There is a difference between no resistance and peaceful resistance. I am thinking along the lines of the Norwegian teachers' resistance to instituting a Nazification of their curriculum. Both Denmark and (I think) Bulgaria successfully resisted the deportation of Jews to the concentration camps. There were also a number of more local incidents.

I think there is enough to show that had the Nazis been met with the massive resistance of the sort Gandhi mobilized in India, they would have been far less successful. But it takes time to educate and train people in peaceful resistance and non-cooperation.

Our governments massively invest in training people for war, but there is almost no funding available for training in peaceful resistance. That is why violence looks like the only feasible answer.

In the case of Denmark, the Danish were able to transport Jews to Sweden when they became aware of the NAZI decision to round up the Jews and ship them to the camps. Bulgaria, largely due to the success of the Cardinal who well prepared his people to not cooperate, did indeed pull it off, but if the NAZI's had won the war I have no doubt those Jews would have been terminated as well.

And if Germany had won the war, just imagine what would have happened next. There was a plan submitted to Hitler by Hans Frank, who was in charge of occupied Poland for the NAZI's, to divide the Poles into the Germanic and the Slavic, with the latter eventually being murdered or worked to death. I had a chance to study the Holocaust in Poland back in 1991 for two weeks, and I have no doubt that if the NAZI's had won, the exterminations we saw would have only been the tip of the iceberg.






I think people should be aware and, if the situation occurs where it may be necessary, to try peaceful resistance first. I am not anti non-violence, and I have stated before that I consider Gandhi to be my mentor, but I think that this approach has its limitations at times. And if someone says that he/she will not use violent force because of religious reasons, then I believe they must follow their conscience.

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"The further the spiritual evolution of mankind advances, the more certain it seems to me that the path to genuine religiosity does not lie through the fear of life, and the fear of death, and blind faith, but through striving after rational knowledge."-- Einstein

I think it was also Thomas Jefferson who said something to the effect that the Tree of Liberty had to be watered with blood... We mustn't I think judge Jefferson by a few lines attributed to him.

Speaking of those swords being hammered into ploughs though I am reminded of a quote from Leo Tolstoy:

"But while we shall adhere to the doctrine of non-resistance and passive submission to enemies, we purpose, in a moral and spiritual sense, to assail iniquity in high places and in low places, to apply our principles to all existing evil, political, legal, and ecclesiastical institutions, and to hasten the time when the kingdoms of this world will have become the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. It appears to us a self-evident truth that whatever the Gospel is designed to destroy at any period of the world, being contrary to it, ought now to be abandoned. If, then, the time is predicted when swords shall be beaten into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks, and men shall not learn the art of war any more, it follows that all who manufacture, sell, or wield these deadly weapons do thus array themselves against the peaceful dominion of the Son of God on earth."

This is also almost like the speech of Martin Luther King:

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only
love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies
toughness in a descending spiral of destruction....The chain reaction of evil -- hate begetting
hate, wars producing more wars -- must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark
abyss of annihilation.

--Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)

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"it benefits us to be thoughtful, not of the glory of our minds, but rather, above all else, of the glory of God."
- Johannes Kepler

Before we go however it might be good to cite the actual verse of scripture being discussed as sometimes it can illuminate the discussion.

Here is it:


And He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

Jewish Publication Society Tanakh

This implies to me a "Judge" and a justice will decide or be in a preeminate position of supreme judgement of all the nations. Sometimes this element of the verse of scripture is forgotten.

- Art

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"it benefits us to be thoughtful, not of the glory of our minds, but rather, above all else, of the glory of God."
- Johannes Kepler

Most Jews and Christians view this as a messianic projection that has not and will not be fulfilled until later. In the case of Judaism, the Messiah has not arrived and, therefore, the fulfillment of this prophecy will not be fulfilled until he does. In Christianity, the belief tends to be that this prophecy will be fulfilled when Jesus returns. However, in Christianity, there are verses that indicate that this was the direction that Jesus was going, such as "turn the other cheek", "be as harmless as doves", those who live by the sword...", etc.

Buddhism has it that we are to be compassionate and act justly towards all sentient beings, but non-violence is not demanded in all circumstances. HHDL does believe and teach that war nowadays has become so horrific that it should be avoided as much as possible.

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"The further the spiritual evolution of mankind advances, the more certain it seems to me that the path to genuine religiosity does not lie through the fear of life, and the fear of death, and blind faith, but through striving after rational knowledge."-- Einstein

Yes thanks Metis. I'm familiar with how most Christians and Jews regard this.. My own thought about the verse of scripture is that a world government is implied or rather maybe an international court of arbitration which could execute the judgements. Baha'is believe that the prophecies have already been fulfilled.

- Art

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"it benefits us to be thoughtful, not of the glory of our minds, but rather, above all else, of the glory of God."
- Johannes Kepler

Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not. Thomas Jefferson

My reading of that is that the ones who hammer their guns into ploughs will be subjugated under those who don't, more like a "might is right" kind of thing. That's just my impression anyway.

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Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood. Marie Curie