Non-Violence
Tom Cornell
American journalist and a peace activist against the Vietnam War and the Iraq War. He was an associate editor of the Catholic Worker and a deacon in the Catholic Church.
The Future of Christian Nonviolence
Is just war theory meaningless? What about defending the innocent?
By Tom Cornell
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Jim Forest
American writer, OrthodoxChristian lay theologian, educator, and peace activist.
“Both Dorothy and Merton were firm believers in patient efforts simply to communicate to others what the Gospel is all about, what the Church teaches, and the value of paying attention to saints who in various ways set a timely example. This is not so much carrying out what are sometimes called “prophetic actions” as engaging in ordinary acts of communication. While being patient and even supportive of me and others who engaged in such dramatic acts of civil disobedience as breaking into draft offices and burning draft files, neither Dorothy nor Merton recommended such tactics as a method of protest.” (Jim Forest at the Catholic Peace Fellowship Conference in South Bend, Indiana, on 24 March 2007)
William Horan
Founding member of Jones & Horan Peace Team, advocate for World Peace
“In the Pax Christi Vow of Nonviolence, there is a fatal flaw. No Christian can carry out in his life, the love and example of Jesus “by actively resisting evil”. Our Lord did not set the example of “actively resisting evil”. Rather, He tolerated evil to the point of being “led like a Lamb to the slaughter”. Yet, He smothered evil with good by an assault on the flank. The flank assault, as any good soldier knows, is an attempt to strike the enemy at an advantageous angle – not directly. Such an angle, our Lord has demonstrated, is most effective in dealing with the powers of evil. This angle implies not “actively resisting evil”, even though that resistance may be nonviolent. Rather, It suggests the gracious embrace of love on the side. Concretely, this means that Christians should get rid of the tactics of blocking entrances to missile bases or otherwise harassing the Pentagon. On the side however, we should be supporting the work of Arun Gandhi for he has found that Christlike angle from which to assault the evil of war.” (William Horan 2008)
Photograph courtesy of Patty Jones
Thomas Merton
American Trappist monk, writer, theologian, mystic, poet, social activist and scholar of comparative religion.
“Most activists do not go in for naked violence yet, but they will. In other words, there are ways and means to force people to go in a certain direction. That is okay, that is politics, you might say. If you are a politician you need to know about it and deal with it, but we have to stay out of it.” (Thomas Merton – Thomas Merton in Alaska – page 108)
“Non-violence has become all fouled-up and is turning into a sort of semi-violence.” (Thomas Merton – Thomas Merton in Alaska– page109)
Photograph link http://www.mertoncenter.org/Poetry/griffin.jpg
Photograph by Jean Song/ DC distributed under a
Arun Ghandi
Grandson of Mahatma Ghandi
Arun Gandhi said: “You can quote me as saying Mahatma Gandhi would disagree with the Plowshares actions because they employ tactics of secrecy and destruction of property. I also think locking up the most courageous and devoted peace leaders for long prison terms is a way of weakening the peace movement. Those leaders could do much more for peace outside of jail than in it.” ( The Jesus Journal – Summer 1995 – No. 77 – page 44 )
“Common people who are not directly involved in social debates and political conflicts have their lives to live, they become angry at those who are disturbing their lives or damaging property that has to be repaired using public funds. Thus the average person, whose support is often necessary for lasting success, is alienated. Rather than leading to a resolution, they escalate the conflict and create more deeply entrenched opponents.” (Legacy of Love by Arun Gandhi – page 132)
Mahatma Ghandi
Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British rule.
“No secret organization, however big, could do any good. Secrecy aims at building a wall of protection around you. Ahimsa disdains all such protection. It functions in the open in the face of odds, the heaviest conceivable. We have to organize for action a vast people that have been crushed under the heel of unspeakable tyranny for centuries. They cannot be organized by other than open, truthful means. I have grown up from youth to seventy-six years in abhorrence of secrecy. There must be no watering down of the ideal.” (Mahatma Gandhi – quoted by Thomas Merton in his book: Gandhi on Non-Violence – page 40)
Photograph by Elliot & Fry distributed under a CC-BY 2.0 license.
Photograph by Mahler distributed under a CC-BY 2.0 license.
John Dear
American Catholic priest, peace activist, lecturer, and author of 35 books on peace and nonviolence.
Regarding St. Thereses’s Little Way of Nonviolence, John Dear said: “Given our culture of violence and the world’s wars, I prefer to translate Thérèse’s spirituality as “the little way of nonviolence.” Through these small acts of great love, we root out every trace of violence within us, allow God to disarm our hearts, and share in God’s disarmament of the world. As more and more people practice this little way of nonviolence, love becomes contagious, wars end, and weapons are dismantled. As we organize our nonviolent love into direct public action, as Dorothy Day did, we can end nuclear air raid drills–and someday, nuclear weapons themselves. This little way of nonviolence is revolutionary for it demands steadfast inner determination to confront the selfishness and violence within us, to open our hearts to be consumed by God’s love, and to overwhelm those we do not like with good deeds, kindness, and loving service. Her example of taking the tough Sister St. Peter around in her wheelchair, preparing her food, and responding to her snappy remarks with a pleasant smile models interpersonal nonviolence for us.” (John Dear- National Catholic Reporter– Sept 29, 2009)