Indiana Friends Committee on Legislation endorses the statement below from Friends World Committee on Consultation .fwcc.world
We grieve to see events in Ukraine, which have been described by many as a fratricidal (sibling killing sibling) war.
Inspired by the many statements by churches on the conflict, the declaration below is a unifying Christian call for peace.
Hundreds of grassroots Christians around the world have signed the call for peace. Anyone who agrees with its message can endorse it, and share it across national and cultural boundaries, with the aim that it will be heard around the world.
Christian Call for Peace
We the undersigned say together with many others to the rulers of Russia that invasion and occupation are the opposite of Christ’s universal call to reconciliation and unity.
Jesus emphasized: ‘You shall not kill’.
We call for an immediate ceasefire, with armed conflict replaced by a peacekeeping dialogue.
Jesus said: ‘Blessed Are the Peacemakers, for they will be called children of God’.
We call for the release of all people imprisoned after calling for peace.
Jesus said: ‘I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing.’
We call for access for humanitarian agencies to support those affected and displaced both within and beyond Ukraine’s borders.
In this spirit we also say to all peoples, and all governments, that every one of us has a duty to save lives, decrease nuclear tensions and address the underlying causes of conflict, wherever it occurs, in order that the long term foundations of peace can be laid. This is the vocation of the true follower of Christ.