this is more for the jewish and christian perspectives, but any perspectives are welcome here. i may end up saying things that could be a shock to some people, but i think they are in line with scripture i think for most, its a mixed bag and i can see both sides. for the pacifism side we have "turn the other cheek" "return to evil to noone" and the golden rule. also jesus tells not to align ourselves with the nations of this world because none of them are sanctioned by god and often go against its teachings. politically speaking jesus was a radical. but the really he wanted no part of governments and told us to do the same. many jews that supported jesus thought he would enter the political process and free the jews from rome. but he did not, as his kingdom was in heaven and would soon be on earth. human governments were never to be the answer. so in that sense i think it can be argued that joining the military for example could be going against the teachings of jesus so those are what i see can support pacifism ideally we could solve our differences through dialogue and understanding but often reality gets in the way of that. the question then is what do we do when evil is at our doorstep. i see no biblical principle that says you cant defend yourself. moral violence is intrinsic in the bible. its quite clear in the jewish tradition. after all, moses was chosen by god after he killed a man (notice i did not say murder). one can argue that there is a difference between the micro and macro...you can kill to protect yourself and your family, but not against whole nations. but the macro can become the micro when nazis or whatever are at your doorstep. in that case, i see no reason to say you cannot take up arms against them. further, i would say that pacifism is foolish in that regard. you dont owe it to god to stand there and allow you and family to murdered by anyone...either someone breaking in your house or a foreign military...and there isnt a scriptual basis that says so that i know of well thats a start. there are many more arguments, but those are a few. what do you all think?
When a friend and I get into a disagreement, the friendship is at stake, then yes I would "turn the other cheek." When someone breaks into my house to hurt me and mine, I feel, that I have every right to react to force with force. I feel that to do otherwise would be going against God's will. Are we to just stand by and see others hurt because we are "passive?" Would God want us to do that, I think not.
I'm a nonbelieving agnostic, and I have no problem with either self defense, the defense of others or with going to war for a just cause.
Since this will come up, let me get out in front a little. There has, for centuries, been a doctrine within Christianity called "Just War". Goes back to Augustine if memory serves and he likely coallated it more than invented it. It arises from episodes such as Jesus clearing the temple area (a few acres, remember) of the money changers. The problem has always been that a component of just war has always been the need to act justly WITHIN the war as well. Once human emotions are let go, being just is often very low on the priority list. I believe I am "to love my neighbor as myself". To do that means protecting them from harm. But the person who is harming them is also my neighbor. Tough, right? I am not a pacifist, but could not serve because I am unwilling to surrender my conscience to the state. As a practical matter one can not have uniformmed personnel deciding what orders to follow, that chaos would get people killed. Yet, while I could easily take part in some conflicts to aid others, some would be too "wrong" for my moral compass.
My God is light, and in Him is no darkness. Yet, He taught me there are beliefs that must be defended. Sometimes you have to "love" someone enough to hurt them. I do NOT believe we are instructed to force our beliefs down someone else's throat, rather we are to love one another enough to respect each other. Yet there are certain instances, rights, wherein we must take action, so long as that action is the DEFENSE of someone's rights. War for the sake of religion is a trick of the adversary. War for the sake of another's rights to life and liberty, IMO is love.
