Friends General Conference

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Frederick Friends Meeting urges Congressional leaders to oppose a military strike against North Korea

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On September 10, 2017, Frederick Friends Meeting approved a statement urging continued patience, diplomacy, and nonmilitary interactions as a way to true peace-building and a better future for the Korean peninsula. As requested by the Meeting, the Clerk sent the following letters to Senator Ben Cardin, Senator Chris Van Hollen, Congressman Jamie Raskin, and Congressman John Delaney:

 

Frederick Friends Meeting appreciates your time and commitment dedicated to public service.  Your current position gives you an opportunity to be a leader in identifying alternatives to military force against North Korea. We ask that you consider and support the approach outlined in the following statement from our regional Quaker organization.

 

“Baltimore Yearly Meeting (“BYM”) of the Religious Society of Friends (“Quakers”) urges U.S. leaders to resist any temptation to a military strike against North Korea.

 

The use of military force on the Korean peninsula would cause massive loss of life and other horrific consequences to Koreans and other nations’ people including our own. Over 100,000 Americans reside in South Korea, including thousands of civilians. Such a war, especially nuclear war, also would do terrible, long-term damage to the world’s ecosystem. As with the war in Iraq, an attack on North Korea would have unintended consequences.

 

Only continued patience, diplomacy and nonmilitary interactions hold the promise for true peace-building and a better future for the Korean peninsula. Our nation must reject the false promises of war and threats of war.

 

BYM includes more than 52 worshipping communities in four states (Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and West Virginia) and the District of Columbia with attendance of more than 7,000. As Quakers, we have supported peaceful resolution of conflicts for more than 350 years, receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, participating in establishment of the United Nations and other practical, ongoing conflict resolution organizations. Consistent with Friends’ Peace Testimony, we ‘utterly deny all outward wars and strife and fights with outward weapons, for any end or under any pretense whatsoever’.”

 

The preceding statement was transmitted to the White House and the U.S. State Department in August and posted online. Our own congregation wholeheartedly supports the above statement and urges you as our Senator [or Congressman] to speak out in opposition to a preemptive military strike against North Korea.

 

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