MFSA
Pledge of Nonviolence
adopted
October 2003, Little Rock, Arkansas
Introduction
The church is committed to the teachings of Jesus as expressed most clearly in
the Sermon on the Mount. Although Jesus taught that love must replace violence,
the church has often tolerated and even encouraged violence against those it
perceives as enemies of God. The Church has been complicit in violence. Today,
the scope of violence has reached the point where the survival of the human
race and of the ecosystems on which human life depend are at risk. Believing
that the threat of violence has reached emergency proportions, we intend to
launch a campaign to enlist thousands of people in the effort to overcome the
violence in our society and in the world. As part of that effort we urge United
Methodists to commit themselves individually and as churches, to the following
pledge:
A Pledge of Nonviolence
Violence in its many forms, from domestic violence to systemic violence and weapons
of mass destruction, is the greatest threat to the future of humanity. Violence
takes place when human beings are oppressed, exploited, or condemned to a life
of poverty.
Violence to the Earth takes place when the ecosystems that support all life are
disrupted or destroyed for the benefit and enrichment of a few.
Believing that violence is woven into our culture from childhood, and that overcoming
it must begin with each individual, I commit myself to a life of nonviolence
and to working with others, of whatever faith or persuasion, who make a similar
commitment. To this end, I commit myself:
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To
avoid violence in my language, thoughts, actions and relationships.
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To
engage in responsible consumption through the
use of products and foods that
have not been produced through violence to persons or the Earth.
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To
seek alternatives to being part of the war machine
in my own life and to support peacekeeping forces
under international sponsorship
such as the United Nations
as an alternative to all wars.
-
To
work for the creation of programs of peacemaking
through the United Nations and multilateral instruments
such as the International
Criminal Court, the Kyoto
Protocol, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, and
the abolition of nuclear, chemical and biological
weapons.
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To
protest systems of violence through peaceful affirmation
or protest and, when
necessary, through civil disobedience.
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To
work in my church, synagogue, mosque or community group to advance
the nonviolent
teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Gandhi,
and the great religious leaders
of all major faiths.
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