I suspect most of us would agree nuclear weapons pose a grave threat to humanity. A number of countries have them and some aspire to have them. Its been 74 years since the last nuclear bombs were used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. As international relationships often become volatile the threat of the use of such weapons rears its head again. So who should have nuclear weapons at all and why?
I believe there’s a moral imperative not to have them at all, though all nations would need to agree to disarm simultaneously. Its a matter my own faith has a lot to say about. When Bahá’u’lláh rather boldly wrote to the Monarchs and rulers of the earth in the 1870s He declared:
O rulers of the earth! Be reconciled among yourselves, that ye may need no more armaments save in a measure to safeguard your territories and dominions. Beware lest ye disregard the counsel of the All-Knowing, the Faithful. (Baha’u’llah, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 188)
The Baha’is often advocate for for disarmament which in turn strengthens development.
The Relationship Between Disarmament and Development
So that’s where I stand. How about you? What does your faith or worldview say about nuclear weapons and disarmament? Should religion have anything to say at all?