I needed to belong to a group of nontheists who shared my vision of hope and who inculcated rational methods of reasoning, social sympathy, and cooperative skills. Today, I have redefined my sense of patriotism. The AHA's Humanist Manifesto II was most appealing to me. It offers constructive alternatives to resolve conflicts without future wars and bloodshed. We believe in the peaceful adjudication of differences by international courts and by the development of the arts of negotiation and compromise.
War is obsolete.
So is the use of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. It is a planetary imperative to reduce the level of military expenditures and turn these savings to peaceful and people-oriented uses.