Master of Humanities (MHum), Wright State University, 1994, Humanities
The origins of nonviolence currently identified with Tolstoy and
Gandhi can be traced to earlier elements in the American tradition of
nonviolence, particularly to the writings of Adin Ballou. In 1838, speaking
before the New England Non-Resistant Society, Ballou emphasized the high
moral priority-- and the ultimate effectiveness-- of harmlessly resisting evil
at all costs . As an opponent of war and slavery, Ballou's 50 years of peace
and justice ministry raised some of the same questions, and gave similar
answers to some of the same problems, as those later faced by Tolstoy and
Gandhi. Thus this interdisciplinary study in religion and history shows how
ideas of religious pacifism, generated in an atmosphere of democratic liberty
and religious freedom, moved from West to East.
This paper begins by highlighting the pacifist writjngs of Adin
Ballou, whose distinctive interpretation of original Christianity advocated
non-retaliation by physical force, non-return of evil for evil, and absolute
non-injury of others. As leading theoretician for the radical peace society of
his century in America, Ballou departed from the compliant non-resistance
of his predecessors. He based his defense of peace on natural , reasonable, and
religious grounds, making recourse in his arguments to what he termed
"radical religion ." He held it necessary for good men and women to stake
their lives, if necessary, to attain a just and lasting peace on earth.
In each of these ways and more , Ballou prefigured Tolstoy and
Gandhi. Ballou, Tolstoy, and Gandhi each sought to promote an ideal
peaceful social condition. Each considered the secular aims of eradicating
war and eliminating its attendant evils to be closely allied with essential
religious purposes. And each contributed to an evolving ethic of non-violent
practice.
This study examines the actual correspondence, in letters, between
Ballou, Tolstoy, and Gandhi concludes, on the basis of a variety of texts,
that t (open full item for complete abstract)
Committee: Katharine Dvorak Ph.D. (Committee Co-Chair); Matthew Melko Ph.D. (Committee Co-Chair); Lawrence Cross Ph.D. (Committee Member); David Matual Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Subjects: Peace Studies