Tag Archives: nonviolence

Justice without Violence

Living in the Spirit
August 7, 2018

Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-32

Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak. His head caught fast in the oak, and he was left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on. And ten young men, Joab’s armor-bearers, surrounded Absalom and struck him, and killed him.

 Then the Cushite came; and the Cushite said, ‘Good tidings for my lord the king! For the Lord has vindicated you this day, delivering you from the power of all who rose up against you.’ The king said to the Cushite, ‘Is it well with the young man Absalom?’ The Cushite answered, ‘May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up to do you harm, be like that young man.’ –2 Samuel 18:9, 15, 31-32

An age old question, when is war ever necessary? And a second question, when war is deemed necessary why does it always seem to demand retribution and gloating by the victor? I am reading Stone Song: A Novel of the Life of Crazy Horse by Win Blevins that delves into the spiritual aspects of this warrior’s response to the disenfranchisement of his people during the 19th century in the USA. Western tribes were being removed from their traditional lands at gunpoint and restricted to reservations where many starved to death.  Crazy Horse’s early defined quest to lead his people against the white soldiers displacing them was accompanied by warnings from his spirit guide not to take scalps and not to participate in the after-battle celebrations.

Will we ever discern ways to accomplish justice without violence? Oklahoma City this week is preparing to celebrate one of the first, if not the first civil rights sit-ins held in the USA during August 1958. The sit-ins were led by a school teacher, Mrs. Clara Luper. Many of the participants were youth. All were taught how to respond non-violently to any provocations to their filling all the stools at lunch counters in various downtown Oklahoma City businesses. Participants were spat on, called many names, and not served but their point was made. It took a tremendous amount of courage to approach the issue nonviolently.

Jesus spoke to the problem of injustice when he identified the second most important commandment as loving our neighbors as we love ourselves*.  He recognized an eternal truth. How would we want to be treated if we projected ourselves into our neighbor’s situation? How would we feel if we along with our families were restricted to a small piece of land, not allowed to hunt for our food, and not provided enough food to sustain life for all our people? How would we react if we could buy goods sold in a store but could not eat at their lunch counter? It is a paradox, but it is an eternal truth we cannot love others as we love ourselves unless we can love ourselves in the same situation others are experiencing.

Prayer: God of Justice, gift us each with empathy allowing us to see ourselves and our neighbors as clearly as Jesus saw them. Amen.

*Matthew 22:37-39

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

The Bully on the Bus

On the bus bullying1Living in the Spirit
June 16, 2015

Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 17:32-49

The Philistine said to David, ‘Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the field.’ But David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied….When the Philistine drew nearer to meet David, David ran quickly towards the battle line to meet the Philistine. David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground. –1 Samuel 17:44-45, 48-49

When I was in the third or fourth grade, the high school guy with the worst, meanest reputation road my school bus. He actually would later end up in juvenile detention and adult prison. I do not know how much of that I understood or even knew, when I was eight or nine years old. I knew I did not like him picking on me. He was a bully. I also don’t remember ever being taught to fight back to protect myself. My brother was, but I don’t think that was approved behavior for young girls.

In any case, this guy keep reaching over the back of my seat on the school bus and messing with my hair or grabbing at my books. It was an innate reaction on my part. I don’t think I thought about it at all, but with one swift slap of the little purse I was carrying, I creamed his face and cause a very serious nose bleed. I was horrified as blood spurted everywhere, but the entire school bus broke out in gales of laughter. The meanest guy in school had been brought down by a little girl. The bus driver quickly stopped the bus, quieted the rest of the bunch, and attended to the guys nose bleed. I heard him call the guy by his name and say, “You need to stop picking on them”. The driver said nothing to me as I sunk deeper and deeper into my seat mortified that I could do such serious harm.

I honestly cannot remember ever hitting anyone again and have become a very strong supporter of non-violent approaches to solving problems. David’s words still ring true in a non-violent world. We are called to come to [our enemies] in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Peace work is, in fact, just as important for the bully as it is for the oppressed. All of God’s children need to be saved from injustice, even the ones causing it.

Prayer: Lord, teach us your ways so that our innate responses are acts of live not violence. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.