Our common humanity brings us together to eliminate a threat to us all. Our diversity will strengthen our efforts. As people of faith, we accept our responsibility to provide moral and ethical clarity and leadership for the common good of all life on the Earth.

The threat posed to humanity and all other forms of life by the sheer destructiveness of nuclear weapons presents an unacceptable risk for this and future generations. This unacceptable risk presents a moral imperative for the elimination of nuclear weapons.

We cannot hold life sacred and at the same time seek security by placing its entirety at risk.

Security concerns and spiritual concerns often seem at odds with each other. Here, that is not the case. The imperatives of global security and the demands of spirituality have converged to bring us to the necessity of outlawing and eliminating nuclear weapons worldwide.*

It is immoral for states to place all life at risk in their own perceived self-interest. The creation is a gift and an immeasurable and beautiful mystery; the state is a human construction. We join together in humility to serve and protect the majesty of the mystery of life.

The belief held by the nuclear weapons states that the alleged security benefits of nuclear weapons should be reserved for them and denied to all others violates the most basic principles of fairness. The solution is simple: States should treat other states as they wish to be treated.

Nuclear weapons are more hazardous than any problem they seek to solve. Their possession and threatened use by any nation provide an impetus for their proliferation by others.

Effective leadership in opposing the growing threat of nuclear proliferation will be credible only if nuclear powers demonstrate a commitment to the universal outlawing of these weapons. Continued reliance on nuclear deterrence puts at risk our moral integrity.

The proposition that nuclear weapons can be retained in perpetuity and never be used - accidentally or by decision - defies credibility.

The unprecedented and immeasurable destructive potential of nuclear weapons threatens the genetic pool. The production and possession of nuclear weapons is an unacceptable threat to the health of the environment.

The threat and use of nuclear weapons is incompatible with civilized norms, standards of morality and humanitarian law which prohibit the use of inhumane weapons and those with indiscriminate effects. The trillions of dollars spent in this irrational pursuit of a false security constitutes a theft from those who are hungry and a waste of the gift of intelligence.

We say that a peace based on terror, a peace based upon threats of inflicting annihilation and genocide upon whole populations, is a peace that is morally corrupting.

We refuse to accept living under an unworthy peace which might make us the Earth's last generation.

The responsibility for banning nuclear weapons does not lie solely with governments of nuclear weapons states and their citizens. It is a responsibility shared by every sovereign state and each precious and sacred individual.

Generals and admirals from many nations have addressed this still-urgent matter of nuclear weapons from a military perspective and advocate that nuclear weapons be taken off hair-trigger alert, that swift and deep reductions in nuclear arsenals be made, and that these steps be taken within the framework of an unequivocal commitment to the achievement of their universal, verifiable, enforceable prohibition and elimination.** We agree.

We pledge to work together in our homes, communities, temples, mosques, and churches, transcending differences of religion, race and nationality to rid the world of this universal threat.

As people of faith and moral conviction, we believe it is our duty to address this global evil, for no person is removed from its effect. The magnitude of this threat requires that we learn to live in greater cooperation and harmony or we shall all perish together. It is time to move the world from the irrational love of power to the wise power of love. We call upon our faith communities and all concerned citizens to mobilize, to pray and to act in support of this noble cause.

For these and other reasons of conscience and wisdom we pledge to:

1. Include the moral imperative of the abolition of nuclear weapons in our studies and teachings and to encourage our families, friends, congregations and institutions to do likewise.

2. Make efforts to persuade the governments of the nuclear weapons states to pledge never to use nuclear weapons first, remove all nuclear weapons from hair trigger alert status, dramatically reduce nuclear arsenals, and commence multi-lateral negotiations on their global elimination.

We personally pledge to express our common humanity by standing up to and challenging the arrogance of power and apathy of bureaucracies behind which nuclear weapons policies hide, and to affirm our faith that human affairs can be governed with cooperation, courage, faith and wisdom.

* We note the historic International Court of Justice opinion of July, 8, 1996 in which the Court unanimously held that "There exists an obligation to pursue in good faith and bring to a conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict and effective international control." This is consistent with moving the world from the law of power to the power of law.

** The Global Security Institute, gathered signatures on two other abolition statements of international significance. The first, on December 5, 1996, included 63 retired generals and admirals from 17 countries. Among these military leaders were U.S. Generals Lee Butler, former Commander-in-Chief of the Strategic Air Command; Andrew Goodpaster, former Supreme Allied Commander in Europe; General Charles Homer, Commander of Allied Forces in the recent Gulf War; and Russian General Alexander Lebed. The second, on February 2, 1998, included over 130 prominent civilian leaders. Among these were fifty-two past or present Presidents and Prime Ministers from forty-nine countries. Among them are Jimmy Carter, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Nelson Mandela.