“Beyond the Borders of Sanity”

“SINCE wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that we have to erect the ramparts of peace.” (Charter of the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) With this statement in mind, in 1993 over 500 experts attending a UN conference on disarmament considered religion’s role in building such ramparts.

Jonathan Granoff, representing the Lawyers’ Alliance for World Security, moderated the conference. He noted: “The extent of present religious and ethnic conflict is beyond the borders of civilized conduct, possibly beyond the borders of sanity.” The words of John Kenneth Galbraith were aptly quoted during the conference: “More people have been killed in the name of religion than all the wars and natural disasters put together.”

Dr. Seshagiri Rao said: “Physicians are supposed to cure and not spread diseases. Religious traditions are not supposed to spread hatred and violent conflict against one another. They are meant to be forces of reconciliation. In practice though, they have often functioned and still function as divisive forces.”

Some years ago, the London Catholic Herald commented that peace could be ensured “if the churches of today could come out with a joint condemnation of war.” However, the newspaper added: “We know that this will never happen.” A Catholic nun once commented: “How different the world would be if we all woke up one morning firmly decided not to take up arms again, . . . just like Jehovah’s Witnesses!”

[Picture Credit Line on page 32]

Tom Haley/​Sipa Press