Date of Award
2024
Document Type
Thesis
Mentor
Dr. Don Berry
Abstract
Throughout history, many groups of people have experimented with nonviolent demonstrations and concepts. Religions, countries, and a variety of movements have put the demonstration of nonviolence at the forefront of their reasoning and defenses. When people hear the word nonviolence, there is usually a person or idea that comes to mind. People in the United States often think of figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and his Civil Rights Movement demonstrations. This paper will provide a detailed literary and research analysis of the concept of nonviolence, demonstrating that it is more than just a Christian concept. I will look at the idea of ahimsa, or non-violence, in the Buddhist, Hindu, and Jainist traditions—all of which place a high value on life—as well as notable authors connected to Christianity and each of these faiths. These writers are Mahatma Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, and Martin Luther King Jr. Each of them wrote extensively about nonviolence, and it will be through an examination of their works that the similarities and differences between them will be revealed.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Citation Information
Mertz, Lauren, "Demonstration of Nonviolence in Modern Day: Through the Lens of Christianity, Jainism, Hinduism, and Buddhism" (2024). Undergraduate Honors Theses. 67.
https://digitalcommons.gardner-webb.edu/undergrad-honors/67
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