Category Archives: Nonviolence

Loyalty needs Trauma: Loyalty and the Moral Defense, Part 3

I remember an elderly woman whose mother grew up on a sheep farm in Texas, unpopular in those days, because sheep grazed the grass so short there was nothing left for the cattle. One of my her favorite expressions was: “I could … Continue reading

Posted in civil rights, Manipulation, military, Nonviolence, Psychology, Uncategorized, Women's roles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Just Like my Daddy: Loyalty and the Moral Defense–Part 2

Military recruiters and police academies all over the world know intuitively that the way to create loyalty is to traumatize the recruits. Humiliate them, spit on them, call them names, scream in their faces, scare them, traumatize them, and in … Continue reading

Posted in civil rights, Dishonesty, History, Manipulation, military, Nonviolence, politics, Psychology, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Extra Mile: Jesus’ Extra Mile practiced in our age

There was a guy I heard on the radio today who said he kept getting searched and questioned at every airport he flew out of, or arrived in, since 2002 on a return trip from The Netherlands. His name is … Continue reading

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Turning the world’s hierarchy on its head: Jesus and Hierarchy (Part 3)

We all accept that Jesus walked around in a worn out tunic, hanging out with the thieves and prostitutes, and turned power on its head. We are amazed by that, and want to imitate that. We become Christians and tell … Continue reading

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Ignoring Hierarchy: Jesus and Hierarchy (Part 2)

In the first part of this topic I mentioned that rigidly hierarchical religious organizations, such as pyramidal para-church ministries and denominations, are unChristian. But then it struck me that I had missed the real point, which is that all hierarchical organizations: … Continue reading

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Jesus and Nonviolent Confrontations of Oppressors

A friend of mine loaned me a book recently, Jesus and Nonviolence: A third way by Walter Wink. Wink’s belief is that Jesus advocated standing up for oneself against oppression, but not in traditionally powerful ways: rather in dignified loving … Continue reading

Posted in civil rights, military, Nonviolence, politics, Psychology, Women's roles | 9 Comments