Protestantism

» paper_turtle - active/passive

in post #12 Brother Jones wrote:
Hopefully, I would remember my Savior if I got into a situation where a little non-passive behavior was needed.
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in the post to which this one is linked BrotherJones wrote:
Everyone of us agrees that some kind of push back is involved with standing up against evil...even thieves don't like to be ripped off by other thieves.

One of the most frequent (and, to my mind, egregious) mistakes people make about non-violence is that they equate non-violence with being completely passive--letting people walk all over you, and meekly knuckling under.

There are many ways to respond to evil which are not violent. And if I were face-to-face with a violent person I would think it foolhardy to even attempt to prevail by the use of violence.

In less dire situations, violence is seldom the most constructive course of action. You, Brother Jones alluded to this when you referred to parents beating their children.

As I see it, non-violence seeks to engage the mind and heart, rather than invoking fear or physical harm. The person who is beaten into submission seldom loves his conquerer and converts to his conquer's side. Instead, he plots rebellion and retribution.

peace and love,
Paper Turtle

-- posted by paper_turtle