Religion: Diluted Pacifism

Pacifism, as a religious belief, seems to be declining in the U.S., according to Vernon H. Holloway, associate professor of religion and philosophy at Ohio's Denison University.

The traditional peace sects regarded pacifism as a Christian commandment, to be followed regardless of the consequences. It became diluted between World Wars I & II, says Holloway, by the social thinking of liberal Protestants who hoped to use Christian ideas to reform society. Up until Pearl Harbor, denunciations and renunciations of war "as an instrument of national policy" rang out from many church conventions. But...

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