* UMC beliefs about justice

Persons and groups must feel secure in their life and right to live within a society if order is to be achieved and maintained by law. We denounce as immoral an ordering of life that perpetuates injustice. Nations, too, must feel secure in the world if world community is to become a fact.

Believing that international justice requires the participation of all peoples, we endorse the United Nations and its related bodies and the International Court of Justice as the best instruments now in existence to achieve a world of justice and law.

	We commend the efforts of all people in all countries who pursue world peace through law.
	We endorse international aid and cooperation on all matters of need and conflict.
	We urge acceptance for membership in the United Nations of all nations who wish such membership and who accept United Nations responsibility.
	We urge the United Nations to take a more aggressive role in the development of international arbitration of disputes and actual conflicts among nations by developing binding third-party arbitration. Bilateral or multilateral efforts outside of the United Nations should work in concert with, and not contrary to, its purposes.
	We reaffirm our historic concern for the world as our parish and seek for all persons and peoples full and equal membership in a truly world community.
	From The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church--2000, ¶165d. Copyright 2000 by The United Methodist Publishing House. Used by permission.