Derek: 00:28

Welcome back to the Fourth Way Podcast. This next piece is going to be, a speech by Frederick Douglass. It's a pretty short work and it's entitled My Opposition to War. Now a couple of things that I want you to know about Douglass before getting getting into him. You probably have heard me reference him before and I I have read a piece in the the season on Government, What's the Slave is the Fourth of July?

Derek: 01:01

And in there, what's what is notable is that Douglas essentially recognizes that what is gonna change the nation is basically truth and light, right? It's the he said he knows that slavery is going to be overthrown, not because of the goodness of The United States and that it was a Christian nation. Because if you read Douglas', know, the narrative of life of Frederick Douglass, basically he he says that the worst masters that he had were the most religious ones. So Douglas is a Christian, but he he has no illusion of of what Christianity is to many people and what it means to be a quote Christian. His worst masters were the most religious Christians.

Derek: 01:51

And and Douglas sees this hypocrisy and sees this sees this for what it is. So he recognizes that America isn't this good endeavor, like that's just so much different than than everything else. He recognizes that what's really overturning slavery is revelation of truth and how nations are becoming accountable to to other nations. And so if I would recommend going back and listening to to that episode and you can or or reading Douglas's work and it's I think it's towards the end, like towards the very end where he kind of describes what it is that's actually going to overturn slavery and change The United States. And it's it's basically the the non violent principles, the non violent ideas that we've talked about so much with truth, you know, Havel and Sultanitzan and truth and peace and sacrifice.

Derek: 02:48

So go check it out. But what's what's particularly interesting about Douglas is, you we mentioned with Garrison that there were a lot of people, a lot of pacifists who liked the idea of it, but that doesn't mean that there aren't things that that still tantalize us. So imagine yourself being an abolitionist in the eighteen hundreds, and the civil war's on the horizon, and you know that that war, if the union wins, could end slavery, this just atrocious institution. I mean, how tantalizing would that be to be like, Well, I'll put my non violence on the shelf for a bit. So tantalizing, like, I I get it.

Derek: 03:31

I mean, I still get that way when I see, when I hear people who put up self defense and shoot attackers or like things like that. I'm like, Yes, justice, good, I'm glad the attackers got what they deserved, I'm glad the good people got away. And there's almost like this reveling in the death or injury of of an enemy because you are so happy that injustice was not able to be carried out. And so I I completely get putting your pacifism on the shelf for abolition. But if you're a slave or a former slave, how much more would it be tempting to put that on the shelf?

Derek: 04:14

To say, okay, I'm gonna put that down because the true promise of peace through war, right, is almost here, like I can taste it. What's interesting here then with Douglas' work is that this work is it's only nine years prior to the civil war. So I'm sure tension's in the air, and Douglas knows what's coming in terms of like slavery is going to be abolished eventually, and there is so much tension in this country. Yet Douglas is opposed to war. A former slave, somebody who was abused by the system and knows what goes on firsthand, he maintains his non violence.

Derek: 05:00

And I think that adds a lot of power to the words of Douglas. You can't tell him that he's somebody who, you know, is just this idealist. You just can't do it. And that's kind of a rare thing lot of times with the ideological pacifists, and it's nice to be able to point to examples like this. So here it is, My Opposition to War by Frederick Douglass.

Derek: 05:28

And this is, you know, public domain, of course. I experience great pleasure in rising to support the resolution which has been so ably advocated by the gentleman preceding me. You may think it's somewhat singular that I, a slave, an American slave, should stand forth at this time as an advocate of peace between two countries situated as this and The United States are, when it is universally believed that a war between them would eventuate in the emancipation of three millions of my brethren who are now held in most cruel bonds in that country. I believe this would be the result, but such is my regard for the principle of peace, such is my deep, firm conviction that nothing can be attained for liberty universally by war, that were I to be asked the question as to whether I would have my emancipation by the shedding of one single drop of blood, my answer would be in the negative. I am opposed to war because I am a believer in Christianity.

Derek: 06:27

I am opposed to war because I am a lover of my race. The first gleam of Christian truth that beamed upon my dark mind after having escaped the clutches of those who held me in slavery was accompanied by the spirit of love. I felt at that moment as if I were embracing the whole world in the arms of love and affection. I could not have injured one hair of the head of my worst enemy, although that enemy might have been at that very time imbuing his hands in the blood of a brother or a sister. I believe all who have experienced this love, who are living in the enjoyment of this love, feel the same spirit and same abhorrence of injuring a single individual no matter what his conduct happens to be.

Derek: 07:12

One of my reasons for hating war, and by which my attention was first attracted to its many evils, was a circumstance which occurred a few years since in the city of New York. During the revolutionary war, an attempt was made to bombard many of our cities on the coast. Some of the bombshells had been recently found that were thrown during the war. One was taken from the shores in New Jersey and sent to an ironmonger in the city of New York. When in the shop, one of the workmen took it out of the doors, and finding it had not been discharged, he commenced with a hammer and chisel to take out its contents.

Derek: 07:46

In so doing, by one stroke with a hammer, a spark was emitted, and at once the shell exploded, blowing the poor man to Adam's, his legs one way, his arms another, his skull, his whole person was shattered by the single bomb. Pieces passed into several dwellings, and three or four women and one or two children were killed in consequence of that single bombshell. The thought struck me. What must be the state of things when hundreds of these are thrown into innocent families, not among the hostile parties, not among those on the field of battle, armed and equipped, infuriated with the spirit of war, but into the domestic circle among children, some of whom may have been intended by the Creator to fill a prominent place in the reformation and purification of the world, these all destroyed by the demon of war. On reading an account of this, I thought if I had power within me, it should be used whenever it could in opposition to the demonical spirit of war.

Derek: 08:46

Some people contend that they can fight in love. I have heard individuals say they could go to war in love. Yes, this foul reproach has been brought up upon Christianity, and ministers have been heard to say that they could go to war in love. This was answered very well by an advocate of peace in The United States, I am happy to inform the good people here that advocates of peace are multiplying in The United States. An advocate of peace was arguing this question with a brother who was a minister of the Gospel.

Derek: 09:15

The minister was against it. In fact, they were both ministers. He was asked if he believed Christianity was a religion of love, if the spirit of Christ breathed love. He admitted it, he said, God is love. Then said the other, all that dwell in Him should dwell in love.

Derek: 09:33

This he admitted at once. Then we should do nothing but what can be done in entire consistency with love. Of course, this must be granted. Well, said he, can you go to war in love? Oh, yes.

Derek: 09:47

Can you kill an enemy in love? Oh, yes. I can conceive of circumstances when I should be bound to by love to kill him. What? Throw bombshells, shoot cannon, use the sword in love?

Derek: 10:00

Yes. Well, said my good friend, if you can do all these things in love, what can you do in hate? I believe if there is one thing more than another that has brought a reproach upon the Christian religion, it is the spirit of war. While a little while ago, in the Congress of the United States, a member arose and proposed the appropriation of a large sum to support the chaplaincy in the Navy. Our Congress is made up of various materials.

Derek: 10:27

Among a number, there's the infidel, the son of Robert Owen. That infidel, Mr. Owen, rose in his place at once and opposed the proposition to support the chaplaincy. And on what ground do you suppose? He did it, he said, on patriotic grounds.

Derek: 10:45

He was opposed to the introduction of the Scriptures in the Navy. For, he said, if the principles of Christianity, if the doctrines inculcated in the New Testament are carried out in the lives of our soldiers, they would do the very opposite to that for which we enlist them in the service. Instead of shooting their enemies, they would love them. Instead of butchering them, they would bind up their wounds. Instead of blowing them into atoms, they would seek to preserve their lives.

Derek: 11:11

He added, I am utterly and unequivocally opposed to any support being given to the chaplaincy. They would preach the doctrines of the New Testament. What a stain, what a blot, an infidel rising up and rebuking ministers, claiming to be ministers of the God of love, rebuking them for their delinquency and preaching a higher Christianity than those to whom he has been accustomed to look. Don't really have too much to add there for Douglas other than I really encourage you to go listen to the narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass and read What's the Slave is the July 4. Those two things are are phenomenal.

Derek: 11:56

Douglass is a quality guy and he's somebody who had a an extreme vested interest in in war, something that would have seemingly benefited his people, his nation, and he had every reason to want to go to war except for he's a Christian and that trumps all other reasons. And because he's a Christian and his master is Christ, Douglas recognized that war would be incompatible. That's all for now. So peace and because I'm a pacifist, when I say it, I mean it. This podcast is a part of the Kingdom Outpost Network.

Derek: 12:58

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