NP "Returning violence for violence multiplies violence"

[Doug Millison]

Why I'm content as a member of the UCC:

http://ucc.org/justice/jpr.htm

"[...] All of us suffer from the increase in violence
in our society. We are, understandably, fearful and
even at times paralyzed by the magnitude of the
problem. Indeed, a lack of hope is often at the root
of violence and it is all the more essential for us,
as people of faith, to identify and lift up the source
of hope and healing along with the possibilities for
faithful action which we can bring to the epidemic of
violence. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, "The
ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a
descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks
to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies
it....Returning violence for violence multiplies
violence....Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can
do that." As a church let us assess the toll that
violence levies against us all. Then may we proceed to
invert the descending spiral of violence into an
uprising of hope.[...]"


....The statement excerpted and linked above comes
from the denomination, United Church of Christ. Our
congregation, Arlington Community Church, is inviting
Muslim clerics to come and speak, opening an
interfaith dialogue and decide next steps to reduce
tensions in our community and in the larger world.

I post this as an example of the constructive work for
peace and nonviolence that is being done right now,
and as an example of the way religious moderates can
work together to deal with the root causes of violence
with increased understanding, love, and compassion.








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