The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1955-07-08

b. commitment to make and to
utilize opportunities for personal con-
facts between people in opposing
countries as means of easing ten
sions and promoting better under
standing.
If an honest effort is made to meet
the requirements which have here
been enumerated, it will be possible
to live together in divided world
e. While there is no certainty of
success, there is at the same time
no room for despair.
There are three forces at work
which in their combination may in
creasingly lead to imperatively need
ed action.
There is, first of all, the appeal of
right and justice. Christians should
not minimize its weight, although
they must recognize that its effec-
tiveness will be limited by conflict
ing demands and by the extent to
which both parties to dispute ac-
cept similar standards.
There is, in the second place,
growing realization that, because of
the destruction that would be wrought
by large-scale war, every effort must
be made to settle disputes by peace
full means. Even those countries
which would be willing to use war
as an instrument of national policy
are aware of the threatening out
come and seem disposed to risk fight
ing only to the extent that will it not
be enlarged into total world war.
The third type of motive is to be
found in world public opinoin. Gov
ernments are recognizing more and
more that they cannot ego it alone"
and are therefore more sensitive to
the opinions of other nations, both
large and small. 1t is generally con-
coded that the United States would
be in an insecure position if it took
action over the opposition of friendly
countries. Similarly, there is some
evidence to believe that the Peoples
Democratic Republic of China can
not continue an aggressive course
of military or subversive action if
the nations which were represented
at the Banding Conference strongly
oppose it.
The effort to find way of living
together in divided world thus finds
support in the conviction that under
present circumstances justice can
thereby be more fully served, in the
fear of catacylsmic results from
atomic and hydrogen war, and in the
growing sensitiveness to world public
which must be reached
by an objective analysis of the under
lying causes for the divisions in to-
days world. Conflicts of national
interests are not new and they will
continue to appear; they can be,
and the time has come when they
must be, adjusted by peaceful means.
The struggle between differing social
systems becomes a threat to world
peace only when force and subversion
ire used as methods of propaganda;
f such methods are repudiated, any
system should be given the opportun-
ty to demonstrate its worth. Serious
IS the fundamental theological con-
lict may be, it cannot by it's very
lature be resolved by military ac-
ion; Christians can never take the
tand that Christianity should seek
o demonstrate its superiority over
he Marxist faith by show of atomic
trength
This does not mean defeat. 1t does
OF mean appeasement. 1t does not
lean even a stalemate. What is does
lean is that we are seeking to choose
he field of battle and that we are
Ding to commit ourselves to fight
ntil victory is achieved.