Christian pacifism
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Christian pacifism is the theological and ethical position that any form of violence is incompatible with the Christian faith. This opposition to violence and war is a minority view in Christianity[citation needed] , but represents the dominant perspective in Christian communities such as peace churches. Christian pacifists state that Jesus himself was a pacifist who taught and practiced pacifism, and that his followers must do likewise.
There have been various notable Christian pacifists, including Leo Tolstoy and Martin Luther King, Jr. (see Category:Christian pacifists). Ammon Hennacy believed that adherence to Christianity meant being a pacifist and, due to governments constantly threatening or using force to resolve conflicts, this meant being an anarchist. Other pacifists however, such as peace churches, Christian Peacemaker Teams and individuals such as John Howard Yoder for example, make no claim to be anarchists.
Some writers, such as Keith Akers, believe that modern Christians would do well to imitate the Ebionites, an early Christian, pacifist, and vegetarian sect as opposed to the more dominant Pauline Christianity.
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[edit] Biblical references
The following verses and interpretations are used by some Biblical scholars as evidence for either Christian pacifism, nonviolence or nonresistance.
[edit] Active nonviolence
You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
—Matthew 5:38-41 NIV
But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
—Luke 6:27-31 NIV
Walter Wink advocates that, "There are three general responses to evil: (1) violent opposition, (2) passivity, and (3) the third way of militant nonviolence articulated by Jesus. Human evolution has conditioned us for only the first two of these responses: fight or flight." This understanding typifies Walter Wink's exegesis of Matthew 5:38-41[1] and his book, Jesus and Nonviolence: The Third Way.[2]
[edit] Distinction between killing and murder
You shall not murder.
—Exodus 20:13 NIV
There is controversy over this text about its advocation to not murder versus not kill.
[edit] Sacred violence
I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.
—Hosea 6:6 NIV
Violence can be seen as a form of ritual sacrifice that Christ tried to end. René Girard advocates that Christianity is meant to stop the continuous mythological re-enactment of sacred violence. The Girardian Reflections on the Lectionary writes,
Girard's work essentially presents us with a unified theory of human violence. Violence is the "darkness" we project onto our gods. Thus, Girard's work also offers an hypothesis concerning human idolatry, namely, that idolatry arises to veil humanity's responsibility for its own violence. A common mistake has been to undertake the matter of idolatry from a theological perspective only. But idolatry is in our nature, not God's, and so is more properly a matter for anthropology.[3]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Matthew 5:38-41 exegesis by Walter Wink
- ^ Jesus and Nonviolence: A Third Way, Augsburg Fortress, 2003. ISBN 0-8006-3609-0
- ^ The Girardian Reflections on the Lectionary, My Core Convictions
