Most readers will be familiar with the story of the people of Ammon. Because of Ammon’s missionary work to the Lamanites (and the work of his brothers), many of them were converted. They repented of their war-like ways and buried their weapons of war. They were attacked by other Lamanites but allowed themselves to be killed rather than fight back. They then emigrated to Nephite lands and were protected from further battle by the Nephites. Later, their children fought to help protect the Nephites and became the “stripling warriors.”
At first glance, it appears the Ammonites were clearly pacifists. But this post makes some good points worth considering.
To sum up, the Ammonites may not be considered pacifists because:
1)They allowed the Nephites to protect them through force of arms.
2)They try at one point to take up arms again but are convinced not to by Helaman (see Alma 53).
3)They provided material support to war efforts on their behalf.
4)They never encourage pacifism in others.
5)They never express a coherent anti-war philosophy.
It is important to note that in our day pacifism is a well-developed philosophy that rejects violence in all cases. This post states the following:
The best place to begin an analysis of pacifism is with the absolutist argument that all forms of violence, war, and/or killing are unconditionally wrong. The proposed ideal is that social intercourse should be completely non-violent and peaceful, and conflicts which may arise should be dealt with through arbitration and compromise rather than with recourse to violent means. Absolutist pacifism asserts that peace is intrinsically a good to be upheld either as a duty or on the consequentialist grounds that it is more conducive to human welfare than any use of violence or force.
I would argue that studying the philosophy of pacifism has gained urgency since the Vietnam War because of the many people who have claimed conscientious objector status to avoid military service. You may or may not know that there have been a surprising number of conscientious objectors to recent U.S. wars. A lot of people in society these days spend time discussing just war theory and pacifism.
People who have felt the Spirit strongly can imagine the feelings of the Ammonites. I have been touched by the Spirit in ways that have made me feel nothing but love for those around me. I cannot imagine arguing with other people, much less fighting with them. When I feel the Spirit in this way, my entire being rejects the idea of conflict.
The people of Ammon felt something like this, ie, a complete feeling of love for those around them and a rejection of conflict. They simply could not imagine taking up arms again. This other-worldly feeling is difficult to explain in worldly terms. And so, you can easily understand how they would allow themselves to be protected by others. The Ammonites probably understood the necessity of self defense but could not bring themselves to fight because of their spiritual experiences.
Is this the same thing as pacifism? Probably not. Pacifism appears to be an intellectual enterprise, whereas the Ammonites were infused with the Spirit. So, it is probably correct to say they were not technically pacifists.
It is a wonderful thing to imagine a world where all people are like the Ammonites. I imagine the Millennium being something like that, and this is the reason so many of us look forward to the second coming of the Savior.
In the meantime, I believe thinking about how we should respond to potential violence is a necessary endeavor. In general, I believe in the golden rule and I really try to treat other people like I would like to be treated. But I also believe in self-defense. If somebody were to attack me or my family, I would defend myself and them, using violence if necessary and appropriate. I would also defend my country if the U.S. is directly attacked. But I reject most of the recent wars in which the United States has recently been involved. I do not believe these wars were about defending the United States or our vital interests. By the way, I think these views are completely in line with the just wars described in the Book of Mormon. Just wars are defensive wars, not aggressive wars.
Others may disagree. One of the many great things about the Book of Mormon is that it encourages readers to consider the actions of the various battling groups and to consider how Satan reigns with blood and horror on the Earth, stirring up people to fight unto extinction in some cases. Reading about the near destruction of the Nephites and the Jaredites, you can see that the massive wars portray people with a complete absence of the Spirit. They are in many ways the exact opposite of the Ammonites, who appear to be filled with the Spirit.
So, the people of Ammon may not technically be pacifists, but they are certainly worth studying and considering. How can we apply the lessons they learned to our own lives?