Violence And Pacifism
Pacifism means the opposition to war and violence.
Conscientious objectors are people who have been allowed to refuse to fight/take part in a war due to various reasons such as religion. One of the most famous conscientious objectors is an Australian man called Franz jägerstätter. He was executed for refusing to serve for the Nazi Wehrmacht.
Pacifists could argue that due to war and violence, people are dying and causing an everlasting cycle of death due to war continues. This means that as long as one person causes war and violence, it will always continue. Another argument could be that valuable resources are being used on weapons, which is destroying our environment and habitats.
Hinduism teaches for Hindu’s never to use violence. Ahimsa is a key teaching and it teaches Hindu’s to fight injustice and evil, without using and physical force to harm someone.
There are several key teachings in Hinduism relating to pacifism. One of these is Bhagavad Gita 2:31, Krishna is having a discussion with Arjuna, the teaching states that Arjuna is not willing to fight but Krishna teaches him that it is his role to fight and protect good.
This teaching tells us that in Hinduism fighting is not 100% forbidden, you can fight but for the good of saving one from evil. This can also mean that ahimsa allows fighting when needed. This has been known to sometimes create confusion among Hindu’s on the topic of non-violence.
Some people believe that pacifism will not work on a national policy since you will need to go to war if a country wants to attack you.
Conscientious objectors are people who have been allowed to refuse to fight/take part in a war due to various reasons such as religion. One of the most famous conscientious objectors is an Australian man called Franz jägerstätter. He was executed for refusing to serve for the Nazi Wehrmacht.
Pacifists could argue that due to war and violence, people are dying and causing an everlasting cycle of death due to war continues. This means that as long as one person causes war and violence, it will always continue. Another argument could be that valuable resources are being used on weapons, which is destroying our environment and habitats.
Hinduism teaches for Hindu’s never to use violence. Ahimsa is a key teaching and it teaches Hindu’s to fight injustice and evil, without using and physical force to harm someone.
There are several key teachings in Hinduism relating to pacifism. One of these is Bhagavad Gita 2:31, Krishna is having a discussion with Arjuna, the teaching states that Arjuna is not willing to fight but Krishna teaches him that it is his role to fight and protect good.
This teaching tells us that in Hinduism fighting is not 100% forbidden, you can fight but for the good of saving one from evil. This can also mean that ahimsa allows fighting when needed. This has been known to sometimes create confusion among Hindu’s on the topic of non-violence.
Some people believe that pacifism will not work on a national policy since you will need to go to war if a country wants to attack you.