{"id":24199,"date":"2024-09-19T10:21:37","date_gmt":"2024-09-19T14:21:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/?p=24199"},"modified":"2024-09-19T10:21:37","modified_gmt":"2024-09-19T14:21:37","slug":"transformative-nonviolence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/?p=24199","title":{"rendered":"Transformative Nonviolence\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Get Together- The Youngbloods with Lyrics\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/RI7eP6POKQQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Non-violence is the greatest and the most active force in the world\u2026. One person who can express&nbsp;<em>Ahimsa<\/em>&nbsp;in life exercises a force superior to all the forces of brutality. &nbsp;<br>\u2014Mohandas Gandhi,&nbsp;<em>Harijan<\/em>, March 14, 1936\u202f&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Peace activist Father John Dear describes nonviolence as an expression of who we are more than something we do:<\/em>\u202f&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Active nonviolence begins with the truth that all life is sacred, that we are all equal sisters and brothers, all children of the God of peace, already reconciled, all one, all already united, and so we could never hurt or kill another human being, much less remain silent while wars rage, people die in poverty, and nuclear weapons and environmental destruction threaten us all. <\/strong>As we deepen into this vision of our common unity, we come to understand that we are one with all humanity, all creatures, all creation, and God. So <strong>nonviolence is much more than a tactic or a strategy; it is a way of life that is based in the oneness of creation, the unity of life itself.<\/strong> It is not passive but active love and truth that seek justice and peace for the whole human race and all of creation, and so resists systemic evil and violence, persistently reconciles with everyone, works to create new cultures of justice and peace, yet insists <strong>there is no cause however noble for which we support the killing of any human being. Instead of killing others, we work to stop the killing and are even willing to be killed in the struggle for justice and peace<\/strong>.\u202f\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Dear names how the nonviolence exemplified by Jesus, Mohandas Gandhi, and Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. can disarm our systems and world:<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gandhi and Dr. King <strong>invite us to read the Gospels from the perspective of nonviolence so that the nonviolence of Jesus might disarm us, guide us, and direct our lives, and together, disarm the human family to live in peace as one with creation.<\/strong>\u2026\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The visionary nonviolence taught by Gandhi and King <strong>flows from our disarmed hearts, from our inner depths, where we renounce our inner violence, let God disarm us and cultivate interior nonviolence, then moves us to practice meticulous interpersonal nonviolence with our families, neighbors, co-workers, communities, cities, nation, all creatures, and Mother Earth.<\/strong> As we face the structures of violence head on with the power of organized nonviolence, we build grassroots, bottom up, people-power movements to end tyranny and injustice and institutionalize nonviolent democracy and social, economic, racial, and environmental justice. When organized on large national and global levels, <strong>active nonviolence can peacefully transform entire societies, even the world, as Gandhi demonstrated in India\u2019s revolution, as the civil rights movement showed, as the growing women\u2019s, LGBTQ, and environmental movements demonstrate, as the People Power movement showed in the Philippines, and as <\/strong>Archbishop\u202fDesmond Tutu and the churches of South Africa showed against apartheid. Gandhi said that <strong>nonviolence, when it is harnessed, becomes contagious and can disarm the world.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>_______________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sarah Young Jesus Calling<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>There is a mighty battle going on for control of your mind. Heaven and earth intersect in your mind; the tugs of both spheres influence your thinking. I<\/strong> created you with the capacity to experience foretastes of heaven. <strong>When you shut out the world and focus on My Presence, you can enjoy sitting with Me in heavenly realms.<\/strong> This is an incredible privilege reserved for precious ones who belong to Me and seek My Face. <strong>Your greatest strength is your desire to spend time in community with Me. As you concentrate on Me, My Spirit fills your mind with Life and Peace.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The world exerts a downward pull on your thoughts. <strong>Media bombards you with greed, lust, and cynicism. When you face these things, pray for protection and discernment. Stay in continual communication with Me whenever you walk through the wastelands of this world. Refuse to worry, because this form of worldliness will weigh you down and block awareness of My Presence.<\/strong> Stay alert, recognizing the battle being waged against your mind. Look forward to an eternity of strife-free living, reserved for you in heaven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>RELATED BIBLE SCRIPTURE:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ephesians 2:6 (NLT)<\/strong><br><strong>6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additional insight regarding Ephesians 2:6: Because of Christ&#8217;s resurrection, we know that our body will also be raised from the dead (1st Corinthians 12:2-23) and that we have been given the power to live as Christians now (Ephesians 1:19). These ideas are combined in Paul&#8217;s image of sitting with Christ in &#8220;the heavenly realms.&#8221; Our eternal life with Christ is certain because we are united in his powerful victory.<br><strong>Psalm 27:8 (NLT)<\/strong><br><strong>8 My heart has heard you say, \u201cCome and talk with me.\u201d<\/strong><br><strong>&nbsp; &nbsp; And my heart responds, \u201cLord, I am coming.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additional insight regarding Psalm 27:7-8: We often run to God when we experience difficulties. But David sought God&#8217;s guiding presence\u00a0<em>every day<\/em>. When troubles came his way, he was already in God&#8217;s presence and prepared to handle any test. Believers can call to God for help at any time, but how shortsighted to call on God only when troubles come. <strong>Many of our problems could be avoided or handled far more easily by seeking God&#8217;s help and direction beforehand.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Romans 8:6 (NLT)<\/strong><br><strong>6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additional insight regarding Romans 8:6: Once we have said yes to Jesus, we will want to continue following him, because his way brings life and peace. Daily we must consciously choose to center our life on God. Use the Bible to discover God&#8217;s guidelines, and then follow them. In every perplexing situation, ask yourself &#8211; What would Jesus want me to do? When the Holy Spirit points out what is right, do it eagerly. For more on sinful nature versus our new life in Christ, see Romans 6:6-8, Ephesians 4:22-24, and Colossians 3:3-15.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1st John 2:15-17 (NLT)<\/strong><br><strong>Do Not Love This World<\/strong><br><strong>15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additional insight regarding 1st John 2:15-17: Some people think that worldliness is limited to external behavior &#8211; the people we associate with, the places we go, the activities we enjoy. Worldliness is also internal because it begins in the heart and is characterized by three attitudes: (1) craving for physical pleasure &#8211; preoccupation with gratifying physical desires; (2) craving for everything we see &#8211; coveting and accumulating things, bowing to the god of materialism; and (3) pride in our achievements and possessions &#8211; obsession with one&#8217;s status or importance. When the serpent tempted Eve\u00a0in Genesis 3:6, he tempted her in these areas. Also, when the devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness in Matthew 4:1-11, these were his three areas of attack.<br>\u00a0 \u00a0 By contrast, <strong>God values self-control, a spirit of generosity, and a commitment to humble service. It is possible to give the impression of avoiding worldly pleasures while still harboring worldly attitudes in one&#8217;s heart. <\/strong>It is also possible, like Jesus, to love sinners and spend time with them while maintaining a commitment to the values of God&#8217;s Kingdom. What values are most important to you? Do your actions reflect the world&#8217;s values or God&#8217;s values?<br>\u00a0 \u00a0 When the desire for possessions and sinful pleasures feel so intense, we probably doubt that these objects of desire will all one day pass away. It may be even more difficult to believe that the person who does the will of God will live forever. But this was John&#8217;s conviction based on the facts of Jesus&#8217; life, death, resurrection, and promises. <strong>Knowing that this evil world will end can give you the courage to deny yourself temporary pleasures in this world in order to enjoy what God has promised for eternity.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Non-violence is the greatest and the most active force in the world\u2026. One person who can express&nbsp;Ahimsa&nbsp;in life exercises a force superior to all the forces of brutality. &nbsp;\u2014Mohandas Gandhi,&nbsp;Harijan, March 14, 1936\u202f&nbsp; Peace activist Father John Dear describes nonviolence as an expression of who we are more than something we do:\u202f&nbsp; Active nonviolence begins [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24199"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24199"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24199\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24200,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24199\/revisions\/24200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24199"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24199"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/co2mannatoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}