Q: Hi Tom, So, I understand you're a Christian Pacifist. Can you explain that for us?
A: Of course. The short version is that for a long time I've been a Christian, and even before I knew the reality of what that meant, I also felt violence was wrong. It was so deep inside me that when I was a kid in school and other kids wanted to fight me, I wouldn't. People thought I was a wimp, but I just couldn't justify hitting. As life went on, I put the 2 together, and that's where I am today.
Q: So, you're saying you oppose violence of all sorts?
A: Yes. Violence rarely solves anything, and if it does, it just breeds hostility. And second, Jesus taught us not to be violent, most notably in the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew.
Q: You mean if someone broke into your house, you would just "turn the other cheek?"
A: Well, to be honest, probably not. One of us would be going to the hospital. Probably me because I've never really been in a fight, but if the person won't get out or tries to hurt me or a member of my family, there will be a fight.
Q: So you're contradicting yourself?
A: Yes, that's true. Pacifists and Christians aren't perfect. I would like to say I wouldn't do violence to the other person, but in a chaotic situation, no one knows how they will act.
Q: Then you're not a true Pacifist.
A: Not true. I would not shoot the person, I would only defend myself and my family. I wouldn't try to kill the person...just get him/her out of my house or incapacitated enough for the police or ambulance to get him/her.
Q: So, you support the "Just War Theory?" (The "JWT" says that wars are acceptable only as a last resort, with specific goals, not to destroy the "enemy," but to make them comply to some sort of pre-stated goal, etc.)
A: No, I really don't. I can see how others may see this acceptable, but I would ask if we have a policy such as a "Just Sin" policy. Is it ok to do sinful things as long as they're proportionate to the reason you're doing them?
Q: Then you must not support our military or our country.
A: Again, that's not true. People in the military have to make moral decisions on this issue everyday. I have no way of knowing their hearts or their decision processes. Do I hate our country? Of course I don't. I'd like to see things happen differently sometimes, but I don't hate the USA.
Q: How can you support our troops if you're a Pacifist?
A: It's tough. But just like everyone else, our troops were created by God. I may not always support what they do, but I support them as fellow humans. Also, one of my Grandfathers was in the Army during WWII. My Grandfather was a good man. He joined the military out of a moral conviction that he had. I don't share that conviction, but I loved him just the same. Also, our troops (including my now deceased Grandfather) saw (and probably did) things that will stay with them the rest of their lives. I don't wish that stress on anyone. But the reality is that it is there. To say I don't support these people through their struggles is wrong. I don't think they "deserve" to suffer after their military days are over.
Q: What would you do if one of your children wanted to join the military?
A: First of all, by that time, they'd know how I feel about it. I would try to steer them into a different direction (Peace Corps, Missions, etc.). If that doesn't work, then I would reluctantly support their decision and pray for them and love them.
Q: How can we rid the world of evil if everyone were a Pacifist?
A: The same way we could if everyone weren't Pacifists. Has war stopped violence? It may "solve" a situation...Hitler isn't slaughtering innocent people, Saddam Hussein isn't killing his own people, etc., but people are still suffering because of war. The Jewish people will suffer for hundreds of years to come because of Hitler. People in Iraq, Afghanistan, and across Africa and the Middle East (and I'm sure in other places) are suffering because of war. War hasn't gotten rid of evil. Pacifism won't rid the world of evil, but that isn't our job. That's God's job. Our job is to remain faithful and to pray. Either God is God or not. If we believe in God, then we must believe in God's promises as we understand them.
Q: So, the Bible says "An eye for an eye..." and there are even provisions for stoning and killing outlined in the Law of Moses. The Bible condones violence!
A: At the surface level, you're right, but we have to understand how to interpret these scriptures. I don't claim to have a monopoly on understanding. But, in some rabbinic traditions, these scriptures meant that compensation had to be proportional to the crime. It did not justify killing (in those traditions). I'm not against punishment, but punishment has to be accompanied by rehabilitation. Yes, we will fail sometimes, but that's life. Even if we were violent, we would fail. Look how many innocent people have been killed in wars and by the death penalty. Yes, most were guilty, but even 1 innocent person is too many.
Q: But it's not realistic to believe in Pacifism....It can't work all the time.
A: It is realistic to believe, and you're right, it won't work all the time. But neither will war. In every war, someone loses (and they thought their cause was the right one). And winning or making something work is not why I'm a Pacifist. I'm a Pacifist because I believe that Jesus taught us to be. I understand there are other view points and I respect them. I don't agree with them, but I respect them. So, I'm not a Pacifist to accomplish something, but rather to live in discipleship.
Q: What about innocent people? Don't they get hurt if someone isn't willing to be violent against the one hurting them?
A: That is true. One of my favorite theologians (a professor at Duke Divinity School), Stanley Hauerwas said something to the effect that to be faithful to our convictions may mean that innocent people may have to suffer. Of course I don't want innocent people to suffer, but they suffer in war too (even if someone is fighting "for" them).
Q: Is Pacifism realistic?
A: Not as the world sees it, and that's the point. If Jesus isn't real, then it makes no sense at all. If God isn't real, then it makes no sense. Even to me, it doesn't always make sense or seem realistic. I watch the situation in Libya, and part of me wants someone just to assassinate Quaddafi and get the whole thing over. But, what will that solve? It'll get rid of one dictator, but it doesn't prevent another from rising up. Pacifism doesn't guarantee that either, and it doesn't mean sitting back and putting up with evil. It means non-violently standing up against it. Yes, people will be hurt and may even die, but their souls will live. So, is it realistic for me? Again, another Stanley Hauerwas paraphrase that fits into my own thinking: I have to sometimes remind myself that I'm a Pacifist because I can be a violent son of a bitch. I want to hurt people...I want evil dictators to pay for what they did...I want to hurt murderers and rapists...But, either God meant "Vengeance is Mine" or not. I go with the thought that God meant it.
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