Declare peace

The nature of war is far deeper than material fighting -- it has mental roots. Thought conceives human conflict and devises its weapons. And because thought can be cleansed of fear and hate through the apprehension of God -- infinite Mind and Love -- the very sources of war can be transformed into streams of universal peace.

"War will end when nations are ripe for progress," n1 says Mary Baker Eddy. n 2 What kind of progress? Certainly scientific and technological progress hasn't guaranteed peace. It's spiritual, not material, ripening that's needed. "Every step of progress," she writes, "is a step more spiritual." n3

n1 The First Church of Chirst, Scientist, and Miscellany,m p. 281.

n2 Mrs. Eddy is the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science.

n3 The People's Idea of God,m p. 1.

But if nations are to progress spiritually, exchanging the carnal, warning mind for the peacemaking Mind of Christ, individual purification of purpose and life is needed. The coming of world peace depends on the peace of God being received and cherished in human hearts. This great opportunity for world betterment challenges us to draw nearer to God, to love Him and our fellows more , to study and absorb the truth Christ Jesus said would make us free.

What is this potent thruth? It must be what Jesus proved by his victory over hatred and death: that God is the only power; that divine Mind, our Father and Maker, is perfect, and consequently that His children are also perfect. Divine Love has created its universe wholly good forever. In our inmost, true nature, we all include God's peace and the outgoing love that expresses it. We aren't mere self-interested persons locked up in uncaring matter. Rather we have a God-centered identity embraced in wise and all-providing Mind. War can't reach our sonship with God, and in that respect we don't have to fear it. We do, however, need to combat persistently the temptations that can ultimate in war.

To hate someone is to declare war on him. To forgive and love one who has wronged us is to promote peace. To follow greedy ambition is to encourage discord which, multiplied throughout the world, can set nation against nation. To pray and work for the good of all, striving to discern the living truth of perfect God and man -- this is the commitment to peacemaking that will finally make war obsolete, because strife will no longer have any evil impulse in minds and hearts to cause it.

Is this too much to expect of human frailty? Of course it is! But human strength or virtue isn't what we have to rely on; we need, instead, to turn to God, who with infinite power has established peace for man. This power is irresistible when loved and yielded to. We don't have to create peace. Rather, we have to bring progressively into view the peaceful, loving creation already existing in divine Mind and comfortingly known to us in our deepest intuitions.

This profound assurance of the peaceful almightiness of our Maker must have been vividly present to the Psalmist when he sang, "He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth." n4 And hear Isaiah, who prophesied that in the last days, through learning God's ways, "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." n5

n4 Psalms 46:9.

n5 Isaiah 2:4.

We can be God's peacemakers today. DAILY BIBLE VERSE From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? . . . Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:1, 7