Agape: A Peacemaking Guide for Kids
May 2024, Issue 01/Resisting War
What is War, and How do we Resist it?
By Marie Rhoades
At On Earth Peace, we have a dream of a world with no oppression, no violence, and no war.
The Agape magazine series will introduce you to how you can resist war, make peace, and pursue justice. We look forward to exploring these ideas together as we work toward our dream.
War is so big and happens in so many places.
Simply put, war hurts people like you and me and separates families like yours and mine. It takes away important resources like having enough food, clean water, or a safe shelter. It also robs people of valuable opportunities like going to school, seeing/making friends, and playing outside. It can be hard to know how to respond and what can be done to stop war.
As long as there has been war, there have been people who resist war, who fight against the idea that violence is needed to solve conflicts, and who work to stop the things that lead to war.
Saying no to war and actively working to stop the things that lead to war is courageous. People who refuse to participate in war are called conscientious objectors (COs). Many COs say no to war because of their faith, which reminds them that all people are created by God and that we need to care for our neighbors. This is true across different religious traditions.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. taught that “Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people.”
Saying no to participating in war is important, but it is not enough. It is also important to end the things that lead to war. This means making sure that everyone has the resources they need to live a full life--enough food and water, a safe place to live, meaningful things to do, and a community that cares for one another. It means not being afraid of people who are different, but instead learning from each other. And it means that we need to create a global community willing to put aside individual desires for power and wealth so that we can live in peace.
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