Nonviolence

Nonviolence is the personal practice of being harmless to self and others under every condition. It comes from the belief that hurting people, animals or the environment is unnecessary to achieve an outcome and refers to a general philosophy of abstention from violence based on moral, religious or spiritual principles.

Mahavira (599 BCE–527 BCE), the twenty-fourth tirthankara of the Jain religion, was the torch-bearer of "ahimsa" and introduced the word to the world and applied the concept in his own life. He taught that to attain nirvana, one must abstain from violence.

Nonviolence also has 'active' or 'activist' elements, in that believers accept the need for nonviolence as a means to achieve political and social change. Thus, for example, the Tolstoy and Gandhian non violence is a philosophy and strategy for social change that rejects the use of violence, but at the same time sees nonviolent action (also called civil resistance) as an alternative to passive acceptance of oppression or armed struggle against it. In general, advocates of an activist philosophy of nonviolence use diverse methods in their campaigns for social change, including critical forms of education and persuasion, mass noncooperation, civil disobedience, nonviolent direct action, and social, political, cultural and economic forms of intervention.

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Latest News for: nonviolent

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10 Nonviolent Actions Against the Nazis That Proved Effective

ListVerse 26 Mar 2025
The post 10 Nonviolent Actions Against the Nazis That Proved Effective appeared first on Listverse.
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As Israelis resist tyranny, all nonviolent means – including shunning IDF reserve duty – are justified

Haaretz 20 Mar 2025
When the government thumbs its nose at the law, only the public can stop it from transforming Israel into an authoritarian dictatorship resembling Turkey, Russia and maybe even Iran ....
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The victimization story

Corsicana Daily Sun 10 Mar 2025
This week we are looking at the story of victimization. The stories that we have looked at in prior weeks - the story of domination, revolution, purification, isolation – all create victims ....
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Column: Now is the time to organize and act with nonviolence

Star Advertiser 09 Mar 2025
We live in a violent world supported by a glorification of violence exploding in social media, TV and movies ... .
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Faith column: The discipline of nonviolence

The Post and Courier 09 Mar 2025
I do not believe that Jesus’ instructions constitute an invitation for abused people to remain in abusive situations or for anyone to roll over and be a doormat in the face of moral injustice. A timely historical example of this ... .
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Jesus advocated peace and love, but also nonviolent political resistance | Opinion

The Oklahoman 07 Mar 2025
New York Times columnist says nation is divided about democracy itself ... He will speak at UW-Madison April 16. Editor's note ... ... But understood in his socio-historical context, Jesus is coaching his followers in nonviolent political resistance ... The Rev.
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The Art of Nonviolent Reform: Returning and Preserving America’s Separation of Powers

Jurist 07 Mar 2025
Congress has before it a unique opportunity ... 3988) and the REPUBLIC Act (S. 4373) in the prior Congress ... These emergencies can be infinitely renewed ... This moment is where the United States, through Congress, can demonstrate the art of nonviolent reform ... .
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