THE CROSS is our sign, but is it so familiar that we • have forgotten its meaning? It means that we are to love all men, at all costs, as Jesus did. It will probably mean crucifixion and eath for many of us, but we must still love. regardless of consequences. It might mean "enemy occupation of our land, forced labour, concentration camps, torture prisons, mass graves, all the evils that Satan can fling against us; but with our eyes wide open we must refuse to hate and kill.
We must say — and mean — "our help is in the name of the Lord, who made Heaven and earth", not in bayonets, bombs and nuclear holocaust.
We must be willing to follow Jesus to Calvary and death if need be, rather than follow the enemy of the whole human race — the prince of death and chaos.
There can be no compromise with Satan and his evil works, of which war is one of the most evil; for too long we have compromised. How can we claim to "love one another as I have loved you" when we prepare the death and destruction of millions whom God has created to know him, love him and serve him in this life, and to be happy with him (and us) forever in the next? If we are willing to join Christ on the Cross — to show the Love that lays down life for our fellow-men do we really think that no Easter Resurrection will follow for the Easter People; that there will be no rich harvest of former enemies who turn and praise the living God of Love?
Do we not see that this is the only way that "Swords will be beaten into ploughshares; nations shall learn war no more-, and Christ's Peace will have come?
Eddie O'Hara Harrogate MY READING of the documents which your correspondent S. E. MacKenzie quotes, together with all past teaching oh the just war theory, lead me to agree wholeheartedly with the conclusions reached by Leo J. Nation, Unilateral nuclear disarmament, with all its risks, seems to be the only possible moral choice. Just one small disagreement with Mr Nation — I think this "better dead than red" or alternatively "red than dead' argument that we hear so often, is quite a false one.
The countries behind the iron curtain, in particular Poland. have a more flourishing Christian practice than any country in the West, so can hardly be said to be "red" even after 30 years of Communist domination. Why are we so paranoic about the Russian Threat? Surely if we try to follow the spirit of the Gospel we can say with confidence "The Lord is my strength and my shield; whom shall I fear?"
Mary Thompson Cleveland LET US thank God and Leo Nation (June 12) for his remarkably clear and comprehensive assessment of the case for unilateral disarmament. I would only add that this is not just a Christian cause but a world cause.
Clare Hourlhane Bournemouth