Peace is not the absence of war any more than the absence of war is peace.
The Peace that Jesus of Nazareth spoke of was not the peace among people, but the peace within.
Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. "For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; and A MAN'S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD. ~ Matthew 10:34-35
Jesus was not promoting violence. He was making clear that he was not here to appease people, but to teach the path of attaining union with His Father. And when they have, enemies will be friends. But friends can also be enemies.
We cannot give what we do not have. We first have to fnd the peace within us, before we can emanate peace outward.
All religious paths are paths to peace. It is people who manipulate the words of the prophets and sages to justify unnecessary violence.
Do we have to put wrongdoers in their place? Yes.
We have to use judgment and discrimination based on integrity, ethnics and the principles laid down before us by God, the sages and prophets.
Yes, it’s a thin line and many will say it’s wrong because they do not want to stand up for the principles of peace (for example, The 10 Commandments or Yama Niyama). They would rather appease the tyrants or look away. This is not a path of peace.
How do you practice peace today?
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