Violence Prevention
Engage
Related Reading:
In this book, a Zen Buddhist master and peace activist offers a practical blueprint for peaceful inner change and global transformation, showing how simple daily practices of mindfulness and compassion can root out violence where it resides in our hearts and minds and create peace at every level. Thích Nhất Hạnh shares techniques to transform anger and fear within ourselves, drawing on Buddhist wisdom and his lived experience in war to help anyone cultivate nonviolence in thought, word, and deed.
Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of Violence by Karen Armstrong
In this sweeping historical study, Armstrong, a former nun turned religious scholar, confronts the prevalent idea that religion is inherently violent. She examines conflicts from ancient times to the modern day, illustrating how political and social factors have often been the true drivers of war, even when cloaked in religious rhetoric. This work helps funders and faith leaders alike understand the complex relationship between faith and violence, ultimately arguing that it is not religion itself but how we interpret and practice it amid worldly pressures that determines whether it fuels conflict or fosters peace.
Worth Watching:
This powerful film chronicles the true story of the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace – an interfaith movement of Christian and Muslim women led by activist Leymah Gbowee, who united in prayer and nonviolent protest to end Liberia’s brutal civil war.
Dressed in white and armed only with their faith and persistence, these women became a formidable “political force against violence.” Their efforts helped usher in a peace agreement and the election of Africa’s first female head of state. This documentary illustrates how grassroots spiritual courage and solidarity can transform even the most entrenched forms of violence.