Voices We Need to Hear III

You won't like this one, I don't either but it doesn't mean I don't need to hear it. It's the voice of dissonance, it's the counter-intuitive, you-can't-be-serious voice; its the "that's quaint but impractical" voice. Let me be a little more specific since there are probably dozens of dissonant voices desirous of your attention each day. I'm not just talking ideological, political, economic or even religious voices. Let's find a specific voice so different that hardly anyone wants to listen, at least not anymore. Let's try on this voice as one we need to hear: the voice of the pacifist. (I think I just heard the click of a dozen computers turn off.......) When is the last time you heard or read anything from a real live pacifist? Can you name one? Do you know one? Can you think of one from history other than MH? Where would you look to find one? I'm not just talking about an anti-war voice or a leftover peace-nik from the late 60's. I mean an honest to God, non-violent, Bible quoting, lover of all humanity, true believer that pacifism is the proper way to approach life from a personal, economic or diplomatic viewpoint. Maybe that's why we don't know any or can't name one. A true Christian pacifist believes that the Biblical teaching of turning the other cheek applies to nations as well as individuals. They believe that "vengeance is mine saith the Lord" means to let God take care of the evildoers in His way and time. Pacifists take seriously the warning that "if you live by the sword you will die by the sword." The beauty of the day of the Lord described as a day when men will no longer teach each other war, a time when the lion will lie down with the lamb, and men shall beat their swords into plows (shares) and their spears into pruning hooks is to actually be lived by the "people of the book" from whence the teachings come. I'm sure there are varying degrees of pacifists, some ultimate, uber pacifists and some, shall we say, more liberal. I recently finished reading Doris Kearns-Goodwin's Team of Rivals about President Lincoln's cabinet during the civil wars. His secretary of war was Edwin Stanton. Stanton had a Quaker background and at an early age had written, " Why is it that military generals are praised and honored instead of being punished as malefactors? The work of war is the "making of widows and orphans--the plundering of towns and villages--the extermination and spoiling of all, making the earth a slaughterhouse." Goodwin writes that three decades after writing this, Stanton was himself responsible for an army of more than 2 million men. There were also few pacifists advocating total non violent approaches to Hitler after 1940. Nevertheless, I believe we should hear them. I've only heard, in person, two pacifists, both at seminary. I've read writings of two, both seminary assignments. I don't think I've seriously read or heard much other than an occasional article since. But we should hear their voices if for no other reason than to keep us humble and searching for better answers. In Isaiah 55 we are told by God that "my thoughts are not your thoughts... " and we would do well to listen humbly and try to discover what God's thoughts are before we respond to the insults of men and nations before we with irrevocable violence. We too easily jump into war in this world and too easily seek a violent answer. Even in the micro world of the home pacifism should be heard. Maybe domestic violence would be lessened if we learned pacifism's lessons. I could personally never be a pacifist. I would defend by family physically if they were physically attacked (see Harrison Ford in Witness) and I believe the Hitlers of the world have to be stopped. But in not listening to the voice of pacifism, we probably lose some reasoning, negotiating, diplomatic and especially spiritual power that we aren't even aware exists. The voice of pacifism takes seriously the Bible's injunctions against violence in the New Testament and beckons us to follow Christ's example when he was confronted with the violence of religious zealots and Roman executions. Should not also His people? Its a hard voice to hear, but pacifism's lessons are for the home, the marketplace and the potential battlefields of the world. The alternatives haven't worked so well after all. In the recorded history of mankind, there are only about seven years where there wasn't a war being fought somewhere. I personally think those seven years scattered around history were just for reloading and letting little boys grow old enough to fight. We must be careful in these hard economic times. People(road rage?) and nations(vital national interests?) often go to war to fix their perceived problems. There will always be principles, people worth fighting far, but there may be other ways to respond that build up rather than destroy. Let's at least hear some dissonant voices who might could help. "Blessed are the peacemakers," Jesus said. Ironic isn't it that the name for the Colt 45 pistol in 1873 was the Peacemaker. Is that really what Jesus meant? Terry