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Peace
Like a River
Delivered by
Bruce Arnold, March 25, 2007
At the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, New Bern, NC
In the middle of the last millennium—the 1400’s, 1500’s, 1600’s—Europe was in constant ferment. Wars great and small raged so often, they must be considered the norm rather than the exception. There were the usual reasons, of course: land, wealth, power, and dynastic succession. But there was also the religious factor.
Not that this was anything new. When have wars not been fought over faith? Preceding centuries had seen battle between Christian and Muslim on both ends of the Mediterranean. In Asia, Muslim fought Hindu.
But in Europe during this epoch, there was something new: wars of religion between Christians. Not of conquest in the usual sense, as when Christian Frenchmen crossed the Channel in 1066 and subjugated Christian Britain. No, these new wars were fought over doctrine: Catholic versus Protestant.
Eventually, a small movement arose, which was repulsed by this, and reacted against it. On the Continent, there appeared the Anabaptist Churches, which we know today as the Amish, the Mennonites, and the Dunkard Brethren. In England, George Fox, Margaret Fell, and others founded the Society of Friends, or Quakers. All of these groups were ardently pacifist.
It is important to note that they were not pacifist for humanistic political, social, or ethical reasons. They did not preach against violence because of the cost, or the suffering, or the disruption. Many of them, especially among the Quakers, were great disturbers of the social fabric, and while they did not perpetrate violence, they frequently incited it. (In modern times, Gandhi was a past master of this, but his reasons were political as well as spiritual.)
No, the objection to violence was based on scripture. They viewed pacifism as a Christian duty, as much as prayer, preaching, or charity. Christ commanded his followers to be peacemakers, and to turn the other cheek, and if it led to persecution such as Jesus suffered, all well and good. Ad Maioram Gloria Dei: to the greater glory of God. Most of the pioneering Friends would not recognize either the practice of, or rationale for, pacifism as it is generally known today, which is humanistic in essence, even among Quakers.
Coming of age in the 60’s, it was a heady time to be a young man or woman. The world was full of new ideas, new music, new colors, new styles, and new relationships—everything the teenage mind could desire.
For many people I know, ideas and attitudes, and values that were adapted in those halcyon days are still what they live by. I dare say this is true for many of us here today. It is largely true for me. And that very observation should be enough to make us pause and reflect. If we remember anything about those days, it was a time of turmoil and testing. So many ideas that seemed worthwhile have fallen by the wayside. For instance, the commune movement has not had legs. The Whole Earth Catalog is out of print. And people like me who thought drugs were so great are now celebrating years of clean time.
One of the grandest ideas that caught our imagination in the 60’s was Peace. We felt, as so many still feel, that all conflict can be settled nonviolently. We felt, as many feel, that all violence is bad. By extension, all military activity is beyond the pale.
Well, who can argue with Peace? Who does not desire harmony, prosperity, the flourishing of culture and good will? Such healthy wishes are found in world literature of all ages and places. Here are a few notable quotes on the subject from the Bible, which has had such an impact on Western society: 1. I Kings 4:21-25; 2. Isaiah 66:12-16; 3. Isaiah 9:6-7, (1-7); 4. Zechariah 9:9-10; 5. Micah 4:1-5. Many of these stirring statements are well-known even to those who are not practicing Jews or Christians, such is the mark they have left on civilization.
I registered as a conscientious objector when I went down to the draft board at age 18. I knew my local board had never granted to C.O. status and so I was faced with imprisonment should I have been called up. My pacifism was absolute. When asked if I would fight in the event of an assault on myself, or my girlfriend, I responded that I would not.
While I had respect for those of my friends and family who chose military service, I did believe that war was an outmoded way to settle differences, and believed that modern people should labor to eliminate the military altogether.
My values have not changed so very much since then. I still believe it is better to resolve disagreements, than to fight over them. I still recognize the tragedy of war. However, I have seen a great deal in the last 40 years, and have reconsidered how those values might apply today.
First, I have given up on the idea of utopia. People are people. I see no evidence that all of us, or even enough of us, will become saints. Even the authors of those stirring Bible passages know this. These prophets were talking about what would happen in God’s kingdom, not man’s.
Second, I have found that force is not all cut from the same cloth. A predator can use it, but it can also protect from predators. Today, I would fight to protect myself, a loved one, or an innocent stranger from a criminal assault.
Finally, I have seen that the practice of pacifism is an outstanding form of spiritual discipline. There are things I have learned about myself and the world, as a pacifist, that could have been gleaned in no other way. But like any spiritual discipline: prayer, meditation, charity, service, pilgrimage, chanting, saying a rosary—it cannot be made an instrument of national policy. Even the Swiss, so famous for centuries of neutrality, have a well-equipped army and a tradition of universal military service by all young men.
I ask each of you to examine your own beliefs on war and peace. Are they founded on utopianism, or on reality? Are they a personal choice, or would you force them on others? Can we as a community work for justice, while recognizing that justice holds a sword as well as the scales?
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