No More Violence: A Plea for Peace

By Darrell W. Wood

Since the beginning of human history, individuals, societies, and nations have wreaked wanton violence against the weak and vulnerable. Warfare, as an extreme form of violence, is waged against adversaries that may be weak or strong, but the results can be devastating.

No mas violencia: Un mensaje de Dios (No more violence: A message from God) is an international organization dedicated to addressing the issue of violence in its many forms throughout the world. David Balyeat, president, was instrumental in its founding in 1997 in Argentina. To date, the lives of millions in Latin America, the U.S., and countries in Europe and the Middle East have been touched.

Growing up in Argentina the son of Baptist missionaries, Balyeat--as a leader of the Argentine Baptist Youth--and others looked at the reality of violence in their society and knew that something had to be done.

A simple message was prepared and proclaimed with a large flag displayed at sports arenas, concerts, and other popular venues: No mas violencia: Un mensaje de Dios.

For its global impact for peace, Balyeat and his compadres give God the glory for "la paz de Dios."

With the U.S. being its international headquarters, the organization has legal representation in Argentina, El Salvador, Venezuela, and the U.S. It also has worked in Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, Ecuador, Honduras, and Mexico.

A precedent for peace in South America is the Christ of the Andes statue. This inspiring monument was erected in 1902 as a symbol of peace in a border dispute between Argentina and Chile. Such reconciliation and cessation of violence were made possible only by God (la paz de Dios).

Violence, according to Wikipedia, is the use of physical force so as to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines violence as "the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, which either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment, or deprivation."

WHO divides violence into three broad categories:

1. self-directed violence
2. interpersonal violence
3. collective violence

This initial categorization differentiates between violence that persons inflict upon themselves, violence inflicted by another individual or by a small group of individuals, and violence inflicted by larger groups such as states, organized political groups, military groups, and terrorist organizations.

Internationally, violence resulted in deaths of an estimated 1.28 million people in 2013 up from 1.13 million in 1990. Global population, however, grew by roughly 1.9 billion during those years, showing a dramatic reduction in violence per capita.

Of the deaths in 2013--

• roughly 842,000 were attributed to self-harm (suicide);
• 405,000 to interpersonal violence; and
• 31,000 to collective violence (war) and legal interventions.

Violence often has lifelong consequences for physical and mental health and social functioning and can slow economic and social development.

• More recently, in 2020, 81,000 women and girls were killed, around 47,000 of them (58%) died at the hands of an intimate partner or a family member.
• Violence causes more than 1.6 million deaths worldwide every year. Violence is one of the leading causes of death in all parts of the world for persons 15-44.
• Globally, an estimated one of two children aged 2-17 years old suffers some form of violence each year. Every five minutes a child dies as a result of violence.

According to Baptist World, magazine of the Baptist World Alliance, globally, the United Nations estimates that more than 700 million women--one in three--have experienced domestic violence at least once in their life. This staggering statistic has only grown worse since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Incidents of domestic violence have increased 300% in China, 25% in Argentina, 30% in Cyprus, 33% in Singapore, and 50% in Brazil. In the face of this "shadow pandemic" of domestic violence, how do global Baptists respond?

"As people of faith, we must be on the frontlines--responding to needs with the love of Christ. That's why the BWA is committed to providing resources like Stand Against Domestic Violence to equip individuals and faith communities to respond to this global issue." --BWA General Secretary Elijah Brown

In Russia's unjustified war with Ukraine, the number of children killed since the start of the war is put at 360, according to Ukrainian authorities. At least 1,000 children have been killed or wounded in the war, a Ukrainian prosecutor estimates.

• Recent examples of U.N. statistics verified a total of 5,024 civilian deaths (including children).
• Mariupol mayor Boychenko estimated his city's civilian deaths may have been as high as 20,000. Boychenko called it "one of the worst genocides of civilians in modern history."

Russia's egregious acts of inhumane attacks on civilian targets are being charged as "war crimes." Non-military targets intentionally bombed or attacked with rockets/missiles include apartment buildings, theaters, hospitals, schools, and shopping centers--indiscriminately killing innocent civilians.

The history of warfare chronicles military fatalities in the millions. According to Aaron O'Neil, of the number of United States military fatalities in major wars, 1775-2022, the greatest casualty count was 620,000 in the American Civil War (fought over states' rights and slavery). By comparison, the deadliest of the World Wars had a combined death toll of 520,000. Most of these wars were waged in response to unprovoked attacks by the enemy, e.g., the surprise attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. American engagement in World War II involved concurrent Allied theaters of operation around the world against the Axis: a Pacific Theater against the Japanese and the European Theater against Nazi Germany under Hitler and Fascist Italy led by Mussolini.

However, following wars beyond U.S. borders, violence erupted on the American homeland at the beginning of the 21st century. Attacks by terrorists on September 11, 2000, resulted in the destruction of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and other targets. During the attacks, 2,977 people were killed, 19 hijackers committed murder-suicide, and more than 6,000 were injured. Of the 2,977 fatalities, 2,753 were killed in the World Trade Center and surrounding area, 184 deaths at the Pentagon, and 40 in Pennsylvania. These deaths included 265 on the four planes that were hijacked.

The World Trade Center and related attacks remain the deadliest terrorist act in world history.

In the face of such awful atrocities, surely saner peacemakers must prevail. Those who wage unjust wars that are unwarranted must be held accountable and brought to justice.

A growing scourge of violence in American society is "domestic terrorism"--the indiscriminate and wanton slaughter of innocents in a variety of venues--schools, concerts, churches, mosques, and synagogues. As of July 4, 2022, 51 people were killed in mass shootings in the U.S. in 2022. A total of 1,051 victims of active shooters, armed with military-type assault rifles, were fatally injured during mass shootings in the U.S. between 1982 and 2022.

Another form of violence prevalent in the U.S. is extreme partisan politics. Civility in political discourse is no longer evident in the halls of federal and state government--whether executive, legislative, or judicial. An armed insurrection against the Capitol occurred January 6, 2022, in an effort to overturn a free and fair Presidential election; mayhem ran amok as perpetrators fomented the riot--causing chaos, deaths, and injuries--incited by a sitting President to storm the Capitol in support of the incumbent who lost the election but was unwilling to accept a peaceful transition of power to the new administration, falsely claiming the election was stolen.

The assault of the U.S. Capitol was essentially an attack on democracy.

Any assessment of the impact of violence in the world--foreign and domestic--would be incomplete without a look at drug-related violence and deaths, including the abuse of alcohol in American society.

• Drug use is directly and indirectly responsible for 11.8 million deaths each year.
• Smoking, alcohol and drug use is one important risk factor for early death: 11.4 million die prematurely as a result each year.
• Over 350,000 die from overdoses (alcohol and illicit drug use disorders) each year.
• Worldwide, 3 million deaths each year result from harmful use of alcohol--representing 5.3% of all deaths (7.7% for men and 2.6% for women).
• The harmful use of alcohol is a causal factor in more than 200 disease and injury conditions.
• Overall, 5.1% of the global burden of disease and injury is attributable to alcohol.

Legalization of marijuana (cannabis) for recreational, not medicinal, use leads to increased usage and possible addiction. Cannabis can be considered a "gateway" drug for more harmful drugs such as heroin and methamphetamine and illicit use of lethal drugs like fentanyl.

Increased numbers of opioid overdoses with over 100,000 OD deaths annually, especially among young people, cause great concern.

Only divine intervention can turn the tide of violence and drug-related death and injury--to oneself and to others such as motor vehicle accidents. God alone, as revealed in Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, is able to provide the power and peace (shalom) of His presence to save us from ourselves. But we must allow God to change our hearts and transform us into peacemakers. Jesus, in the seventh Beatitude of His Sermon on the Mount said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons [children] of God" (Matthew 5:9).

God's judgment precedes peaceful latter days on the earth as described in Micah 4:3--And He will judge between many peoples and render decisions for mighty, distant nations. Then they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they train for war.

Godly living--focused on finding peace (eirene)--is further declared in 1 Peter 3:11--He must turn away from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it.

No more violence! This is God's message to our hearts. May we hear and heed this plea for peace.

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