The nonviolent path taken by Jesus Christ has, in my view, been neglected, as much by Christians as by others.
Historically, there have been times, such as the pre-Constantine period of Christianity, when such was not the case. And there have been people, non-Christians such as Gandhi and Christians such as Martin Luther King Jr., who followed the nonviolent way. A few Christian denominations have always advocated and practiced nonviolence; likewise, only some among the major world religions — the historic Buddha’s philosophy is consistently nonviolent in theory. I find that these are the exceptions; by and large, nonviolence is the road not taken.
Part of the unwillingness to adopt nonviolence has been based on the misunderstanding that nonviolence is passive and cowardly. But surely even a little knowledge of the lives and work of Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. puts the lie to that. Related to this is an unwillingness to see those situations where nonviolence was tried and did work. Who would have thought that majority rule would come to South Africa without massive violence and many, many deaths, for example?
On the other hand, our use of violence is supported by what has been called, by the theologian Walter Wink, The Myth of Redemptive Violence. This is the notion that violence works; it is the way to respond to violence, even the only way; it leads to solutions to our problems.
But, as opposed to this myth, I see that the reality is that violence leads to more violence; war leads to more war; we ruin our economy and our reputation with war, more war, pre-emptive war, even torture.
Of course, I find violence not only in war, but also in capital punishment — sadly, just one of many forms of violence. Here again I see that it is a myth that capital punishment works or deters; this despite all evidence to the contrary — just ask a Quaker — they have the data on this. For me, as a Christian, the case against the violence of capital punishment is based not only on that. There is as well the cutting off of the possibility of repentance and reconciliation; there is also the Ten Commandments.
The case for nonviolence is simple for me: I am to follow the example of (or imitate) Jesus Christ. In the Gospels, I find that his nonviolent approach is consistent and crystal clear. John Dominic Crossan and other Bible scholars have found in St. Paul’s teachings a nonviolent resistance to the Roman Empire. The New Testament case for nonviolence is based on such passages as Jesus speaking of laying down your life for your friends. Richard McSorley’s book, “New Testament Basis of Peacemaking,” contains refutations of all the usual Biblical-based pro-violence arguments.
Finally, I believe whatever might be said for just wars in the past, quite apart from all that can be said against them, with our present capability of destroying much of, even all of, humanity, I see a need for serious reconsideration of the nonviolent alternative to inaction or violence.
Dave Beuerman, an ordained Roman Catholic Deacon, is one of the founders of Pax Christi Lane County and South Coast Pax Christi. This column is coordinated by Lane Interfaith Alliance to offer inspiration, share personal spiritual experiences and bring a deeper understanding of individual faith perspectives with the intention of blessing the community and world. For information, visit www.laneinterfaithalliance.org or call 344-5693.