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Religion and Non-Violence
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building of any naval ship, any arsenal, of any fortification; we regard as unchristian and wrong the existence of any standing army, all military chieftains or soldiers, all monuments commemorative of victory over a fallen foe, all trophies won in battle, all celebrations in honour of military exploits, all annexations acquired by armed force; and we regard as unchristian and wrong every edict of government requiring military service of its subjects.
"In consequence of all this, we consider it unlawful to bear arms or to hold any office that obliges us to compel men to do right on pain of imprisonment or death. We, therefore, voluntarily exclude ourselves from every legislative and judicial body, and repudiate all human politics, worldly honours, and stations of authority.
"If we cannot occupy a seat in the legislative or on the bench, neither can we select others to act as our substitutes in any such capacity.
"It follows that we cannot sue any man at law to compel him by force to restore anything which he may have wrongly taken from us or others; but if he has seized our coat, we shall surrender up our cloak rather than subject him to punishment.
"We believe that the penal code of the old covenant, 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,' has been abrogated by Jesus Christ, and that under the new covenant the forgiveness instead of the punishment of the enemies has been enjoined upon all his disciples in all cases whatsoever. To extort money from enemies, to confine them in prison, to exile them, or hang them on gallows, is obviously not to forgive but to take retribution.
"The history of mankind is crowded with evidence proving that physical coercion is not adapted to moral regeneration; that the sinful disposition of men can be subdued only by love, that evil can be exterminated only by goodness; that we should not trust to the strength of an arm to preserve us from harm, but that real security dwells in gentleness, long suffering and mercy; that it is only the weak who shall inherit the earth, but that the violent who resort to the sword are destined to perish with the sword.
"And, therefore, both for the safety of life, property, liberty, public quietude and private welfare, and in order to fulfil the
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