NO PEACE FOR THE FALSE MESSENGERS!

The UN as a Peacemaker?

Could not the United Nations become a true messenger of peace? After all, the preamble to its charter, put forward in June 1945, just 41 days before the atom bomb devastated Hiroshima, stated its purpose: "to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war." The 50 prospective members of the United Nations were "to unite [their] strength to maintain international peace and security." Today the UN has 185 member nations, all supposedly dedicated to the same cause.

Over the years, the UN has been loudly acclaimed, especially by religious leaders. On April 11, 1963, Pope John XXIII signed his encyclical entitled "Pacem in Terris" (Peace on Earth) in which he stated: "It is our earnest wish that the United Nations organization-in its structure and in its means-may become ever more equal to the magnitude and nobility of its tasks." Later, in June 1965, religious leaders, said to represent one half of the world's population, celebrated in San Francisco the 20th birthday of the UN. Also in 1965, Pope Paul VI on a visit to the UN described it as "the last hope of concord and peace." In 1986, Pope John II cooperated in promoting the UN International Year of Peace.

Again, during his visit in October 1995, the Pope declared: "Today we are celebrating the Good News of God's Kingdom." But is he actually God's messenger of Kingdom good news? Speaking of world problems, he went on to say: "As we face these enormous challenges, how can we fail to acknowledge the role of the United Nations Organization?" The UN, rather than God's Kingdom, is the Pope's choice. (So what does that tell you. He doesn't have a clue as to what the Good News of God's Kingdom is nor does he know what peace is, neither does the UN.)

Next time: Reasons for 'Weeping Bitterly'

Watchtower, 1997