Christian Pacifism Quotes

Christians never shall employ the sword to protect property, character, liberty or life. Let the heathen rule us.

No one can claim to be called Christian who gives money for the building of warships and arsenals.

There's nothing militant about Jesus. I don't read anything like that in any of the gospels. Peter drew his sword and cut off the servant's ear, and Jesus said, "Put back thy sword, Peter." But Peter has had his sword out and at work ever since.

I know there are some Christians who believe that war and their participation in it are morally wrong. While I respect their views and must allow them to follow their consciences, I do not believe the Bible teaches pacifism.

I can write no other than this: unless we use the weapons of the spirit, denying ourselves and taking up our cross and following Jesus, dying with Him and rising with Him, men will go on fighting, and often from the highest motives, believing that they are fighting defensive wars for justice and in self-defense against present or future aggression.

The gospel has but a forced alliance with war. Its doctrine of human brotherhood would ring strangely between the opposed ranks. The bellowing speech of cartoon and the baptism of blood mock its liturgies and sacraments. Its gentle beatitudes would hardly serve as mottoes for defiant banners, nor its list of graces as names for ships-of-the-line.

My way of putting it is that Christians are called to live nonviolently not because we believe nonviolence is a strategy to rid the world of war, but in a world of war as faithful followers of Christ, we cannot imagine being anything other than nonviolent.

The responsibility of war is entirely upon the professing Christians of the United States. If another war like the last [WW I] should come, they will be responsible for every drop of blood that will be shed.

We kind o' thought Christ went agin war an' pillage.

We stand at the present time with the Communists, who are also opposing war.... The Sermon on the Mount is our Christian manifesto.