The World Peace Movement
The Salina Mennonite Church is closely associated with the Salina
People For Peace organization. From this page, you will be able to access
various web sites that have some commonality with the peace
movement. Although Salina Mennonite Church may not be in full
accord with every organization listed here, we are fully committed to
working for peace in conjunction with these organizations. Please
feel free to join in our efforts. If you wish to donate to Salina
Mennonite Church, or Salina People for Peace, please designate which
organization that you are donating to in your letter, or on the check
you send. Your donations are greatly appreciated. We do
believe that if we had 10% of the likely 1.5 trillion that George W.
Bush is going to spend on 8 years of making war, we could easily wipe
out much of the world's poverty, create a world with basic health care
for every individual, develop sustainable communities, and bring a more
reliable peace than the world has ever seen in less than 8 years.
We also believe that it would bring an end to terrorism.
Our
group has produced a letter that we are publishing to the world.
We ask that you sign it, and that you commit yourself to the goals set
forth in it. This is the way we invision promoting peace
now.
To peoples of the
world, and especially to those who feel they have been forgotten and
discarded, we, the privileged people of the world ask your
forgiveness. We have allowed a reckless regime to occupy our
country for far too long. We have sat in our comfort and wealth
while sending young innocent people to fight wars of aggression on
behalf of our large corporations that are intended to make the wealthy
elite yet wealthier and more elite. Forgive us! We have
failed to stand up against those who promote war as an answer, those
who propagandize our people, and those who deceive the peoples of the
world. We the undersigned believe that war cannot make
peace. Peace starts with our own admission of guilt, and our
asking for forgiveness for the wrongs we have done. We have
sometimes failed to state to the world the wrongs that exist.
We also admit that we have failed to care for our
environment. We know that the earth has become sick because of
our pollution, and that non-renewable resources like petroleum,
bio-diversified ecosytems, and clean water, will run out in the very
near future if they are not guarded and cared for very carefully.
We ask your forgiveness for not doing more to stop the thieves of our
own country who are stealing these resources from our children as well
as from your children.
Additionally, we have failed to help the most
needy. All people of faith know that our highest priority is to
help those in need, and to make the world a friendlier and healthier
place. In this too we have failed. Our leaders have become
haughty, and have attempted to discredit friendships with nations that
go back to the origin of our democracy. They have laughed in the
face of the international community, and violated international
laws. They have promoted injustices and acted as if they were
gods that could make and break laws without the least concern for the
world or its humanity. Forgive us that we have failed to stop
this lawless government.
We ask for your forgiveness, but we also promise you
that we will work as hard as we can, even at the risk of our own lives,
to change this system created by the wealthy elite of this world.
We will try to consume less, live simply, honor God and our countries
with honesty, integrity, justice for all people in all parts of the
world, help the needy, visit the imprisoned, feed the hungry, heal the
sick, build a future for all children, become responsible caretakers of
our environment, and stop those who would counter such influences.
We ask that you accept us as brothers and sisters in
making this a better world for all people as we share in the joy of our
differences of religion and rich ethnic heritages.
Sincerely,
Pastor Val R. Krehbiel
To sign this letter, email us, write us, or go to:
