Religions Should Embrace Pacifism (Buddhism, church, Revelation, prophecy)
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Some religions have adopted pacifist tendencies like Buddhism, Quakers, Mennonites, some Hindus like Gandhi, although some in those groups are known to have become police or soldiers.
Wars don't resolve border disputes, Ukraine and Russia have fought for centuries over borders.
Violence does not lead to long term peace.
War destroys lives, causes pain, endangers non-combatants, hurts the economy, pollutes, dehumanizes, and wastes.
New hate can't eliminate old hate.
We have enough technology to destroy the earth for all...we need a shared sense of peace and humanity to prevent ourselves from doing it.
Jesus removes himself from danger, but he never uses violence to defeat danger.
God created us all in his image, we are all a living embodiment of God's image with a divine spark internally within us all, deserving of the miracle of life, equality before God and on earth, and the miracle of free will to live in peace. God then tells us to love and serve our neighbors and welcome travelers as new neighbors. This is why violence against individuals and groups is wrong. When we see the light inside each human, how can we justify killing them?
``For we wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities against power, against rulers of darkness of this world against spiritual wickedness in high places `` Ephesians 6;12 So you see we are fighting flesh and blood and some preachers proclaim that the rulers of darkness are people and not spiritual powers of darkness, and they preach we don't fight spiritual wickedness as these are in heaven, and we are not ...... Which means we are doing the opposite of what we are called to do as we fight flesh and blood, and we don't fight the devil and his evil in the spirit ....... Jesus does not fight spiritual battles unless we have spiritual warfare first, and Jesus needs multi spiritual warfare to stop a war or crimes to make a greater difference
I'm not sure that I would classify Jesus as a pacifist after reading the book of Revelation and seeing what He has in store for unbelievers in the future.
Some religions have adopted pacifist tendencies like Buddhism, Quakers, Mennonites, some Hindus like Gandhi, although some in those groups are known to have become police or soldiers.
Wars don't resolve border disputes, Ukraine and Russia have fought for centuries over borders.
Violence does not lead to long term peace.
War destroys lives, causes pain, endangers non-combatants, hurts the economy, pollutes, dehumanizes, and wastes.
New hate can't eliminate old hate.
We have enough technology to destroy the earth for all...we need a shared sense of peace and humanity to prevent ourselves from doing it.
Jesus removes himself from danger, but he never uses violence to defeat danger.
God created us all in his image, we are all a living embodiment of God's image with a divine spark internally within us all, deserving of the miracle of life, equality before God and on earth, and the miracle of free will to live in peace. God then tells us to love and serve our neighbors and welcome travelers as new neighbors. This is why violence against individuals and groups is wrong. When we see the light inside each human, how can we justify killing them?
I, too would like to live in a world that is without cides (a learned borrowing from Latin meaning “killer,” “act of killing,” used in the formation of compound words: ); however, death is a part of change, and it is a reaction to negative and potentially negative forces. As you know, there was a death in Christian literature. I wonder how Cain developed the desire to murder. Was it a part of his genetics?
I'm not sure that I would classify Jesus as a pacifist after reading the book of Revelation and seeing what He has in store for unbelievers in the future.
For clarification purposes, do you believe Jesus and God are one and the same?
Jesus removes himself from danger, but he never uses violence to defeat danger.
I don't disagree with your post, but how for example would you propose that the Ukranians remove themselves from the danger they are in? Pack up and leave the country en masse?
That is the problem with pacifist ideals; they are necessary but not sufficient in a world full of bad actors.
Or at least I do not see how they are sufficient.
In an imperfect world sometimes people have to defend themselves, take back things stolen, etc.
One can argue that it is "violent" to stand by and allow war crimes, torture, rape, etc. to take place rather than push back the intruders, too.
My problem with pacifism isn't the impulse behind it but the fact that in and of itself it does not reduce, and can easily increase, overall human suffering.
As much as I want to see the US take care of its own needy folks and spend way less on its war machine, I do not think we should not have, or use, our military either. Not unless you can show me a framework that would actually replace it and actually work.
I don't disagree with your post, but how for example would you propose that the Ukranians remove themselves from the danger they are in? Pack up and leave the country en masse?
That is the problem with pacifist ideals; they are necessary but not sufficient in a world full of bad actors.
Or at least I do not see how they are sufficient.
In an imperfect world sometimes people have to defend themselves, take back things stolen, etc.
One can argue that it is "violent" to stand by and allow war crimes, torture, rape, etc. to take place rather than push back the intruders, too.
My problem with pacifism isn't the impulse behind it but the fact that in and of itself it does not reduce, and can easily increase, overall human suffering.
As much as I want to see the US take care of its own needy folks and spend way less on its war machine, I do not think we should not have, or use, our military either. Not unless you can show me a framework that would actually replace it and actually work.
Those are all reasonable points.
However, if all religions including the Orthodox Church in Russia pushed pacifism or at least some sort of a non-aggression mindset...then Russia wouldn't/couldn't have attacked.
Many countries, including the US, Russia, and eastern European countries have a war-mindset.
Look at all of the money the US pours into building weapons.
Look at all of the labor hours that the US pours into building weapons.
Look at all of the intelligence that the US pours into building weapons.
All while many problems go unproperly addressed like cancer, mental illness, hunger, the environment, and etc...
What do we do with these weapons? We spread them around the world, which intimidates other countries and encourages them to increase their war-mindset....this includes Russia who in turn must be more aggressive, which makes us more aggressive.
I think this war-mindset is a self-fulfilling prophecy and it leads down a path of doom and destruction.
Pacifism is one of those ideas that OFTEN sound better conceptually than they are in real life.
Can you imagine this world today if it had been pacifist against Hitler.
Pol Pot loved pacifist Buddhists; result about 2 million Cambodians dead at his orders.
As a school teacher and principal, I never saw a bully stop bullying because a pacifist stepped in.
Pacifism reminds me a bit of the Sermon On The Mount...good lessons for the next life, not so good for one's present life.
I'll tell you what works better, at least in my experience -- what I used to call LDA -- least drastic action necessary to solve a problem (or, perhaps as some Buddhists would say, "Moderation in all things". What is the least drastic action needed to solve a problem; no need for overkill.
However, if all religions including the Orthodox Church in Russia pushed pacifism or at least some sort of a non-aggression mindset...then Russia wouldn't/couldn't have attacked.
Many countries, including the US, Russia, and eastern European countries have a war-mindset.
Look at all of the money the US pours into building weapons.
Look at all of the labor hours that the US pours into building weapons.
Look at all of the intelligence that the US pours into building weapons.
All while many problems go unproperly addressed like cancer, mental illness, hunger, the environment, and etc...
What do we do with these weapons? We spread them around the world, which intimidates other countries and encourages them to increase their war-mindset....this includes Russia who in turn must be more aggressive, which makes us more aggressive.
I think this war-mindset is a self-fulfilling prophecy and it leads down a path of doom and destruction.
Also good points. One of the biggest challenges is that it only takes one asshat to ruin it for everyone. The fact is that the Russian Orthodox Church not only isn't pacifist, but has allowed itself to be almost wholly co-opted by Putler's regime. And if they WERE pacifist, they would be ruthlessly eliminated / persecuted by the regime so it is questionable how influential they would be and at what cost.
It is my view that the moral and ethical and empathetic "temperature", if you will, of all of humanity has to reach some sort of "critical mass" in order for violence and bullying to be sustainably marginalized and, eventually, eliminated. In the meantime, some people will have to do the dirty work of policing the world (and no I am not saying the US should be the world's policeman, it has to be far more broad-based than that).
As to all the $$$$$$$$ the US puts into its war machine, more than most other countries combined in fact, I wholeheartedly agree. It is surprisingly easy for us to find big pots of gold to send to Ukraine, especially if it benefits the military-industrial complex, but then it is, weirdly, terribly hard apparently for us to find even modest pots of gold to house or feed our own disadvantaged. Or to connect the dots between the two priorities. I say this while making no judgment for or against aid to the Ukranians. It is just a relevant observation. But probably as much as I can say on the political implications of pacifism or religiosity in the world [sigh].
Here's the thing though, a better world is POSSIBLE and can be worked toward, I do believe that. It is just not a matter of throwing a switch somewhere and disappearing all militaries ... various nations have to wean themselves off war mentalities and investments and it is arguably suicidal to move too fast, particularly when amoral and immoral actors with weapons abound.
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