On Pacifism

I did a lot of reading in seminary. So much reading. Anyone who has been to graduate school or, from what I hear, been a history major in undergrad knows what I'm talking about. Thousands of pages per week. How can one expect to retain this information?

Well, the truth is, I didn't. There are some things that stuck with me. One of the things that really stuck with me was some reading that we were assigned in our ethics and theology classes about war, just war, and pacifism. This was an extremely complex topic that really riled people up...and quickly. It was the only time (other than the homosexuality conversations...argh) that people turned red in the face and almost started yelling in class.

Clearly, even those of us who were being trained as pastors had very different opinions about this whole issue.

Clearly, based on recent events (and by recent, I'm talking about the last decade), people believe very different things about war, punishment, and justice.

It is actually okay for us to think different things. Jesus says that there will be war and rumors of war. Jesus also says don't murder. Jesus says turn the other cheek. Jesus says love your neighbor.

Do I think this country needs to do what Jesus says? No. Why? Because this isn't a Christian nation. Lots of people live here, lots of people are in office, and the majority of people who live here aren't Christian. That's why I say that. A free country implies a country where people are free. That means they can believe and think differently. That means this country isn't Christian.

So, on pacifism. Yesterday, a professor I know wrote on facebook that his inner Bonhoeffer and his inner Yoder were fighting. For those who have no idea what this means, which is most of the population, Bonhoeffer lived during WWII and really wanted Hitler to be hurt. He writes about it extensively. Yoder, on the other hand, is a current day pacifist who has written excellently on the topic of pacifism, Christianity, and what it looks like in today's world.

I am with this professor. Conflicted. My inner pacifist fights with my inner revenge self. Part of myself screams 'Vindication!' while the other part screams 'Justice? This is justice?'.

I land in a place where I firmly state and believe that hate cannot drive out hate. People hate this country. Our hatred of those people doesn't drive out their hate of us. Terrorism will continue. I'm not convinced this whole thing makes that big of a difference on a terrorism scale. I am convinced that is makes a big difference in the lives of many soldiers, families of soldiers, and people who lost loved ones or lived in New York on 9/11.

My inner self, however, is forced to remember that I live by a biblical ethic. Well, I try to anyway. I have been trained to remember that theology cannot be based on specific events or specific people, but based on broader truths that you cling to in specific situations. For example, just because you know one woman who is your friend and is a pastor, that is not a reason for you to broadly think that women should be pastors. Instead, one should consult the Bible, read some books, talk to some people, and think it through. The friend might cause you to begin to delve into the issue, but that person should not be your entire reason for changing your belief system.

In other words, I am a pacifist. Am I anti-military? No. I support people who make that choice, I am thankful for what they do for this country and people around the world, and I make sure that the people I know in the armed forces know that I appreciate their sacrifice. I understand that many people cannot believe that you can be both a pacifist and someone who respects the military. I believe you can, but most people are seeing red in their eyeballs while reading that I am a pacifist.

That's okay.

From my perspective, from what I have studied, I see Jesus calling us to live a life of love. Love for me can never mean hate. Love, in my opinion, never murders, rapes, or kills. Justice, for me, is love. The problem is that my definition of justice is based on a different reading of the Bible than some other people.

And that's okay.

I don't think the Bible is black and white. I think this is a shade of gray area. I don't think everyone should be pacifists. I don't think we should be war-mongering either. Encouraging killing other God-imprinted human beings isn't okay with me. Ever. On a broad scale, I think people agree with this. It is the smaller scale and the narrow scope where it gets hairy.

And it is hairy. It is hard for me.

Remember, my inner self also rejoiced at the news. But then my pacifist self said 'Hey!'.

I am realizing as I get older that life isn't easy. People are going to disagree with me. Most people in the pews are not pacifists. My family isn't, most of my friends aren't. I don't mind. Most people that I know actually don't think women should be pastors. Most people think that women should submit to men. Most people I know aren't okay with lots of things that I believe. I'm okay with that. I like the discussion, I like the debate.

I don't like the anger. Or the rage. Or the news media.

I am a pacifist. Way back when, I wrote a post about how I have changed a lot of who I am in recent years and how that is hard for some people to swallow. This is one of those things. This is one of those times when people are riled up at me.

But I am a pacifist. This is who I am. You don't have to be. 'Just war' theology is, quite honestly, almost as swaying an argument for me. Just not quite enough.