Dear Lord, awaken the people of the earth and their leaders 

    to the realization of the madness of the nuclear arms race.  

Today we mourn the dead of past wars, 

    but will there be anyone to mourn the dead of the next one?  

O Lord, turn us away from our foolish race to self-destruction; 

    let us see that more and more weaponry indeed 

    means more of a chance to use it.  

Please, Lord, let the great talents you have given to your creatures 

    not fall into the hands of the powers and principalities 

    for whom death is the means as well as the goal.  

Let us see that the resources hidden in your earth 

    are for feeding each other, healing each other, offering shelter to each other, 

    making this world a place where men, women, and children of all races 

    and nations can live together in peace.

 

Give us new prophets who can speak 

    openly, directly, convincingly, and lovingly 

    to kings, presidents, senators, church leaders, 

    and all men and women of good will, 

  prophets who can make us wage peace instead of war.    

Lord, make haste to help us.  

Do not come too late!

 

 

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He shall judge between the nations,
    and shall decide disputes for many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
    and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
    neither shall they learn war anymore.