The Kingdom of God Is Within You | Page 7

many Men are Necessary to
Change a Crime into a Virtue?" he says: "One man may not kill. If he
kills a fellow-creature, he is a murderer. If two, ten, a hundred men do
so, they, too, are murderers. But a government or a nation may kill as
many men as it chooses, and that will not be murder, but a great and
noble action. Only gather the people together on a large scale, and a
battle of ten thousand men becomes an innocent action. But precisely
how many people must there be to make it so?--that is the question.
One man cannot plunder and pillage, but a whole nation can. But
precisely how many are needed to make it permissible? Why is it that
one man, ten, a hundred, may not break the law of God, but a great
number may?"
And here is a version of Ballou's catechism composed for his flock:
CATECHISM OF NON-RESISTANCE.
Q. Whence is the word "non-resistance" derived?
A. From the command, "Resist not evil." (M. v. 39.)
Q. What does this word express?
A. It expresses a lofty Christian virtue enjoined on us by Christ.
Q. Ought the word "non-resistance" to be taken in its widest sense--that
is to say, as intending that we should not offer any resistance of any
kind to evil?
A. No; it ought to be taken in the exact sense of our Saviour's
teaching--that is, not repaying evil for evil. We ought to oppose evil by
every righteous means in our power, but not by evil.
Q. What is there to show that Christ enjoined non-resistance in that
sense?

A. It is shown by the words he uttered at the same time. He said: "Ye
have heard, it was said of old, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.
But I say unto you Resist not evil. But if one smites thee on the right
cheek, turn him the other also; and if one will go to law with thee to
take thy coat from thee, give him thy cloak also."
Q. Of whom was he speaking in the words, "Ye have heard it was said
of old"?
A. Of the patriarchs and the prophets, contained in the Old Testament,
which the Hebrews ordinarily call the Law and the Prophets.
Q. What utterances did Christ refer to in the words, "It was said of
old"?
A. The utterances of Noah, Moses, and the other prophets, in which
they admit the right of doing bodily harm to those who inflict harm, so
as to punish and prevent evil deeds.
Q. Quote such utterances.
A. "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be
shed."--GEN. ix. 6.
"He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death...And
if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, eye for eye,
tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning,
wound for wound, stripe for stripe." --Ex. xxi. 12 and 23-25.
"He that killeth any man shall surely be put to death. And if a man
cause a blemish in his neighbor, as he hath done, so shall it be done
unto him: breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth."--LEV. xxiv.
17, 19, 20.
"Then the judges shall make diligent inquisition; and behold, if the
witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother,
then shall ye do unto him as he had thought to have done unto his
brother...And thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for

eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot."--DEUT. xix. 18, 21.
Noah, Moses, and the Prophets taught that he who kills, maims, or
injures his neighbors does evil. To resist such evil, and to prevent it, the
evil doer must be punished with death, or maiming, or some physical
injury. Wrong must be opposed by wrong, murder by murder, injury by
injury, evil by evil. Thus taught Noah, Moses, and the Prophets. But
Christ rejects all this. "I say unto you," is written in the Gospel, "resist
not evil," do not oppose injury with injury, but rather bear repeated
injury from the evil doer. What was permitted is forbidden. When we
understand what kind of resistance they taught, we know exactly what
resistance Christ forbade.
Q. Then the ancients allowed the resistance of injury by injury?
A. Yes. But Jesus forbids it. The Christian has in no case the right to
put to death his neighbor who has done him evil, or to do him injury in
return.
Q. May he kill or maim him in self-defense?
A. No.
Q. May he go with a complaint to the judge that he who has wronged
him may be punished?
A.