The Thing With Non-Violence... Peace Keepers and Piece Takers 4 min read A famous messiah once proclaimed, ‘ He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword .’ We all know the phrase, along with his calls for peace, like ‘turn the other cheek.’ Yet, paradoxically, his apostles met violent deaths. That outcome is the point of this post. Yes, so it was faith and not the taking up of arms that led to so many brutal endings. The early brand of spiritual pacifism ignited societal persecution against Christianity, but also other similar non-violent ideologies. Those scripture-based beliefs and philosophies were not common among the Germanic Pagan tribes, who in contrast, valued loyalty to their warlord, bravery in combat , and vengeance, for example. Piety to them was martial discipline and defending their people. They embraced war and viewed readiness to fight as a deterrent. These people also enjoyed what money could bring instead of denying it. It is strange how Ch...
