Community of Christ news

From September 1 to 14, the Community of Christ Temple co-hosted the Hiroshima-Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Photo Poster Exhibit with PeaceWorks Kansas City. This exhibit included 30 posters that shared pictures of Hiroshima and Nagasaki before and after the bombings, in 1945. It also included pictures of victims and survivors. Although the pictures were not for the faint-of-heart, they did allow those who viewed them a chance to see the devastation an A-bomb can have on the land and its people. This exhibit was one of more than 100 presentations being held in the United States.

On the evening of September 5, four visitors from the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in Tokyo, Japan, participated in an open reception and panel discussion. One visitor, Yoshiko Kajimoto, told her story of survival. One minute she had been working with her fellow junior high students in a building, and the next she was trying to free herself from under the rubble of the building. She talked of carrying her wounded classmates on a makeshift stretcher, stepping over dead bodies to get the living to a safe location. It was hard to hear her story, and it was amazing that she could relive it as she did. But her resolve, and that of the others who came from around the world to share their story, was that we needed to hear and see what horrible devastation this type of bomb can do. The visitors did not lay blame of any kind. That was not their reason for sharing with us. They came to ask us to share in their plea to the countries who insist on having this type of weapon that “this must never happen again.” Peace is the answer, not war.

Later in the evening Stephen Leeper, chair of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation, shared his sense of urgency to eliminate all nuclear weapons in the world. He stated that “an estimated 35 to 40 countries currently have the know-how to develop nuclear weapons.” Peace is possible, but only if all nations are willing to work together in eliminating this type of weapon. Leeper asks that we be proactive in encouraging our government to create a peace culture. Two Web sites to visit are: www.mayorsforpeace.org/english/index.html and https://www.ssl-hiroins.city.hiroshima.jp/pcf/en/form/htm.
I am so grateful to be part of a church that cares enough about the pursuit of peace that it will do what it can to make a difference in the world. The love of God is for all people, no matter their age, race, or belief. Luke 6:27–28 says: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (NRSV). This is good advice for each of us. It is not easy to follow, but certainly is worth the effort. If we turn our thoughts to how we can make this world a more peaceful place where we are, then we can make a difference. Better still, if we share the passion of peace with our family and friends, the vision will expand in all directions. May each of us take the pursuit of peace seriously and do what we can as individuals to further the cause.

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