Violence Does Not Serve God

The world is a violent place and violent people are constantly searching for ways to defend themselves. Throughout the centuries violent leaders have twisted the Church’s teachings to support violence, carrying out so-called holy wars. No war is holy.

IN THOSE DAYS, Paul took the men, and the next day he purified himself with them and went into the temple, to give notice when the days of purification would be fulfilled and the offering presented for every one of them. When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, who had seen him in the temple, stirred up all the crowd, and laid hands on him, crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who is teaching men everywhere against the people and the law and this place; moreover he also brought Greeks into the temple, and he has defiled this holy place.” For they had previously seen Trophimos the Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple. Then all the city was aroused, and the people ran together; they seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut. And as they were trying to kill him, word came to the tribune of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. He at once took soldiers and centurions, and ran down to them; and when they saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.

Acts 21:26-32

Believing they were serving God; the crowd was about to kill Saint Paul. Sound familiar? The crowd had presumed things about Saint Paul and his teachings that caused them to lose their composure. In their anger, they were blind to God’s desire for all people to know Him.

Even today there are examples of violence being used to defend God’s honor. Whether it be protesting funerals or attacking abortion clinics, violence erupts when we lose sight of God’s desire for peace. We turn to violence when we cannot ‘convince’ people to follow God.

History is replete with examples of Christians that willingly endure violence themselves for the sake of the Gospel. There is a difference between enduring violence and enacting violence. As Christians we endure, we do not enact.

Some will use the violent acts of the Old Testament to defend their actions, but those actions were enacted by God. It is not our place to use violence to force submission to God’s will. If He does not force them, why should we?

What does that mean for us? We live in a multi-cultural, secular society. We share neighborhoods and markets with all sorts of people. Some are Christians. Many are not. Some are people of other faiths. Some are without faith. Violence will not change them. They are free.

If we want to serve God, then our lives must be an example of His love, and not violence. We must invite but not oblige. We must respect, while not endorsing their choices. Most importantly we must teach our young people to live their Orthodox Faith with courage, but not violence.

We must teach by our example that we do not subscribe to the morals of the world. Christ and His Church are our moral compass. It is possible to coexist in a world with non-believers. It is even possible to coexist with them in peace.

Sure, the world will always try to turn us away from Christ and His Church. The world may even use violence to do it. Like so many saints before us, our job is to endure for Christ, the Gospel and the Church. Who knows. Maybe our endurance will inspire others to faith one day.

The Lord said to his disciples, “The hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do this because they have not known the Father, nor me. But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you of them. “I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convince the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. “I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.”

John 16.2-13

They might think they are serving God. We must actually serve Him. Violence does not serve God. Love serves Him.