A Non-Violent Reflection on Independence Day
Friday July 3, 2009
Categories: Buddhist, International Relations
On July Fourth many of us attend parades that, in addition to the local chamber of commerce float, include men, boys and sometimes girls dressed in soldier costumes reminiscent of the war that brought the colonies independence from the British. ...
Filed Under: ahimsa, dalai lama, fourth of july, Gandhi, independence day, Jr., Martin Luther King, non-violence, politics and buddhism, politics and religion, rimpoche Sandhong
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Diana Butler Bass and Paul Raushenbush both stand firmly within the Mainline Protestant tradition and, along with guest bloggers of all religious backgrounds are dedicated to the revival of religious progressivism and its influence in American politics.
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Diana Butler BassDiana Butler Bass is a commentator and scholar in American religion. She is the author of seven books including A People's History of Christianity: The Other Side of the Story (HarperOne, 2009).
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Paul RaushenbushModerator of the Progressive Revival blog and the Associate Dean of Religious Life at Princeton University.
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King George was a nut. Our independence came the only way it could.
"King George was a nut. Our independence came the only way it could."
Despite references to him in the Declaration, the king of England already had very limited powers by the time of the Revolution. In addition, the British generally left us alone for most of our history, and the taxes they did give to us after the Seven Years War were minimal, particularly when compared to what people payed in England.
And as for our way being the only way, I do believe that it was less than 100 years later that Canada achieved full independence from Britain, and up until that point they were a self-governing autonomous region. So, while I by no means lament the decision of my ancestors to fight for independence (such would be wholly unnecessary) I have to disagree that it was the only way.
Leave Mandela out of your analysis. He was one of the instigators of the ANC's policy of Armed Struggle. That was what he was sent to jail for, in fact. As these things go, the ANC did have one of the most disciplined armed uprisings in history, with attacks on specific military and state targets rather than random massacres of civilians. But it was certainly not "non-violent resistance" as Gandhi would have understood it.
I think the challenge is when we choose security over faithfulness to the gospel. If we truly followed non-violence, surely we would not be causing harm to other people. However, we might not exist. But I think that is a risk we should take.
Kudos to you, POvidi, for that excellent use of Canadian history! We get some people on American websites who think we live in igloos. And yes, we achieved our independence through an act of Parliament, roughly 100 years after yours (July 1, 1867, to be exact). It was very non-violent . . . but eighth-grade history class is probably a lot less exciting for us north of the border.
Anal retentive liberals, cure your insanity with the following prescription not covered under any health care plan; current or imagined:
. Buy US $100 worth of illegal fireworks.
. Made in China.
. On a native American (aka Indian) reservation.
. Enjoy.
Thanks for this thought-provoking perspective!
I don't know if the USA could have achieved independence without taking up arms, but I think John Adams would say that the most important aspect of the Revolution was nonviolent -- a radical shift in the minds and hearts of the people. He wrote: "The Revolution was effected before the War commenced. The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people; a change in their religious sentiments of their duties and obligations. This radical change in the principles, opinions, sentiments, and affections of the people, was the real American Revolution."
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