31 May WCRP Statement on the North Korean Nuclear Test
The recent North Korean nuclear test is of great concern for people of faith and other men and women of goodwill around the world.
The central premise of nuclear weapons is to destroy human life and the global ecosystem on which all life depends. A religious argument for their profound immorality is forthright: diverse religious traditions—each in their own way—recognize that the ultimate origins of life arise from a divine source. It follows for religious people that willfully destroying human life and the ecosystem that supports all life is an assault on their divine origins. Nuclear weapons are inherently immoral because they threaten life itself.
To prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, the world must universally repudiate them. This means no more states should acquire them and states with them must work together for their reduction and eventual elimination.
The existing legal instruments related to reducing nuclear weapons, such as the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), must be supported and additional steps must be taken to halt the spread of nuclear weapons and to reduce existing stockpiles.
People of different faiths around the world call upon the leadership of North Korea, the nuclear states and other relevant parties to cooperate in order to resolve all outstanding issues related to North Korea’s compliance with the CTBT treaty.
For forty years, the Religions for Peace World Council has been committed to a nuclear-free world and has stated, “We acknowledge the sacred duty to nurture and preserve the fullness of life, and pray for the wisdom and courage to banish these instruments of annihilation.”
Just two weeks ago, Religions for Peace joined the positive and constructive preparatory meetings of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty at the United Nations in New York. The recent nuclear test in North Korea highlights that such efforts have never been more urgent—or more necessary.
Dr. William F. Vendley, Secretary General
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