My Christo-anarchist pacifism perspective
As a Christian, I understand and believe that if Christ wanted to he could’ve gone on a crusade and took the Roman Empire under his control if he but only said the word, but he DOESN’T. Jesus tells Peter to lower his sword, even though Jesus knows that he and his followers will die horrifically.
If someone criticizes me for being Christian, it should be because I’m a pacifist, to the greatest extent, not because of the hate or destruction my faith has brought for 1900 years (give or take). My ideology is that I will lower the sword, that I’ll give the shirt off my back, because that’s what my savior did. When I sin, I am stabbing my god, but rather than smiting me or striking me back, god hands me the sword and says “stab me again.” Call my faith illogical if you will, because I understand that it is illogical, especially from a utilitarian/materialist perspective. That’s what faith is, understanding that what you believe IS a leap of faith, not gravity or anything we can observe, but something we believe in. To that extent, because my faith is illogical, it isn’t something to use as policy. If I believe something because of my faith, it is mine alone to believe. I will oppose war and violence both from my faith, but also from reasonable, logical perspectives as well.