Non-violence in a violent environment: Still an option?

Department/Unit

Center for Social Concern and Action

Document Type

Archival Material/Manuscript

Publication Date

7-2008

Abstract

The Philippines, where majority of its citizens are Christians, is mired by inequalities of economic and political power. Conflicts linked to issues of ethnicity and religious are stimulated by struggles over economic benefits and political participation. Victims of the inequalities who feel so economically and culturally excluded seem to resort to armed struggle and for some even to terrorism as the only viable path towards the improvement of their lives. New challenges of conflicts today such as globalization, displacement, migration, and environment compound the violent tendencies f the people. In an environment that is surrounded by conflicts and violence, is it morally justified to use violent force which some people claim as a necessary option for achieving justice and peace? As a predominantly Christian society, Filipinos have a fundamental commitment to seek justice and peace non-violently. As followers of Christ, Christians can never resort to the use of force.
This paper addresses the question: Is non-violence in a seemingly violent environment still an option for seeking justice and peace? Toward this end, it seeks to provide a picture of ongoing efforts, practices and mainstream perspectives by peace builders taking the non-violence route in responding to the calls for justice and peace. Specifically, the paper provides answers to the following: 1) Why do peace builders/seekers opt for non-violence?; 2) What are the groups' perspectives that they apply?; 4) What were the struggles they faced and how did they handle these struggles?; and 5) What are the challenges that they currently face and the strategies they recommend to deal with these challenges?
The empirical evidence for this paper was culled through 1) document analysis of conference proceedings, community declarations, stakeholder's covenants, and research outputs of peace and justice organizations, and 2) interviews and focus-group discussions with selected peace seekers/

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Disciplines

Peace and Conflict Studies

Keywords

Peace-building—Philippines—Religious aspects; Nonviolence—Philippines—Religious aspects

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