The "VOICES of PEACE"
and other "VoxPax" definitions
Peace is that nonviolent state of human affairs defined by the absence of war - when
people are able to solve their problems without killing each other - a state of human life,
often associated with freedom, when people coexist in peace - when people are comfortably employed, contented and continuously able to enjoy the simple pleasures of being alive.
The Voices of Peace are rooted in the ancient Commandment "not to kill" - the principles of the "Golden Rule" - and the scripted pacifism of the Worlds Great Religions. These "Voices" include the spoken and written words of our predecessors - the writings of historians, philosophers and other learned people whose wisdom we respect. These "voices" include the observations of journalists and others who have been witness to the horrors of war. There are "voices" subliminally contained in the hopes and prayers of the victims of terror and war. Many millions are the "voices" of nonviolent and peaceable people who resist tyranny - who do what they can to preserve human life and the civil right of all people to live in peace.
The Gospel of Peace is essentially the “Spirit of Peace” and the “Good News of its Coming” – much as the Bible announced the “Spirit of Christ” and the “Good News of His Coming”. Many religions use the words "Gospel of Peace" to express different ideologies - some that condone war and killing in order to establish peace. VoxPax condones no wars -
no killings - and defines the "Gospel of Peace" simply as stated in the first sentence above.
Wars are usually defined as being "armed conflict between nations". Today, however,
we have wars between the armed forces of nations and partisan forces associated with non-national movements and terrorist organizations. Wars happen because dictators, despots and theocratic tyrants are unable to get what they want (money, territory, oil, etc.) without making war and killing their adversaries. Dictators and tyrants may obsess about the lethality of their fighting forces and how much territory is won or lost, but the rest of the world (and history) is much more concerned with the waste of humanity and the number of people killed. Modern weapons are so powerful their use can't be limited to the selective killing of enemy combatants; and all people (civilians, soldiers, mothers, fathers, children, etc.) are killed indiscriminately. Nuclear weapons are called "weapons of mass destruction"; and their use, which kills many thousands of people in an instant, is universally perceived as a "crime against humanity".
Terror is usually defined as being "deadly violence committed by non-national terrorist organizations" - intended as much to terrify as to kill their opponents. Terrorism (like war) kills civilians and military personnel indiscriminately - there is no objectivity as to whether soldiers or civilians are killed. Historic records are replete with the preponderance of civilians killed by terrorists. The United States has been called a "terrorist nation" because its "Shock and Awe" attacks are purposely intended to terrify civilians while killing all those who obstruct their military objectives. The use of nuclear weapons is now considered an act of "terror" primarily because so many thousands of civilians are killed. VoxPax sees terrorism and war as equally destructive of human life, as equally terrible, cruel, and criminal - as irrational - as madness.
That all people Speak the Truth is what we require and expect of all people - not
just of ourselves - not just of our neighbors - and certainly not just of the occupants of the White House. VoxPax (like everyone else) uses language to express the truth - reason as we see it - a disciplined avoidance of ambiguous words - and the earnest truth that resides in our hearts. We have little tolerance for the "spin" and "tortured truth" so often founf in the rhetoric of politicians. VoxPax asks its readers to be attentive, and to "hold us to our words".\