Protestants & Coexistence

Sharply disagreeing with official U.S. policy, the leaders of U.S. ecumenical Protestantism committed themselves last week to 1) friendlier relations and cooperation with Communist countries and 2) U.S. recognition of Communist China and its admission to the United Nations. In Cleveland, 500 lay and clerical delegates to the World Order Study Conference sponsored by the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. wound up their four-day meeting with a unanimously approved statement to these effects. Excerpts:

"Stronger efforts should be made to break through the present stalemate and to find ways of living with the Communist nations . . . Our relationship with the Communist nations should combine competition between ways of life with cooperation for limited objectives . . . We should avoid the posture of general hostility to them and cease the practice of continual moral lectures to them by our leaders . . .

"With reference to China, Christians should urge reconsideration by our Government of its policy in regard to the People's Republic of China. While the rights of the people of Taiwan and of Korea should be safeguarded, steps should be taken toward the inclusion of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations and for its recognition by our Government. Such recognition does not imply approval.

"These diplomatic relations should constitute a part of a much wider relationship between our peoples. The exclusion of the effective government on the mainland of China, currently the People's Republic of China, from the international community is in many ways a disadvantage to that community. It helps to preserve a false image of the United States and of other nations in the minds of the Chinese people. It keeps our people in ignorance of what is taking place in China. It hampers negotiations for disarmament. It limits the functioning of international organizations."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.