Pacifism

1. Have you ever personally given pacifism any consideration? When you think of pacifism what historical figures and/or contemporary people come to mind?

2. Is there a significant difference between personal pacifism and societal pacifism beyond just scale?

3. Violence is commonly portrayed in entertainment media. Does this have a cathartic effect making pacifism more possible? Does it encourage acts of violence? Does it have no effect on people at all?

4. Is "absolute pacifism" possible? (See wikipedia page linked below). Has any person or group ever successfully practiced it? Did Jesus practice absolute pacifism?

5. Conditional pacifism is a wide spectrum of positions that allow for defensive acts of violence in certain circumstances. Is there ever an excuse for violence? What conditions are acceptable? 

6. The "Bad Brains" article below asserts, "From childhood bullying to intimate partner violence, urban violence, police brutality, mass shootings, violent extremism, genocide, and even war, perpetrators of violence almost always believe they’re victims seeking justice." Is seeking justice an acceptable reason for violence? If almost all perpetrators of violence feel they're seeking justice, what limits and definitions should constrain its use? Is wide-ranging pacifism even possible given the justifications the vast majority of people have for violent actions? 

7. Is there such a thing as "just war"? World War II is often cited as an example of a just war. Were the actual motivations for many countries fighting against the Nazis at the time of the war actually pure expressions of justice, or were they deemed just after the fact when the scale of acts of genocide and other horrors were revealed?

8. The "Bad Brians" article below includes this passage:  "But neuroscientists have discovered a different, more potent and widely available remedy for revenge right inside our own brains: forgiveness. Researchers conducting fMRI brain studies have discovered that when you simply imagine forgiving a grievance—without even informing the transgressor—you deactivate your brain’s pain network (the anterior insula)—stopping rather than merely covering up the pain of the grievance. You also shut down the nucleus accumbens and dorsal striatum—the brain’s pleasure and reward circuitry—which stops intrusive revenge desires. Finally, you activate your prefrontal cortex, restoring executive function and self-control so you can make decisions that are in your own self-interest. In other words, neuroscience shows us that forgiveness is a sort of wonder drug that stops pain, stops revenge craving, restores rational thinking, and helps set you free from the wrongs and traumas of the past." What role has forgiveness played in your life? Has it been a part of peace-making?

9. Many in the non-violent resistance movement including Gandhi and Martin Luther King have credited the teachings of Jesus as being central to peace making. Has your experience of Christians supported or contrasted the pacifist teachings of Jesus?

Discussion Background Materials