Empowered Resistance
Jesus of Nazareth walked the Earth for thirty-three years, the last of these as a humble prophet and merciful teacher. Sent by God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God performed miracles and healings through the blessing of the Holy Spirit. As a man, he lived simply, spoke kindly, cared for those in need, and comforted those who suffered. In His eternal and infinite Love, Jesus guided humanity and opened our hearts to faith in the Holy Trinity and the Divine goodness in one another.
Jesus, an extraordinary being, made an immense impact on civilization, so much so, that time is defined as before (BCE) and after (AD) Christ. We are aware of the miraculous story from His birth in Bethlehem to His Crucifixion and Resurrection at what is now the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. We are aware of His gracious and forgiving nature, through the Gospels of His disciples in the New Testament, and sermons given by clergy to congregations, around the world.
The teaching of Jesus is nonviolence, expressed most beautifully in The Sermon on the Mount.
https://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/csj/csj017.htm
His message to those gathered near the Sea of Galilee, over 2,000 years ago, was one of love and compassion. The Golden Rule is our core moral lesson and remains fundamental to nonviolent conduct today.
From Matthew 7.12:
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
Leo Tolstoy (1828 to 1910) was born into Russian nobility but preferred the virtues and company of peasants. He often toiled with them in the fields and worked to end their suffering.
Tolstoy was a great novelist and radical thinker, who constantly questioned his belief. His classics resound today: Anna Karenina, War and Peace, The Death of Ivan Ilych, and Resurrection.
After serving as a soldier in the Russian army from 1852 to 1856, Tolstoy renounced war and became an absolute pacifist. He stressed the importance of individual conscience in making such a decision and proceeded to be an outspoken critic of war and its hypocrisy.
His nonfiction included hundreds of essays, an autobiography titled The Confession, and The Kingdom of God is Within You where he spoke as an advocate of nonviolence.
Tolstoy cites the Gospel of Matthew 5.38-42:
38 You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’[h] 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
and Matthew 5.43-45
43 You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven.
Tolstoy expands and explains that Jesus taught us to not only refrain from violence but to do good for the one who has violated you.
Tolstoy’s philosophy inspired and influenced many followers called Tolstoyans to transform words into actions. https://wrldrels.org/2025/03/15/tolstoyan-communities/
They formed utopian communities, the first in 1921, named the Life and Labor Commune, close to Moscow. Later communal living spread to Siberia, Bulgaria, Britain and the United States, based on the same principles:
These small groups of people were absolute pacifists, who vowed conscientious objection to war; paid no military taxes; and completed no military training.
They lived a simple and humble existence of agricultural and manual labour and communal ownership of property toward self-sufficiency.
They valued the teachings of Jesus and practiced nonviolence always.
In The Kingdom of God is Within You, Leo Tolstoy furthers our understanding of nonviolence.
He instructs that humans are flawed but in thought, word, and deed, we must always try to improve by becoming truly nonviolent. Tolstoy believes that this is what God asks of us.
The Divine perfection is the asymptote of human life, to which it is always striving, and always approaching. (p87)
Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi, Great Soul, lived on Earth from 1869 to 1948, effected tremendous change through nonviolence, and continues to live in our hearts.
Raised in Porbandar, Gujarat, India, he attended a Hindu temple, listening to words from the Bhagavad Gita and the Koran. He believed in the sanctity of every religion, as can be witnessed today in the Kirti Mandi temple built in Gandhi’s honor, which symbolizes harmony, unity and peace.
In his own words, from the excellent website, MK Gandhi: https://www.mkgandhi.org/index.html
You may say you do not believe in Him. You do not know that but for His will, you could not draw a single breath. Call him Ishwar, Allah, God, Ahura-Mazda. His names are as innumerable as there are men. He is one without a second. He alone is great. There is none greater than He. He is timeless, formless, stainless.
Gandhi also had a resolute faith in God.
I see (the power of the Supreme God) as purely benevolent. For I can see that in the midst of death, life persists, in the midst of untruth, truth persists, in the midst of darkness, light persists. Hence I gather that God is Life, Truth, Light. He is Love. He is the Supreme Good.
Gandhi loved Jesus and honored Leo Tolstoy by naming his second ashram The Tolstoy Farm. Embracing the teachings of these men, Gandhi approached nonviolence as a living experiment, both spiritual and political. He believed that these were the two essential aspects of the life of every human being.
In adherence to the Hindu and Jain faith, he learned from the ancient texts, the Vedas and the Bhagavad Gita, and referred to them often for guidance. From the Upanishads, (end of the Vedas, known as Vedanta), he understood that the individual soul, Atman, is as One with Brahman, the Ultimate Reality, and so embodies Divine, Universal Love.
This informs Gandhi’s belief that each and every living being is inherently good and valued. Further that when we hold awareness of the One and All, the unity and interconnection of all living beings, it follows that we can do no-harm. Thus is the essence of Gandhi’s program of nonviolence, in the spiritual practice of Ahimsa.
Ahimsa, one of the five Hindu yamas or moral vows, is a matter of the heart and in the spirit of Love and compassion, becomes a way of life.
Ahimsa requires:
Humility in the eyes of God, as we ever strive toward the grace of the Divine.
Gratitude to God for the life He has given and on Whom we are wholly dependent.
Love of self which includes drawing positivity and purity to body, mind and heart, that is, everything that draws Life closer.
Love and kindness, respect and compassion, in how we treat others. Observe The Golden Rule.
Discipline, for Ahimsa is all encompassing in every thought, word and deed.
Living with joy! This is how we honor God, the Love within.
Living simply, as we co-exist with all living beings.
Living fearlessly, with courage and wisdom.
Once we embrace Ahimsa as a loving, uniting, and life-giving force, we align ourselves in right conduct and are prepared for the political action of Satyagraha. Derived from the yama of Satya, Truth, combined with agraha, Firmness comes Satyagraha or Truth Force, which has inspired campaigns of nonviolent resistance to this day.
The original premise, Gandhi garnered from experience as a lawyer in South Africa. He proclaims that from our original state of Love, it is injustice and indignity that degrade humans in the world and must be refused.
The first principle is one of non-cooperation, that is, humans must not abide with anything and withdraw support from everything that is humiliating.
The core purpose, always attained through nonviolent means, progresses through open, clear communication to restore human dignity and secure justice for all.
Participants or Satyagrahi are required to:
Have unshakeable faith in God. Be aware that there is glory in the effort and having made it, God will insure the victory.
Love and respect their enemies, remembering that the fault of the issue rests in an unjust situation or behavior, not the person.
Always refrain from violence against an opponent and do good instead, which is the basis of community building.
Stay true to one’s principles; embody courage and wisdom; and be prepared to sacrifice to the death.
The program involves action which is progressive and may include:
Noncooperation can take many forms and involves removing yourself from a humiliating situation; or refusing to participate in the injustice; or withdrawing support from the source of the indignity. It may involve letter writing or petition campaigns to government representatives and corporate CEOs to express your views; It includes boycotts, strikes, walk-outs.
Adjudication, Arbitration or Negotiation are entered into with adherence to one’s values and love and respect for one’s opponents. The purpose is to find common ground and solutions that are workable for all. This honest, open communication seeks the restoration of human dignity and thus the elevation of spirit for everyone involved. The goal is the transformation of relationships toward mutual trust and understanding. This encourages a lasting resolution and solidifies a nonviolent process to settle any conflict that may arise.
Civil Resistance occurs only once negotiation fails, and the mobilization of citizens is required. If the issue in question, violates your conscience, you must act, you must stand. In fact, many would say it is your duty to sound your voice. Protest makes the injustice visible. The unity and solidarity of these peaceful actions empowers us!
This can also be a celebration of peace, like the Vancouver Peace Walks in the 1980s, which keep the spirit alive!
Civil Disobedience is organized action to deliberately break an unjust law in order to change the law. Often this involves arrest and imprisonment of those involved. The most moving of these actions in the nonviolent campaign toward the Independence of India, is beautifully and honestly depicted in Richard Attenbourough’s film Gandhi, scenes of the Salt March.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Igl89xgmjhM
Gandhi wrote volumes on nonviolence in his weekly journals:
Young India which was from 1919 to 1931
Harijan which was published from 1933 to 1955.
His words and actions changed the course of history and inspired others to seek dignity and justice in nonviolent movements around the world.
In these dark times, let us remember Gandhi’s message:
When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.