In his report to the 2003 General Assembly, UUA President William G. Sinkford recalled his trip to Japan that year. He said, "While I was in Japan, I took a day to visit the Hiroshima Peace Park, the memorial to the 250,000 Japanese who were killed when we dropped a weapon of mass destruction on that city. And at a wonderful dinner at the Tsubaki Grand Shrine after our ritual Misogi cleansing, I finally found the question I needed to ask our Japanese hosts."

Sinkford related the story: "How could you possibly have forgiven us for our use of the atomic bomb?” A member of the Grand Shrine Board, a retired nuclear physicist named Mr. Feruda, responded...He said: “Despite the horrific death toll and the devastation, we actually have come to see our loss as a blessing. You see, if we had not lost that war, the military government would probably still be in power and we would still be out colonizing and appropriating resources to fuel our industrial machine. If we had not lost, the attitude of arrogance that was a part of Japanese life during those times would still be with us, the belief that because we had the might, we had the right to do as we willed." more>>

How You Can Become Involved in Working for Peace and Disarmament:

Participate in the International Shadow Project. The Shadow Project is political art, by the people, for the world. On the day before August 6th, chalk shadows are drawn on streets and sidewalks, remembering the human shadows burnt into the streets of Hiroshima and Nagasaki . On Hiroshima Day people will see these chalk outlines, and determine to never again cast nuclear shadows on the earth. See www.shadowprojecthome.org. The International Shadow Project is a project of Physicians for Social Responsibility and has been endorsed by the UUA and many others.

Summer Peace Activities for Children and Families

Join the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, working for peace and honoring the 60th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Order Bumper Stickers, Refrigerator Magnets, T-Shirts for Peace.
The message for peace needs to be seen everywhere:

Contact UU congregations working for Peace and Disarmament

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