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108-673: Due to their commitment to Christian pacifism , the Moravians did not take sides during the American Revolutionary War, which caused them to be viewed with suspicion by both the British and the Americans. As the Moravians were collecting crops, Pennsylvania militia encountered them and falsely promised the Moravians that they would be "relocated away from the warring parties." Once they were gathered together, however,

216-574: A covenant with his people of Israel, placing conditions on them that they were to worship only him, and be obedient to the laws of life in the Ten Commandments. When Israel trusted and obeyed God, the nation prospered; when they rebelled, God spoke through prophets such as Ezekiel and Isaiah, telling Israel that God would wage war against Israel to punish her (Isaiah 59:15–19). War was used in God's ultimate purpose of restoring peace and harmony for

324-416: A method of settling international disputes is incompatible with the teaching and example of our Lord Jesus Christ." The 1948, 1958 and 1968 conferences re-ratified this position. The Anglican Pacifist Fellowship lobbies the various dioceses of the church to uphold this resolution and work constructively for peace. Scioto River The Scioto River ( / s aɪ ˈ oʊ t ə / sy- OH -tə )

432-520: A pacifist but expressed very strongly worded anti-war sentiment. Leo Tolstoy wrote extensively on Christian pacifism, while Mohandas K. Gandhi considered Tolstoy's The Kingdom of God is Within You as the text to have the most influence in his life. The first conscientious objector in the modern sense was a Quaker in 1815. Some Quakers had originally served in Cromwell's New Model Army before

540-550: A policy of conscientious objection . This was confirmed by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 1914. The official policy allows for military service in non-combative roles such as medical corps much like Seventh-day Adventist Desmond Doss who was the first conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor and one of only three so honored, and other supportive roles which do not require to kill or carry

648-671: A prolonged period of persecution by the Catholic Church , which did not recognize their unorthodox Christianity. Catharism arrived in Western Europe in the Languedoc region of France in the 11th century. While most information concerning Cathar belief was written by their accusers, and therefore may be inaccurate, purportedly they were strict pacifists and rigorous ascetics , abjuring war, killing, lying, swearing, and carnal relations in accordance with their understanding of

756-513: A weapon. In practice today, as a pastor from the Seventh-day Adventist church comments in an online magazine runs by members of the Seventh-day Adventist church: "Today in a volunteer army a lot of Adventist young men and women join the military in combat positions, and there are many Adventist pastors electing for military chaplaincy positions, supporting combatants and non-combatants alike. On Veteran's Day, American churches across

864-400: A world of sinful men and activities, such as war. God's participation through evil human activity such as war was for the sole purposes of both redemption and judgment. God's presence in these Old Testament wars does not justify or deem them holy, and instead is interpreted as serving to provide hope in a situation of hopelessness. The sixth commandment, "Thou shalt not kill" (Exodus 20:13) and

972-587: Is a river in central and southern Ohio more than 231 miles (372 km) in length. It rises in Hardin County just north of Roundhead, Ohio , flows through Columbus, Ohio , where it collects its largest tributary , the Olentangy River , flows south into Appalachian Ohio , and meets the Ohio River at Portsmouth . Early settlers and Native Americans used the river for shipping, but it

1080-501: Is also a place of "honoring the Christian people who died on the site during the American Revolutionary War." Christian pacifism Christian pacifism is the theological and ethical position according to which pacifism and non-violence have both a scriptural and rational basis for Christians, and affirms that any form of violence is incompatible with the Christian faith. Christian pacifists state that Jesus himself

1188-567: Is foolhardiness, as with the ordinary soldier. Wisdom without love and courage is cowardice, as with the ordinary intellectual. Therefore one who has love, courage, and wisdom is the one in a million who moves the world, as with Jesus, Buddha, and Gandhi. "What do you mean by anarchist-pacifist ?" First, I would say that the two words should go together, especially   [...] when more and more people, even priests, are turning to violence, and are finding their heroes in Camillo Torres among

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1296-504: Is lawful to kill dumb animals, in so far as they are naturally directed to man's use, as the imperfect is directed to the perfect." Catharism was a Christian dualist or Gnostic movement between the 12th and 14th centuries which thrived in Southern Europe , particularly in northern Italy and southern France . Followers were described as Cathars and referred to themselves as Good Christians, and are now mainly remembered for

1404-677: Is marked and has been maintained on the site; the village site has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. During the American Revolutionary War , the Lenni Lenape bands (also called Delaware) of the Ohio Country , both Munsee - and Unami -speaking, were deeply divided over which side, if any, to take in the conflict. The Munsee were generally northern bands originating from around

1512-582: Is not even allowed by the public laws, but He warns us against the commission of those things which are esteemed lawful among men. Thus it will be neither lawful for a just man to engage in warfare"; while Gregory of Nyssa conveys the spirit of anarchism , "How can a man be master of another's life, if he is not even master of his own? Hence he ought to be poor in spirit, and look at Him who for our sake became poor of His own will; let him consider that we are all equal by nature, and not exalt himself impertinently against his own race." Saint Maximilian of Tebessa

1620-409: Is not right to kill, yet in war it is lawful and praiseworthy to destroy the enemy; accordingly not only are they who have distinguished themselves in the field held worthy of great honours, but monuments are put up proclaiming their achievements." Some scholars believe that "the accession of Constantine terminated the pacifist period in church history." Nevertheless, the tradition of Christian pacifism

1728-479: Is now for a long period enjoying a benefit from Christ"; Archelaus , "many [soldiers] were added to the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ and threw off the belt of military service"; Cyprian of Carthage , "The whole world is wet with mutual blood; and murder, which in the case of an individual is admitted to be a crime, is called a virtue when it is committed wholesale"; and Lactantius , "For when God forbids us to kill, He not only prohibits us from open violence, which

1836-432: Is the only giver of life and God is sovereign over human life. Man's role is to be a steward who should take care of all of God's creation, and that includes protecting human life. Craige explains God's self-revelation through his participating in human history is referred to as " Salvation History ." The main objective of God's participation is man's salvation. God participates in human history by acting through people and in

1944-445: Is the word of peace; His body is the body of peace; His children are the seed of peace. To our most bitter opponents we say: 'We shall match your capacity to inflict suffering by our capacity to endure suffering. We shall meet your physical force with soul force. Do to us what you will, and we shall continue to love you.' Love without courage and wisdom is sentimentality, as with the ordinary church member. Courage without love and wisdom

2052-511: Is too small for modern commercial craft. The primary economic importance for the river now is for recreation and drinking water . It is the longest river that is entirely within Ohio. The Scioto River is represented on the Ohio state seal and coat of arms . The lower Scioto River valley is large compared to the width of the river and is extensively farmed. Meltwaters from retreating glaciers carved

2160-605: Is utterly incompatible with the plain precepts of our divine Lord and Law-giver, and with the whole spirit of the Gospel; and that no plea of necessity or policy, however urgent or peculiar, can avail to release either individuals or nations for the paramount allegiance which they owe to Him who hath said, "Love your enemies." Therefore, we cannot participate in war (Rom. 12:19), war activities, or compulsory training. The beliefs and practices of Jehovah's Witnesses have engendered controversy throughout their history . Consequently,

2268-652: The American Civil War . They are one of the few churches to have been legally formed over the issue of Christian pacifism. The British and Canadian arms of the group adopted the name "Christadelphian" in the following year, 1864, and also maintained objection to military service during the First and Second World Wars. Unlike Quakers, Christadelphians generally refused all forms of military service, including stretcher bearers and medics, preferring non-uniformed civil hospital service. The different groups evolving under

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2376-644: The Friends' Ambulance Unit with the aim of "co-operating with others to build up a new world rather than fighting to destroy the old", and the American Friends Service Committee during the two World Wars and subsequent conflicts. Shakers , who emerged in part from Quakerism in 1747, do not believe that it is acceptable to kill or harm others, even in times of war. During the American Civil War in 1864, shortly after

2484-639: The Gospel . Allegedly rejecting the Old Testament, Cathars despised dogmatic elements of Christianity, while their Priests ( Perfects ) subsisted on a diet of little more than vegetables cooked in oil, or fish not a product of sexual union. " Caedite eos. Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius. " is a phrase reportedly spoken by the commander of the Albigensian Crusade , prior to the massacre at Béziers on 22 July 1209. A direct translation of

2592-738: The Hudson River and upper Delaware River . The Unami were from the southern reaches of the Delaware. Years earlier, many Lenape had migrated west to Ohio from their territory on the mid-Atlantic coast to try to escape colonial encroachment, as well as pressure from Iroquois tribes based around the Great Lakes and western New York to the north. They resettled in what is now Ohio, with bands in several villages around their main village of Coshocton . These villages were named Schoenbrunn , Gnadenhutten , and Salem , and were located on what

2700-599: The Medieval Latin phrase is "Kill them. The Lord knows those that are his own." The Twelve Conclusions of the Lollards , a 1395 document of Lollardy , asserts that Christians should refrain from warfare, and in particular that wars given religious justifications, such as crusades, are blasphemous because Christ taught men to love and forgive their enemies. As early as 1420, Petr Chelčický taught that violence should not be used in religious matters. Chelčický used

2808-870: The River Brethren (such as the Brethren in Christ ), the Apostolic Christian Church , and the Bruderhof Communities . Although the group had already separated from the Campbellites , a part of the Restoration Movement , after 1848 for theological reasons as the "Royal Assembly of Believers", among other names, the " Christadelphians " formed as a church formally in 1863 in response to conscription in

2916-659: The Wyandot word skɛnǫ·tǫ’ 'deer' (compare Shenandoah , derived from the word for deer in another Iroquoian language ). During the antebellum years, the Scioto River provided a route to freedom for many slaves escaping from the South , as they continued north after crossing the Ohio River . Towns such as Chillicothe became important stops on the Underground Railroad . A traditional fiddle tune in

3024-511: The mound builders of the Hopewell tradition 2000 years ago, the Adena tradition 3000 years ago, and the later Fort Ancient culture about 1000 years ago. Numerous Hopewell earthworks can be seen near Chillicothe at Hopewell Culture National Historic Park . The former strength of these cultures is demonstrated in settler accounts from as far east as Virginia . The name Scioto is derived from

3132-432: The parable of the wheat and the tares (Matthew 13:24–30) to show that both the sinners and the saints should be allowed to live together until the harvest. He thought that it is wrong to kill even the sinful and that Christians should refuse military service . He argued that if the poor refused, the lords would have no one to go to war for them. Since then, many other Christians have made similar stands for pacifism as

3240-469: The peace churches , Christian Peacemaker Teams , and individuals like John Howard Yoder , make no claim to be anarchists. Roots of Christian pacifism can be found in the scriptures of the Old Testament according to Baylor University professor of religion, John A. Wood. Millard C. Lind explains the theology of warfare in ancient Israel as God directing the people of Israel to trust in him, not in

3348-789: The peace testimony of Friends was issued after the restoration of the British monarchy in 1660. A number of Christian denominations have taken pacifist positions institutionally, including the Quakers and Mennonites . The term "historical peace churches" refers to three churches—the Church of the Brethren , the Mennonites and the Quakers—who took part in the first peace church conference, in Kansas in 1935, and who have worked together to represent

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3456-547: The 1930s, when their proselytizing and numbers rapidly increased." At times, political and religious animosity against Jehovah's Witnesses has led to mob action and governmental repression in various countries including the United States , Canada and Nazi Germany . During World War II , Jehovah's Witnesses were targeted in the United States, Canada, and many other countries because they refused to serve in

3564-605: The 2010 Strategic Plan for downtown Columbus and was funded by a coalition of public and private entities. Prior to its demolition, the Main Street Dam impounded roughly 2.3 miles (3.7 km) of the Scioto River, artificially enlarging its width to an average of 500 feet (150 m) in downtown Columbus. Once completed, the Scioto Greenways project will reduce the width by nearly half, and expose 33 acres (13 ha) of land which will be reclaimed as parkland by

3672-476: The American garrison at Fort Pitt. The missionaries were acquitted during the trial. The Moravian Christian Indians at Captive Town were going hungry because of insufficient rations. In February 1782, more than 150 were allowed to return to their old Moravian villages (such as Gnadenhutten, Salem and Shoenbrunn ) to harvest the crops and collect stored food they had been forced to leave behind. The frontier war

3780-492: The American government's policy of recruiting some Native American tribes as allies in the war. Western militiamen, many of whom had lost friends and family in Native American raids against settlers' encroachment, blamed all indigenous people for the acts of some and did not distinguish between friendly and hostile tribes or bands. In September 1781 British-allied Native Americans, primarily Wyandot and Lenape, forced

3888-402: The American militia rounded the unarmed Moravians up and said that they planned to execute them for being spies, charges that the Moravians rebutted. The Moravians asked their captors to be allowed to pray and worship on the night before their execution; they spent the night before their death praying as well as singing Christian hymns and psalms . Eighteen of the U.S. militiamen were opposed to

3996-515: The Americans murdered all the men, women, and children, even as they prayed to Jesus?" In 1889, future president Theodore Roosevelt called the atrocity "a stain on frontier character that the lapse of time cannot wash away." Dedicated by Gerard F. Heath (a member of the Moravian Christian Delaware tribe and the grandson of the man who erected the monument) in 2019, the shrine includes a large Christian cross and monument to

4104-580: The Appalachian repertoire, “Big Scioty”, takes its name from the river. The melody is attributed to the Hammons family of West Virginia. In 2012, the river dropped to record- or near-record-low water levels as a result of the acute effects of the 2012 North American drought in Ohio. There are two major dams on the river. Griggs Dam in Columbus was built in 1904–1908 to impound a water supply for

4212-520: The Arms", "piled up their swords, guns, and other weapons and burned them in large bonfires while they sang psalms". The Wesleyan Methodist Church , one of the first Methodist denominations of the holiness movement , opposed war as documented in their 1844 Book of Discipline , that noted that the Gospel is in "every way opposed to the practice of War in all its forms; and those customs which tend to foster and perpetuate war spirit, [are] inconsistent with

4320-577: The British with their Native American allies were based around Fort Detroit , Michigan . Some Lenape decided to take up arms against the American colonials and moved to the northwest, closer to Fort Detroit, where they settled on the Scioto and Sandusky rivers. Those Lenape sympathetic to the Colonists remained at Coshocton, and their leaders, including White Eyes , signed the Treaty of Fort Pitt with

4428-669: The Christian Munsee and Christian Mahican Martyrs and buried them in a mound on the southern side of the village. Obadiah Holmes, Jr., a militiaman who had opposed the Gnadenhutten massacre, rescued one of the Lenape children, whom he raised himself. The surviving Moravian Christians from Schoenbrunn, Gnadenhutten, and Salem etc. moved from Sandusky towards the Thames River (present-day London, Ontario ). Outraged by

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4536-514: The Christian Munsee tribe; the graves of the victims contain "bones [which] were gathered by the faithful missionaries some time after the massacre". It also includes a large Christian cross dedicated to the Moravian Munsee and Christian Mahican Martyrs by a member of the tribe and descendant of one of the slain. With the site of the village being preserved, a reconstructed mission house and cooper's house were built there. The burial mound

4644-696: The Christian Native Americans and missionaries from the Moravian villages. They took them northwest toward Lake Erie to a new village called Captive Town on the Sandusky River. The British took the Moravian Christian missionaries David Zeisberger and John Heckewelder under guard back to Fort Detroit, where they tried the two men on charges of treason: the British had suspected them of providing military intelligence to

4752-730: The Delaware. Captain Charles Bilderback had participated in the Gnadenhutten massacre and was a survivor of the June 1782 Crawford expedition. Seven years later, in June 1789, he was captured and killed by hostile Lenape in Ohio. In 1810 Shawnee chief Tecumseh reminded future President William Henry Harrison , "You recall the time when the Jesus Indians of the Delawares lived near the Americans, and had confidence in their promises of friendship, and thought they were secure, yet

4860-589: The Frisian bandits ransacked their possessions but found that the company's luggage did not contain the riches they had hoped for: "they broke open the chests containing the books and found, to their dismay, that they held manuscripts instead of gold vessels, pages of sacred texts instead of silver plates." The Peace and Truce of God was a movement in the Middle Ages led by the Catholic Church and

4968-447: The Gnadenhutten massacre [published by the Moravian missionaries] became generally known, it was recognized as a crime against humanity." The Lenape allies of the British sought revenge for the Gnadenhutten massacre. When General George Washington heard about the massacre, he ordered American soldiers to avoid being captured alive, as he feared what the hostile Lenape would do to their captives. Washington's close friend William Crawford

5076-526: The Ice Ages and consequent creation of the Ohio River . The north flowing Teays River was dammed by glaciers, and damming of other rivers led to a series of floods as lakes overflowed into adjacent valleys. Glacial Lake Tight is estimated to have been two-thirds the size of modern Lake Erie . Valleys beyond the reach of glaciers were reorganized to create the Ohio River, and the Scioto River replaced

5184-498: The Moravian Christian Indian Martyrs. The granite obelisk was dedicated ninety years after the massacre by Christian Moses Stonefish, a chief of the Christian Munsee tribe that had migrated to Moraviantown ; the graves of the victims contain "bones [which] were gathered by the faithful missionaries some time after the massacre". These missionaries included John Heckewelder and David Peter, who buried

5292-623: The Moravian settlement of Salem, where they acted friendly to the Christian Indians and persuaded them to come to Gnadenhutten. When they arrived, the American soldiers bound all of the Indians and accused them of taking part in raids into Pennsylvania. Even though the Moravian Indians, who held to the doctrine of Christian pacifism , disputed these false charges, the militia held a council and voted to kill them anyway (with

5400-591: The Munsee and the Unami dialects of Delaware , an Algonquian language. These Christian Lenape, being Moravians , held to Christian pacifism . White Eyes, a Lenape chief and Speaker of the Delaware Head Council, negotiated the treaty. When he died in 1778, reportedly of smallpox , the treaty had not yet been ratified by Congress . United States officials never pursued it, and the Native American state

5508-623: The Promised Land to Israel, and then to defend that land. The Old Testament explains that Israel does not have to fight wars like other nations because God delivers them. Starting with the Exodus out of Egypt, God fights for Israel as a warrior rescuing his people from the oppressive Egyptians (Exodus 15:3). In Exodus 14:13, Moses instructs the Israelites, "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." The miraculous parting of

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5616-399: The Red Sea is God being a warrior for Israel through acts of nature and not human armies. God's promise to fight on behalf of his chosen people is affirmed in the scriptures of the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 1:30). According to Old Testament scholar Peter C. Craige, during the military conquests of the Promised Land, the Israelites fought in real wars against real human enemies; however, it

5724-507: The Roman Senate that his Christian soldiers fought with prayers instead of conventional weapons, which resulted in the Rain Miracle of the Marcomannic Wars . After the Roman Emperor Constantine converted in AD 312 and began to conquer "in Christ's name", Christianity became entangled with the state, and warfare and violence were increasingly justified by influential Christians. For example, Augustine of Hippo advocated for state persecution of Donatists , while, according to Athanasius , "it

5832-400: The Teays River. The Scioto River flows through segments of the Teays River valley but opposite the direction the Teays River flowed. In the cities of Columbus and Dublin, the river has cut a gorge in fossil-bearing Devonian limestone, and many tributary streams have waterfalls, such as Hayden Falls. The Scioto River valley was home to many Native American cultures. The best known groups are

5940-413: The believers. The next morning on March 8, the militia brought the Christian Indians to one of two "killing houses", one for men and the other for women and children. The American militia tied the Indians, stunned them with mallet blows to the head, and killed them with fatal scalping cuts. Refusing to take part, some of the militiamen "wrung their hands—and calling God to witness that they were innocent of

6048-482: The benevolent designs of the Christian religion." The Reformed Free Methodist Church , Emmanuel Association , Immanuel Missionary Church , Church of God (Guthrie, Oklahoma) , First Bible Holiness Church, and Christ's Sanctified Holy Church are denominations in the holiness movement known for their opposition to war today; they are known as "holiness pacifists". The Emmanuel Association teaches: We feel bound explicitly to avow our unshaken persuasion that War

6156-410: The blood of these harmless Christian Indians, they withdrew to some distance from the scene of the slaughter." One of those who opposed the killing of the Moravian Indians was Obadiah Holmes, Jr. He wrote: One Nathan Rollins & brother [who] had had a father & uncle killed took the lead in murdering the Indians, ...& Nathan Rollins had tomahawked nineteen of the poor Moravians, & after it

6264-413: The bodies in the mission buildings and burned the village down. They also burned the other abandoned Moravian villages. The militiamen had looted the villages prior to their burning. The plunder, which needed 80 horses to carry, included everything the people had held: furs for trade, pewter, tea sets, and clothing. A few years later, Moravian Christian missionary John Heckewelder collected the remains of

6372-402: The children of Israel Welapachtshechen (who was martyred during Gnadenhutten massacre), make up the majority of the Christian Munsee tribe in Kansas today. Reliable accounts regarding the Gnadenhutten massacre come from the Moravian missionaries, as well as the two Moravian Indian boys who escaped—Jacob and Thomas, as well as those who survived such as the Moravian Indians at Schoenbrunn. Many of

6480-423: The city. Farther upstream, at Shawnee Hills, the O'Shaughnessy Dam was built in 1922–1925 creating a larger reservoir which was billed at the time as "the finest inland waterway in the United States." Both dams are operated by the city of Columbus. The removal of the Main Street Dam in downtown Columbus, which was built in 1921, began in November 2013. The $ 35.5 million removal project was initially proposed in

6588-542: The civil authority must be taught not to kill men and to refuse to do so if he is commanded, and to refuse to take an oath. If he is unwilling to comply, he must be rejected for baptism." Tertullian formed an early argument against statolatry , "There is no agreement between the divine and the human sacrament , the standard of Christ and the standard of the devil , the camp of light and the camp of darkness. One soul cannot be due to two masters—God and Cæsar ," also writing, "the People warred: if it pleases you to sport with

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6696-411: The corn fields, the Pennsylvania militiamen acted friendly with the Moravian Christian Indians to gain their trust. The Moravian Christian Lenape fed the American militiamen, who falsely promised them that they would take them to Fort Pitt, where they would be safe. The Indians were requested by the American soldiers to hand over their guns (which they used for hunting) and hatchets. Some militiamen went to

6804-460: The country take time to give honor and respect to those who 'served their country,' without any attempt to differentiate how they served, whether as bomber pilots, Navy Seals, or Operation Whitecoat guinea pigs. I have yet to see a service honoring those who ran away to Canada to avoid participation in the senseless carnage of Vietnam in their Biblical pacifism." Lambeth Conference 1930 Resolution 25 declares that, "The Conference affirms that war as

6912-437: The creative power of God's word, of speaking through the law and the prophets. The scriptures in the Old Testament provide background of God's great victory over evil, sin and death. Stephen Vantassel contends the Old Testament exists to put the issue of war and killing in historical and situational context. The role of war is developed and changes throughout the Old Testament. Chapman asserts God used war to conquer and provide

7020-486: The denomination has been opposed by local governments, communities, and religious groups. Many Christian denominations consider the interpretations and doctrines of Jehovah's Witnesses heretical , and some professors of religion have classified the denomination as a cult . According to law professor Archibald Cox , Jehovah's Witnesses in the United States were "the principal victims of religious persecution … they began to attract attention and provoke repression in

7128-428: The exception of the minority of eighteen militiamen). After the Indians were told of the American militia's vote, they requested time to prepare for death and spent the night praying to God and singing hymns. They were held in two buildings: one for men and one for women and children. While the Indians were worshipping, the Pennsylvania militiamen spent the night getting intoxicated on the communion wine they stole from

7236-464: The first mass peace movement in history. The goal of both the Pax Dei and the Treuga Dei was to limit the violence of feuding endemic to the western half of the former Carolingian Empire – following its collapse in the middle of the 9th century – using the threat of spiritual sanctions. The eastern half of the former Carolingian Empire did not experience the same collapse of central authority, and neither did England. The Peace of God

7344-418: The following quotes show: The Scriptures teach that there are two opposing princes and two opposing kingdoms: the one is the Prince of peace; the other the prince of strife. Each of these princes has his particular kingdom and as the prince is so is also the kingdom. The Prince of peace is Christ Jesus; His kingdom is the kingdom of peace, which is His church; His messengers are the messengers of peace; His Word

7452-435: The formation of the Seventh-day Adventist Church , the Seventh-day Adventists declared, "The denomination of Christians calling themselves Seventh-day Adventists, taking the Bible as their rule of faith and practice, are unanimous in their views that its teaching are contrary to the spirit and practice of war; hence, they have ever been conscientiously opposed to bearing arms." The general Adventist movement from 1867 followed

7560-414: The fundamental principle it holds true is that reverence for human life must be given the highest importance. The Old Testament points to a time when weapons of war shall be transformed into the instruments of peace, and the hope for the consummation of the Kingdom of God when there will be no more war. Wood points to the scriptures of Isaiah and Micah (Isaiah 2:2–4; 9:5; 11:1–9; and Micah 4:1–7) that express

7668-448: The hands of the infuriate demons, clave their skulls. Two persons, who were present at that time, and who related to me the fearful story, assured me that they were unable to witness, but for a short time, the horrid scene. One of these men stated, that when he saw the incarnate fiends lead a pretty little girl, about twelve years of age, to the fatal block, and heard her plead for her life, in the most piteous accents, till her innocent voice

7776-650: The killing of the pacifist Moravians, though they were outvoted by those who wanted to murder them; those who opposed the murder did not participate in the massacre and separated themselves from the killers. Before murdering them, the American soldiers "dragged the women and girls out into the snow and systematically raped them." As they were being killed, the Moravians sang "hymns and spoke words of encouragement and consolation one to another until they were all slain". Believing in nonresistance , they pleaded for their lives to be spared, but did not fight back against their persecutors. Moravian missionary David Zeisberger declared

7884-520: The man answered, "I strike no one dead!" the soldier swung at the Indian and "chopped his arm away." All the while, the Indian kept singing [a hymn] "until another blow split his head." An account of the Moravian Martyrs recalled: One after another, men, women, and children, were led out to a block prepared for the dreadful purpose; and, being commanded to sit down, the axe of the butcher, in

7992-567: The massacre was under way, a messenger sent by the Moravian missionaries in Sandusky on March 3 reached Schoenbrunn on March 6, with the news that the missionaries would be moving to Detroit. Two of the Moravian Indians from Schoenbrunn went to inform their brethren in Gnadenhutten but on their journey, saw the mangled body of Joseph Schebosh Jr. They buried his body and quickly returned to warn their brethren in Schoenbrunn as they thought that

8100-640: The massacre, the U. S. Congress granted them three town sites in 1785. In 1798, David Zeisberger led many of the Moravian Christian Indians back to Ohio, where they established the Goshen Mission near Schoenbrunn ; there, Zeisberger lived until he peacefully died after which many of the Indians moved back to Ontario (cf. Delaware Nation at Moraviantown ) and others to Kansas, along with missionaries who continued to live and work among them. The descendants of both Jacob and Ester,

8208-423: The military or contribute to the war effort due to their doctrine of political neutrality . In Canada, Jehovah's Witnesses were interned in camps along with political dissidents and people of Japanese and Chinese descent . The Molokans are a Spiritual Christian denomination that advocate pacifism. They have historically been persecuted for failing to bear arms. The Moravian Church historically adheres to

8316-459: The name Church of God (7th day) stand opposed to carnal warfare, based on Matthew 26:52; Revelation 13:10; Romans 12:19–21. They believe the weapons of their warfare to not be carnal but spiritual (II Corinthians 10:3–5; Ephesians 6:11–18). The Doukhobors are a Spiritual Christian denomination that advocate pacifism. On June 29, 1895, the Doukhobors, in what is known as the "Burning of

8424-492: The nations to achieve his purposes (2 Kings 18:9–12, Jeremiah 25:8–9, Habakkuk 1:5–11). Yoder affirms as long as Israel trusted and followed God, God would work his power through Israel to drive occupants from lands God willed them to occupy (Exodus 23:27–33). The future of Israel was dependent solely on its faith and obedience to God as mediated through the Law and prophets, and not on military strength. Jacob Enz explains God made

8532-492: The north. Colonel Brodhead convinced the militia to leave the Lenape at the Moravian mission villages unmolested since they were peaceful and neutral. Brodhead's having to restrain the militia from attacking the Moravian villages was a reflection of the brutal nature of frontier warfare. Violence had escalated on both sides. Relations between regular Continental Army officers from the east (such as Brodhead) and western militia were frequently strained. The tensions were worsened by

8640-402: The others at Gnadenhutten had met the same fate. As a result, Moravian Christian Indians at Schoenbrunn were able to flee to Sandusky, escaping the militiamen who had planned to visit Schoenbrunn and commit another massacre. In all, the militia murdered and scalped 28 men, 29 women, and 39 children. Two Indian boys, one of whom had been scalped, survived to tell of the massacre. The militia piled

8748-523: The pacifist view of God's plan to bring peace without violence. Jesus appeared to teach pacifism during his ministry when he told his disciples : You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye , and a tooth for a tooth.' But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also . Love your enemies , do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Put your sword back in its place… for all who draw

8856-622: The position of Christian pacifism, evidenced in atrocities such as the Gnadenhutten massacre , where the Lenape Moravian martyrs practiced nonresistance with their murderers, singing hymns until their execution by American revolutionaries. Most Quakers, also known as Friends (members of the Religious Society of Friends), hold peace as a core value, including the refusal to participate in war going as far as forming

8964-494: The priests, and Che Guevara among laymen. The attraction is strong, because both men literally laid down their lives for their brothers. "Greater love hath no man than this." "Let me say, at the risk of seeming ridiculous, that the true revolutionary is guided by great feelings of love." Che Guevara wrote this, and he is quoted by Chicano youth in El Grito Del Norte . Charles Spurgeon did not explicitly identify as

9072-404: The putting of men to death   [...] He nowhere teaches that it is right for His own disciples to offer violence to any one, however wicked." Further examples include Arnobius , "evil ought not to be requited with evil, that it is better to suffer wrong than to inflict it, that we should rather shed our own blood than stain our hands and our conscience with that of another, an ungrateful world

9180-474: The remains in 1799. The state reconstructed a typical mission house and cooper's shop on the site of the village. The village site has been preserved and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Gerard F. Heath, a descendant of the Delaware Martyrs and the grandson of Christian Moses Stonefish, stated at the 2019 service held to remember them, that though the area is a site of mourning, it

9288-483: The revolutionaries in 1778. Through this treaty, White Eyes intended to secure the Ohio Country as a state to be inhabited exclusively by Native Americans, as part of the new United States . A third group of Lenape, many of them converted Christian Munsee and Unami, lived in several mission villages in Ohio led by David Zeisberger and other Moravian Christian missionaries . From the mid-Atlantic area, they spoke

9396-557: The slain Lenape and Mahican as Christian martyrs , who are remembered in the Moravian Church. More than a century later, Theodore Roosevelt called the massacre "a stain on frontier character that the lapse of time cannot wash away." The shrine to the Moravian Christian Indian Martyrs includes a monument that was erected and dedicated ninety years after the Gnadenhutten massacre by a Chief of

9504-415: The soldiers who participated in the slaughter denied their involvement, and neither did their descendants acknowledge their actions. At the time of the massacre, although many settlers were outraged by it, frontier residents generally supported the militia's actions. Despite talk of bringing the murderers to justice, no criminal charges were filed and the conflict continued unabated. However, as "the details of

9612-617: The subject. But how will a Christian man war, nay, how will he serve even in peace, without a sword, which the Lord has taken away?" Origen , whose father Leonidus was martyred during the persecution of the Roman emperor Septimius Severus in the year 202 AD, writes, "Jews   [...] were permitted to take up arms in defence of the members of their families, and to slay their enemies, the Christian Lawgiver [has] altogether forbidden

9720-569: The sword will die by the sword . Blessed are the peacemakers , for they shall be called sons of God. Several Church Fathers interpreted Jesus' teachings as advocating nonviolence . For example, Justin Martyr writes, "we who formerly used to murder one another do not only now refrain from making war upon our enemies, but also, that we may not lie nor deceive our examiners, willingly die confessing Christ," and, "we who were filled with war, and mutual slaughter, and every wickedness, have each through

9828-463: The valley exceptionally wide. Valley bottoms are smooth, and flood deposits created during and since the most recent Glacial period cause floodplain soils to be very productive. As a result, farms line much of the lower Scioto where it flows through low, rolling hills covered in hardwood trees. The geologic history of the Scioto River is tied to the destruction of the Teays River network during

9936-847: The view of Christian pacifism. Of these, both Mennonites and the Schwarzenau Brethren are Anabaptist Churches. Traditionally, Anabaptists hold firmly to their beliefs in nonviolence. Many of these churches continue to advocate nonviolence, including the Anabaptist traditions of the Mennonites , the Amish , the Hutterites , the Schwarzenau Brethren (such as the Old Order River Brethren ),

10044-783: The warring way of the nations, and to seek peace, not coercive power. Stephen B. Chapman expresses the Old Testament describes God's divine intervention, not human power politics, or the warring king, as key to the preservation of Israel. Lind asserts the Old Testament reflects that God occasionally sanctions, even commands wars to the point of God actually fighting utilizing the forces of nature, miraculous acts or other nations. Lind further argues God fights so that Israel does not have to fight wars like other nations because God delivers them. God promised to fight for Israel, to be an enemy to their enemies and oppose all that oppose them (Exodus 23:22). Pacifist God, John Howard Yoder explains, sustained and directed his community not by power politics but by

10152-781: The weak man." According to the Bonifacian hagiography , Boniface , in 754, set out with a retinue for Frisia , with the hope of converting the Frisians . He baptized a great number and summoned a general meeting for confirmation at a place not far from Dokkum , between Franeker and Groningen . Instead of his converts, however, a group of armed robbers appeared who slew the aged archbishop. The hagiography mention that Boniface persuaded his (armed) comrades to lay down their arms: "Cease fighting. Lay down your arms, for we are told in scripture not to render evil for evil but to overcome evil by good." Having killed Boniface and his company,

10260-486: The whole earth changed our warlike weapons,—our swords into ploughshares, and our spears into implements of tillage,—and we cultivate piety…". Tatian writes that, "I am not anxious to be rich; I decline military command   [...] Die to the world, repudiating the madness that is in it"; and Aristides writes that "Through love towards their oppressors, they persuade them to become Christians." Hippolytus of Rome went so far as to deny soldiers baptism : "A soldier of

10368-522: The whole earth with the intention towards salvation of all the nations with the coming of the Messiah and a new covenant. Jacob Enz describes God's plan was to use the nation of Israel for a higher purpose, and that purpose was to be the mediator between all the peoples and God. The Old Testament reflects how God helped his people of Israel, even after Israel's repeated lapses of faith, demonstrating God's grace, not violence. The Old Testament explains God

10476-432: The world that is both in need of salvation, and is thus imperfect. God participates in the human activity of war through sinful human beings for his purpose of bringing salvation to the world. Studies conducted by scholars Friedrich Schwally, Johannes Pedersen, Patrick D. Miller, Rudolf Smend and Gerhard von Rad maintain the wars of Israel in the Old Testament were by God's divine command. This divine activity took place in

10584-406: Was God who granted them victory in their battles. Craige further contends God determined the outcome of human events with his participation through those humans and their activity; essentially, that God fought through the fighting of his people. Once the Promised Land was secured, and the nation of Israel progressed, God used war to protect or punish the nation of Israel with his sovereign control of

10692-628: Was a pacifist who taught and practiced pacifism and that his followers must do likewise. Notable Christian pacifists include Martin Luther King Jr. , Leo Tolstoy , Adin Ballou , Dorothy Day , Ammon Hennacy , and brothers Daniel and Philip Berrigan . Christian anarchists , such as Ballou and Hennacy, believe that adherence to Christianity requires not just pacifism but, because governments inevitably threatened or used force to resolve conflicts, anarchism . Most Christian pacifists, including

10800-588: Was captured while leading an expedition against Lenape at Upper Sandusky, Ohio. Crawford had not been at Gnadenhutten but was killed in retaliation. David Williamson, the officer who had led the Gnadenhutten massacre, was also a survivor of the Crawford expedition . In 1814, decades after the war, he died in poverty. The leader of the Home Guard at the time was Captain John Hay who on November 24 led an attack on

10908-543: Was carried on by a few dedicated Christians throughout the ages, such as Martin of Tours , who converted during the early days of Christianity in Europe. Martin, who was then a young soldier, declared in AD 336, "I am a soldier of Christ. I cannot fight." He was jailed for this action, but later released, eventually becoming just the third Bishop of Tours . Jerome also writes, "To die is the lot of all, to commit homicide only of

11016-619: Was dropped. Years later George Morgan , a colonial diplomat to the Lenape and Shawnee during the American Revolution, wrote to Congress that White Eyes had been murdered by American militia in Michigan. Many Lenape at Coshocton eventually joined the war against the Americans, in part because of American raids against friendly Lenape bands. In response, Colonel Daniel Brodhead led an expedition out of Fort Pitt and destroyed Coshocton on April 19, 1781. Surviving residents fled to

11124-469: Was executed by the order of the proconsul Dion for his refusal to serve in the Roman army as he thought killing was evil; he became recognized as a Christian martyr . However, many early Christians also served in the army , with multiple military saints before the time of Constantine , and the presence of large numbers of Christians in his army may have been a factor in the conversion of Constantine to Christianity. Marcus Aurelius allegedly reported to

11232-499: Was first proclaimed in 989, at the Council of Charroux . It sought to protect ecclesiastical property, agricultural resources and unarmed clerics. The Truce of God, first proclaimed in 1027 at the Council of Toulouges , attempted to limit the days of the week and times of year that the nobility engaged in violence. By the 13th century , Thomas Aquinas was bold enough to declare, concerning heretics , "I answer that   [...] it

11340-666: Was hushed in death, he felt a faintness come over him, and could no longer stand the heart-sickening scene. The dreadful work of human slaughter continued till every prayer, and moan, and sigh was hushed in the stillness of death. No sex, age, or condition was spared, from the grey-haired sire to the infant at its mother's breast. All fell victims to the most cold-blooded murder ever perpetrated by man. There lay, in undistinguished confusion, gashed and gory, in that cellar, where they were thrown by their butchers, nearly one hundred murdered Christian Indians, hurried to an untimely grave by those who had but two days before sworn to protect them. While

11448-400: Was over he sat down & cried, & said it was no satisfaction for the loss of his father & uncle after all. While waiting to be executed, the Indians sang hymns and prayed, with many praying for their murderers. One example of their nonresistance was described in these terms: One soldier taunted an Indian by pretending to offer him his hatchet with the words, "Strike me dead!" When

11556-599: Was still raging. On March 4, 1782, the Pennsylvania raiding party of 160 Pennsylvania militiamen led by Lieutenant Colonel David Williamson marched toward the Tuscarawas Valley and on the morning of March 6, they first saw Joseph Schebosh Jr., a Moravian Christian who was the son of a Welsh man and Christian Munsee Indian woman; he was brutally murdered by the Pennsylvania militia despite the fact that he pleaded for his life before them. After pressing on to

11664-663: Was then called the Muskingum River . Modern geography places Coshocton on the Muskingum River and the three smaller villages on the Tuscarawas River . By the time of the Revolutionary War, the Lenape villages lay between the opposing sides, which both had western frontier strongholds: The rebel American colonists' military had an outpost at Fort Pitt (now Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ), while

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