1982

A. PEACE, WAR, & STRATEGIES OF VIOLENCE TO SETTLE DISPUTES [1177] [1178]

D. SEXISM/WOMEN'S ISSUES [1173]

F. EXCLUSIVISM, INCLUSIVISM, SOCIAL/ETHICAL ISSUES [1167] [1172] [1175]

1167
March 29, 1982 International Education Fund

Whereas, The expansion of the church throughout the world, the consequent need for developing local personnel as leaders to the church, and the ever increasing need for persons to receive education make it urgent that we broaden the base of assistance to students throughout the world; therefore, be it

Resolved, That this World Conference authorize the establishment of the International Education Fund to assist persons throughout the world to achieve an education on any level that is found to be appropriate under the circumstances in the students' respective countries. It is understood that such education should be pursued in the country of the student's residence except as specifically approved otherwise. Those who should receive assistance shall be selected on the basis of their need, ability to profit from the education which they propose, and the increased value which the education of these persons may bring to the church; and be it further

Resolved, That the Council of Twelve shall be responsible for the administration and promotion of the program according to the policy approved by the Joint Council of the First Presidency, Council of Twelve, and Presiding Bishopric; and be it further

Resolved, That the Saints are encouraged to continue to support this fund from their personal and collective contributions, not excluding special appropriations to the fund by the World Conference.

Resolved, That this supersedes WCR 1153.

[1172]
April 1, 1982 Religious Education Materials in Non-English Languages

Whereas, The call and commission of the church is to go into all the world in harmony with the Faith to Grow program of growth and expansion for the eighties; and

Whereas, The church is now established or being established in over thirty nations with differing languages throughout the world; and

Whereas, Many church resource materials (books, etc.) have been produced exclusively in English for the utilization in English-speaking countries, which have enjoyed this privilege for many years; and

Whereas, Little has been done in developing these resource materials in languages other than English; and

Whereas, The church is now established in French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Belgium, Zaire, and Haiti, and will be extended into other countries, where French is the predominant, official, national language; therefore, be it

Resolved, That funds be allocated so that qualified experts can produce and make available existing church resource materials in the French language; and be it further

Resolved, That the First Presidency and Council of Twelve be authorized to implement this resolution.

[1173]
April 3, 1982 Women's Ministries Commission

Whereas, The life of the church is being enriched by the increased participation of women in ministry and the decision-making process at many levels; and

Whereas, The Women's Ministries Commission, under the direction of the Women's Ministries Commissioner, is providing support, leadership, and role models to enable this increased participation; and

Whereas, There is a continuing need to provide communication, program resources, and consultative services to local pastoral units; therefore, be it

Resolved, That the work of the Women's Ministries Commission and office of the Women's Ministries Commissioner continue to be supported by the World Church with appropriate funding to implement the Presidency's recommendations on Roles for Women.

Superseded by WCR 1189 in 1986

[1175]
April 3, 1982 Language Study

Whereas, It is the duty of the church to provide tracts in the Scandinavian, German, Chinese, Japanese, and Portuguese languages, and others, which have been prepared by those who have writing talents, and approved by the First Presidency; and

Whereas, These tracts should be short, clearly stated, and a sufficient number should be printed to furnish the traveling ministry with the quantities desirable for them to distribute (Doctrine and Covenants 125:11); and

Whereas, The non-English-speaking missions of the church have only a few of the Restoration movement materials; and

Whereas, The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is a World Church; and

Whereas, Learning a foreign language is an aid to communication and understanding among the peoples of the earth; therefore, be it

Resolved, That the World Church emphasize the importance and necessity of learning a foreign language; and be it further

Resolved, That the World Church in its various programs recommend learning a foreign language.

[1177]
April 3, 1982 Peace

Whereas, Christ came into the world as the Prince of Peace, denoting God's concern for caring within the human family throughout the world; and

Whereas, We are commissioned to "lift up an ensign of peace, and make a proclamation for peace unto the ends of the earth" (Doctrine and Covenants 102:11); and

Whereas, The official seal of the church, as a symbol of peace, should be a daily reminder of our individual and collective obligation to promote peace; and

Whereas, We have been reminded that "These are portentous times. The lives of many are being sacrificed unnecessarily to the gods of war, greed, and avarice. The land is being desecrated by the thoughtless waste of vital resources. You must obey my commandments and be in the forefront of those who would mediate this needless destruction while there is yet day" (Doctrine and Covenants 150:7); and

Whereas, We are a World Church and must address the issues of peace throughout all nations; therefore, be it

Resolved

I. We, as a church, promote peace. People motivated by Christian love promote peace through constructive and peaceful activities. The cause of peace is positively, though not exclusively, furthered by the following:

A. The propagation of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ who has the power to regenerate persons making them true brothers and sisters.

B. Providing opportunity for self-expression, recognition of equality, and acknowledgment of personal worth before God and all humanity.

C. Upholding law which supports individual and group dignity and freedom, and by opposing oppression and tyranny. It is a Christian duty to participate responsibly in governmental processes and to support good and wise persons in positions of governmental leadership (Doctrine and Covenants 95:2).

D. Addressing the root causes of war and violence and working toward the elimination of these evils.

II. We, as a church, share the responsibility for world conditions. The great commandment of Christ that we love God and our neighbor as ourselves gives us purpose and challenges us as stewards of God's creation to be responsible for world conditions. We recognize that personal sin and the resultant evils of the social order are the source of civil and international violence. We accept responsibility to bring reconciliation in situations of hostility. We express our sense of responsibility in ways, such as:

A. Calling on persons to accept their stewardship over God's creation.

B. Encouraging persons to adjust their personal life-styles toward the elimination of waste, greed, and insensitivity.

C. Committing our resources in the pursuit of peace, justice, reconciliation, and human development.

D. Encouraging individuals to support leaders who are promoting peace.

E. Speaking out against human inequity wherever and whenever it is found.

III. We, as a church, oppose all forms of destructive violence, such as national and international conflict, war, withholding of food, terrorism, and mental and physical abuse. These destructive actions have their roots in fear and greed and are characterized by unregulated and immoral behavior. As long as selfish interests, materialistic desire, or forms of special privilege are valued above human needs, rights, and dignity, there will be such violence.

While acts of terrorism, unprovoked war, and wanton mental and physical abuse cannot be supported under any circumstances, we understand there are instances where reasonable avenues to reconcile differences appear to have been exhausted and resorting to force is deemed unavoidable. We deplore this sinful situation and the resulting consequences. The existence of this dilemma intensifies our pursuit of peace.

IV. We, as a church, urge nations toward responsible reduction of the instruments of mass destruction. It is the urgent and sobering obligation of persons of goodwill to influence individuals, organizations, and governments everywhere toward this end.

V. We as a church, emphasize that peace is not attained by mere non-participation in violence. The best form for Christian witness strives to promote peace and remove the causes of aggression. These causes are removed from society by the application of the gospel of Jesus Christ in the lives of individuals and the community. To support our belief in the value of peace we proclaim again that we shall do all within our ability to make the gospel of peace an incarnate reality. The contents of this resolution in no way condemn those who choose to work from within the military establishment to bring the love of God to bear in such a way that the cause of world peace is promoted.

VI. We take these additional actions:

A. We call for the continuation of the Committee on World Peace and ask the First Presidency to expand it by the appointment of international members. The functioning of the committee is to provide for the ongoing study of the role of the church in relation to peace, war, and the use of force. Reports and program resources should be made available to the church through normal publication procedures.

B. We will move toward participation with other organizations constructively promoting peaceful existence of humanity.

C. We encourage the church, at the national level, to develop and disseminate adequate information with respect to military service, as well as adequate information with respect to various legal alternatives to military service. This information should include the World Church's position on peace.

D. In nations where conscientious objection to military service or to bearing arms is in harmony with the law, we urge that a statement regarding individual conscience be developed by the church at the national level.

E. We ask the First Presidency to investigate the feasibility of designating one week per year to celebrate and honor peace.

F. This resolution shall supersede WCR 1052, 1087, and 1129.

[1178]
April 3, 1982 Nuclear Arms Reduction

Whereas, We have been commissioned to "lift up an ensign of peace, and make a proclamation for peace unto the ends of the earth" (Doctrine and Covenants 102:11); and

Whereas, We have been instructed to obey our Lord's commandments and "be in the forefront of those who would meditate this needless destruction while there is yet day" (Doctrine and Covenants 150:7); and

Whereas, We have taken a stand against proliferation of instruments of mass destruction (WCR 1087) and have indicated a need to urge nations toward responsible reduction and elimination of such (WCR 1177, "Peace"); and

Whereas, There are already enough nuclear arms stockpiled to destroy every major population center in the world several times over; and

Whereas, The stockpiling of instruments of mass destruction as a strategy for deterrence of war is increasingly questionable as more and more nations gain capability for mass destruction; therefore, be it

Resolved, That we, as a church, through appropriate administrate representatives at every jurisdictional level (world, national, regional, district, stake, pastoral unit) shall inform the appropriate governmental officials of the need for responsible reduction and eventual elimination of nuclear armaments; and be it further

Resolved, That we, as a church, encourage our people to set aside one day per month to pray and fast for peace and disarmament; and be it further

Resolved, That we, as a church, urge the conversion of the resources of war to productive forms of human development; and be it further

Resolved, That we, as a church, join with other organizations that are constructively promoting a reduction of instruments of mass destruction.