“Not only am I a pacifist, I’m a militant pacifist.” (Einstein)
A person I know says he’s a pacifist. He, the grandson of a man who fought in World War 2, and of another who fought in the navy, says that if someone were to threaten his family, he would not defend them.
He says this and then he buys Modern Warfare 2. He says this and then he blows people’s heads off, virtually.
I don’t like guns. The physical or virtual kind. And in an ideal world, I’m a pacifist too. A lion-sleeps-with-the-lamb kind of girl. But in this world, the lion eats the lamb. So when that happens, do we just sit back? Or do we defend the lamb?
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(join me over at A Deeper Story for the rest of this post, friends? thank you...)
*linking with laura, michelle, jen and jennifer
Darling, we take our sword and wound the lion cause he ain't getting my lamb! That is the way we are supposed to fight the devil.
ReplyDeleteWe don't lay down and allow him to dope our children and rape our daughters. We teach our children how to avoid the lion, then we protect them with our prayers, and if necessary with the sword. No we fight the good fight and don't give in!
Agreed!
Deleteamen!
Deletethere are at times reason to fight, we must make sure they are the right reasons though....
ReplyDeleteSome of us are called to be shepherds.
ReplyDeleteWhat good is a pacifist shepherd?
LOVE this ollie.
DeleteThere are times to fight...and it doesn't have to always be with fists or guns, but if someone thinks for one second they are gonna rape me or hurt my children or step in my house to harm my family then, yes, I will use my fists and possibly shoot them! Even the Old Testament had wars and God was in charge of them.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Ollie on this. I know the Amish, in Nickel, PA were able to forgive and I am moved by their forgiveness. Their compassion was for the living. The murderer was already dead.
ReplyDeleteAnyone unwilling to sacrifice their own life protecting their family does not deserve to be called a pacifist - they deserve to be called a coward. Gandhi's ambulance corps in the Boer War were awarded the war medal for their dedication and bravery, not despite of but because of their commitment to nonviolence.
ReplyDeleteReading the Sermon on the Mount, I believe moments of anger are closer to murder than playing violent video games or watching violent movies. The real seed of murder is anger, whether it rears its ugly head in a reaction to disobedience from children or in confrontation with an enemy, whom we are called to love.
When you look into the eyes of your oppressor, you will find the reason he is holding a gun is because he has never known the love of one who was willing to stand up for him, to lay down their life for him. Perhaps Christians are called to be the mothers and fathers for the gunmen who have never known the love of their own.
nicely written post. if you haven’t read The Kingdom of God is Within You by Leo Tolstoy… make sure you put it at the top of your list. i too was walking the path that you are now walking…and when i read that book… it sealed the deal. read it and let me know what you think. peace… brandon
ReplyDeletethank you so much brandon. i have downloaded the book and plan to read it when i grab a moment. so appreciate the recommendation.
DeleteHi Emily, I've been silent for a while but still reading along, and this is an issue that is very dear to my heart so I thought I'd comment. I really don't think pacifism means being passive (pacifist does not equal passivist?). Corrie ten Boom to me is a great example of someone who did what was right in what might seem underhanded ways but as far as I can recall she didn't resort to violence.
ReplyDeleteAs I started working on peacebuilding in Darfur and learning the history of that region, I found out that, while Darfur has always had its share of fighting, 20 years ago there were no weapons and acts of violence were minor and contained. Then one tribe got some guns, then another tribe felt threatened so they went out and bought guns, then one tribe went so far as to sell their food stocks so that they would have guns. Then a little, rather innocuous conflict broke out and everyone started shooting each other. This breaks my heart. To me, being a pacifist is the Darfuris I know who go into the camps where people have fled violence, go into the villages that still hold a grudge, without guns but with their voices and plea, at the risk of their own lives, for reconciliation. It's those village leaders who tell their communities not to fight and rather to stay firm in what is right.
One thing that I think we often fail to recognise in peace and conflict studies is that peace is the more difficult way. Peace requires taking a stand, but it requires doing it without using physical force, being strength through weakness. This, to me, is pacifism.
sorry, bit of a ramble... like i said this is a tender issue to me, though I know in a way quite different from you. thanks as always for sharing.
kati, i LOVE this. i love that you spoke up and shared your story and helped me to understand. thank you, beautiful sister. xoxo
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