Statement of opposition to the Australian government’s decision to increase the export of weapons

For decades Community of Christ has voiced its opposition to the use and proliferation of weapons that are designed to kill. It is our belief that there is sacredness in all of creation, and tools that are designed to remove life are not in concert with that principle. In 1991 the Australian church called upon political leaders to refrain from the sale of armaments and weapons, a call renewed in 1999 by a motion encouraging members to renounce their own use of firearms (which was then adopted by the 2000 World Conference), and again in 2015 when the church affirmed the notion that sacred space is unarmed space. Our understanding of peace is that it can only be experienced fully when violence is absent.

Community of Christ in Australia calls on the Australian government to immediately reconsider its decision to increase its budget to fund weapons exports.

- Australia Mission Centre Leadership Team