. From building churchyard memorials, to participating in the Shadow Project, to engaging in advocacy with elected representatives, there are ways for you to get involved!

How You Can Become Involved in Working for Peace and Disarmament:

Participate in the International Shadow Project. The Shadow Project is political art, by the people, for the world. On the day before August 6th, chalk shadows are drawn on streets and sidewalks, remembering the human shadows burnt into the streets of Hiroshima and Nagasaki . On Hiroshima Day people will see these chalk outlines, and determine to never again cast nuclear shadows on the earth. See www.shadowprojecthome.org . The International Shadow Project is a project of Physicians for Social Responsibility and has been endorsed by the UUA and many others.

Learn more about Physicians for Social Responsibility , working for to promote public policies that protect human health from the threats of nuclear war and other weapons of mass destruction.

Learn how remembering the past can help to shape the future. The Sensible Multilateral American Response to Terrorism (SMART) program educates and empowers citizens to demand a SMART national policy. See www.shadowprojecthome.org/Smart.html .

Join the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom , working for peace and honoring the 60th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Order Bumper Stickers, Refrigerator Magnets, T-Shirts for Peace.
The message for peace needs to be seen everywhere:

• Wage Peace Campaign
• World Peace If Not Now… When?
• United Peace for Justice Buttons, Bracelets, Posters & More

Contact UU congregations working for Peace and Disarmament

Summer Peace Activities for Children and Families

For more information:

• The United Methodist Church has prepared resources in observance of the anniversaries of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagaski.
• Interfaith Paths to Peace has commemorative activities planned for New York City.
• Read the text of a letter in support H.J. Res. 55 (The Homeward Bound Act ) developed by the Win Without War Coalition and signed by organizations including the UUA

Unitarian Universalist Association
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