Kopel on Christian Pacifism

David Kopel has posted a draft of his paper, Modern Christian Pacifist Philosophy.  Here's the introduction:

This Article examines the strengths and weaknesses of modern pacifist religious philosophy. The Article suggests that some intellectual arguments for pacifism are logically solid (once certain premises are granted), while others have serious flaws. The article discusses five influential philosophical advocates of non-violence Thomas Merton, Stanley Hauerwas, Leo Tolstoy, Tony Campolo, and John Howard Yoder. In addition, the Article examines three real-world cases where the practice of non-violence was put into action: the Danish rescue of the Jews during WW II, the American Civil Rights movement in the South in the 1960s, and the invasion of the Chatham Islands -- the home of the pacifist Moriori tribes.

Notably, this Article does not address the pacifism of the Society of Friends (the Quakers) for their pacifism is logically irrefutable, because it is beyond reason. Quakers urge each person to listen attentively to the “inner light” of his or her own conscience, and they believe that as a person becomes increasingly open to that inner light, the person will eventually develop heartfelt convictions making interpersonal violence impossible. There are many Quaker converts who bear witness to the success of this approach. As the great French philosopher Blaise Pascal said, explaining why he had faith in Christianity, “The heart has its reasons which reason does not understand.”