on this memorial day weekend i stand in silence of the memories of people who have sustained the freedoms that i enjoy. on this memorial day i pray shalom on the families forever changed by war. on this memorial day i am troubled by the many friends who claim pacifism. my friends are entitled to their views, but pacifism is just not that easy for me. i am certainly not a militiaman, or even have a combative bone in my body, but as americans, can we really claim to be pacifists?
brian mclaren said @ ec05 just last week 'that pacifist are able to be pacifists on the backs of those who are not' (or something very close to that).
pacifism (n) 1. the belief that disputes between nations should and can be settled peacefully. 2. a. opposition to war or violence as a means of resolving disputes. b. such opposition demonstrated by refusal to participate in military action.
addressing the definition (specifically #1) i'd have to say that pacifism is all together fine, but unrealistic. in a world of nation states i don't believe that all things can be settled peacefully. nations are not governed according to peaceful Christian or peaceful Islamic principles. note: i mention peaceful, because we have our radical Christians as well as our more visual radical Islamic sects. can we honestly expect peace in the world with that type of mentality willing to war against us?
from the united methodist book of discipline: We believe war is incompatible with the teachings and example of Christ. We therefore reject war as an instrument of national foreign policy, to be employed only as a last resort in the prevention of such evils as genocide, brutal suppression of human rights, and unprovoked international aggression. We insist that the first moral duty of all nations is to resolve by peaceful means every dispute that arises between or among them; that human values must outweigh military claims as governments determine their priorities; that the militarization of society must be challenged and stopped; that the manufacture, sale, and deployment of armaments must be reduced and controlled; and that the production, possession, or use of nuclear weapons be condemned. Consequently, we endorse general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control.
looking over the book of discipline it's pretty clear that we don't condone war, but we accept it as a neccessary. reinhold niebhur paraphrases St. Augustine's 'the city of God' by saying, man's inclination to injustice makes war inevitable; but man’s inclination to justice makes war at times necessary.
if i were to introduce Christian pacifism, that is to call into question acts of violence with the teachings of Christ. i then become less & more conflicted as i don't see violence at any point being the taught lesson of Christ. however, i'd have to ask the question. did Christ address nations? maybe he did and i missed that.. i know it's mentioned restoring the nation of Isreal, but i see that more of the kingdom of God on earth. is that possible with or without nations? someone smarter than i can answer that question.
a simple thought that i can reside with comes from rabbi shmuley boteach, "war is never good, it is usually bad, but it is sometimes necessary"..."peace and tranquility are the dual blessings to which all the earth’s inhabitants rightly aspire. but a just war is often, ironically, the only guarantor that we will ever attain them." not sure about the 'just' war, that comes back to St. Augustine, which i'm not willing to label wars thus simplifying their context. so..
on this memorial day weekend i offer no real answers. on this memorial day i wil be a man of peace, a man of prayers, a man of understanding, a man of humility, a man of who remembers.
if there is to be peace in the world,
there must be peace in the nations.
if there is to be peace in the nations,
there must be peace in the cities.
if there is to be peace in the cities,
there must be peace between neighbors.
if there is to be peace between neighbors,
there must be peace in the home.
if there is to be peace in the home,
there must be peace in the heart. amen
lao tse
