Memorial Day: A Call for Pacifism

I stood silently under the old shade tree atop the hill in Radnor, Ohio's cemetery, watching member after member of my church family walk down the hill into the center of the crowd. The band proudly played through the Armed Forces medley, and most if the men I had grown up admiring marched to the beat. My heart swelled with pride for my country and family, groups of brave men and women who made impossible choices. It wasn't long before I discovered how ironic this Memorial Day tradition was: my family is made up of birthright Friends, and we all attended the same historically Friend church. How is it that these men and women I honored chose to conflict against their historical stance of pacifism and, in large numbers, become active and proud military members? How can the modern Quaker honor the veteran and fallen hero while affirming a peaceful testimony that despises state violence?

The United States has the most extensive and expensive military in the world. This seems birthed from necessity, as we have been in near-perpetual conflict since the country's origins. With so much of our energy and resources directed toward military action, it can be easy to forget that a once influential group of our country opposed any military action.

The Quaker founder George Fox once proclaimed that he lives "in the virtue of that life and power that took away the occasion of all wars…" and has immersed himself "into the covenant of peace which was before wars and strife ." In other words, Fox had found for himself in his connection with Christ the unconditional release from supporting or participating in violence. This pacifist stance can be traced throughout all major conflicts since the Quaker movement began in the 1650s. Even today, some Quaker branches hold to a strict form of pacifism.

Though Quakers have historically held a strict form of pacifism, they were undoubtedly affected and drawn in by the conflicts surrounding them. For many, the emotional stirrings of war created the urge to do something in them. Indeed, in wars like the American Revolutionary War and especially the American Civil War, values were at stake that prompted Quaker inclusion in the war. Many found a middle ground in providing humanitarian efforts. As time has progressed and Friends' movements, such as my own, have grown in diverse thought, a certain Americanization of values has introduced a broader acceptance of militarism and patriotism.

In my experience, that vision of a world without wars, once endorsed by the leaders of a radical Quaker movement, has been replaced with an Americanized stance of justifying war, believing that nuance is more Christlike than pacifism. With pacifism a testimony of the past, the modern Friend has accepted the American values of personal life, liberty, and happiness. What is not acknowledged is that those pleasures often come at the expense of others. The dream of a world incapable of violence because of the abundance of goodness found in the light of Christ has been traded for a version of the world where good ends are sometimes achieved by evil means.

The call to pacifism among the Religious Society of Friends is rooted in the belief that Christ's gift is grace for all humankind, purposed to bring all people and creation into reconciliation with himself. All people are granted access to the grace of Christ as they are created in his image. The peace testimony is meant to be a beacon of hope: disagreement does not have to lead to violence, but in Christ, another way has been forever presented.

If ever there is to be an ambassador for peace, the Christians and the Quakers recognize that Christ has offered a way of living without war.

The world seems hungry for an alternative to war. As the war in Ukraine wages on and the war surrounding Israel continues to escalate, the need for a peaceful resolution grows apparent. The anxiousness caused by political forces threatening violence feels grossly disconnected from a profoundly globalized world. Daily, the younger generations grow in communion with ideas and peoples far from their local communities through the avenues provided by the internet and modern education. There has been a progressive removal of the "them versus us" narrative, strengthening bonds between once-foreign nations. 

In many ways, those who died in service to the country embody a submission to others in their life and death. The service of our veterans and those who never made it home believe deeply in service and that their own story is part of a greater one that you and I continue to write about with our lives. For these values, we honor their choice and commitment to something significant that we benefit from today.

And yet, we have been given freedom and choice. If the world is to learn and take on a second way, a way in which no one is any longer lost in battle, one of the best avenues of doing so is after observing the life-preserving peace testimony of the Quakers and the Christians. We will not bring about an end to war and violence by taking up arms but truly only by laying them down for the sake of one another. To the Friend, we must commit to honoring those who have served our country both past and present while also seeking to exemplify a life-preserving approach to conflict rooted in compassion and reconciliation.

May we all strive toward enduring peace and justice for all.