Cold War Letters

by Thomas Merton, William H. Shannon (Editor), Christine M. Bochen (Editor)

Published in book form for the first time, Thomas Merton's

Genres: Theology, Faith

240 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 2006

About the author

Thomas Merton, religious name M. Louis, was an American Trappist monk, writer, theologian, mystic, poet, social activist and scholar of comparative religion. In December 1941 he entered the Trappist Abbey of Gethsemani and in May 1949 he was ordained to priesthood. He was a member of the convent of the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani, near Bardstown, Kentucky, living there from 1941 to his death.
Merton wrote more than 50 books in a period of 27 years, mostly on spirituality, social justice and a quiet pacifism, as well as scores of essays and reviews. Among Merton's most enduring works is his bestselling autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain (1948). His account of his spiritual journey inspired scores of World War II veterans, students, and teenagers to explore offerings of monasteries across the US. It is on National Review's list of the 100 best nonfiction books of the century.
Merton became a keen proponent of interfaith understanding, exploring Eastern religions through his study of mystic practice. His interfaith conversation, which preserved both Protestant and Catholic theological positions, helped to build mutual respect via their shared experiences at a period of heightened hostility. He is particularly known for having pioneered dialogue with prominent Asian spiritual figures, including the Dalai Lama XIV; Japanese writer D.T. Suzuki; Thai Buddhist monk Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, and Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh. He traveled extensively in the course of meeting with them and attending international conferences on religion. In addition, he wrote books on Zen Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism, and how Christianity is related to them. This was highly unusual at the time in the United States, particularly within the religious orders.

Reviews

[Bueller… Bueller…]

"Viewing the world through a different lens, Merton offers his readers an alternative to the 'Cold War mentality' as he envisions a world in which social and political actions are informed by regard for the dignity of the human person rather than by pragmatism and power-seeking and by a commitment to non-violence rather than recourse to armed conflict. This vision of a world in which people seek to resolve conflict through negotiation rather than military action is grounded in Merton's faith and contemplative vision. More precisely, it is a humanistic vision." pg. xxix

"Those who think there can be a just cause for measures that gravely risk leading to the destruction of the entire human race are in the most dangerous illusion..." pg. 10

"We do not know ourselves or our adversaries. We are myths to ourselves and they are myths to us. And we are secretly persuaded that we can shoot it out like the sheriffs on TV. This is not reality..." pg. 29

"And we justify the evil we do to our brother because he is no longer a brother, he is merely an adversary, an accused. To restore communication, to see our oneness of nature with him, and to respect his personal rights and his integrity, his worthiness of love, we have to see ourselves as similarly accused along with him, condemned to death along with him, sinking into the abyss with him, and needing, with him, the ineffable gift of grace and mercy to be saved." pg. 31

"I just cannot in conscience, as a priest and a writer who has a hearing with a lot of people, devote myself exclusively to questions of devotion, the life of prayer, or monastic history, and act as if we were not in the middle of the most serious crisis of Christian history. It is to me incomprehensible that so many other writers and theologians and what not simply ignore this question, or, if they treat it, do so in a manner that encourages people to line up with a frankly godless and pragmatic power bloc, the immense wealth and technical capacity of which is directed entirely to nuclear annhilation of entire nations, without distinction between civilians and combatants." pg. 36

"People are trying to convince themselves that nuclear war is reasonable and that it makes sense trying to consider it as a real possibility, not just as something inconceivable. This is a very dangerous step, for if this country comes to accept nuclear war as a reasonable solution to anything, we are very likely to have one." pg. 52

"Father, my heart is very sick with the feeling that we don't give the impression of caring at all what happens to man, the image of God." pg. 53

"Certainly the greatest danger today is to assume that we have to accept society and its ills as a divinely given and final reality to which our thinking must be adjusted, without any attempt to change anything according to deeper standards. That way, we just let 'society' push us along, and we forget that we are society." pg. 84

"What is needed is moderation, rationality, objective thought, and above all a firm reliance on the very things which are our strength: constitutional processes of government, respect for the rights we want to defend, rational discussion, freedom of opinion, and a deep loyalty to our inherited ideals." pg. 104

"Every slightest effort at opening up new areas of thought, every attempt to perceive new aspects of truth, or just a little truth, is of inestimable value in preparing the way for the light we cannot yet see." pg. 193

[Erica Stratton · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some really interesting ideas/phrases in this book and the reasons it had to be written/published this way are fascinating. However, unless one is a Merton scholar, I'd recommend reading a more coherent book presenting his views on peace (seeing as how such books do exist).

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not really a book of stories, but these 110 letters written by Thomas Merton in 1961 and 62 offer still fresh perspectives on our national fascination with total war, nuclear or otherwise, and his letter concerning the Bay of Pigs invasion apply equally well to our current preoccupation, Iraq. For people of faith, this book is also a wonderful spiritual resource.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book challenges me to the core of my being.