Brother Wayne Teasdale - Is God a Pacifist?

For his August-October 2004 feature article, EnlightenNext magazine’s Carter Phipps asked the controversial question, ”Is God a pacifist?” Speaking to a variety of theologians, political adepts, and activists he explored the history of philosophical and spiritual foundations of non-violence and pacifism, calling into question their relevance at the beginning of the 21st century. In this interview, Phipps spoke to lay monk Brother Wayne Teasdale. Teasdale believes that God's nature is one of ultimate goodness, defined by the embodiment of perfection and harmony at the highest level. In this view, violence, particularly within the realm of human life, stems not from God but from our ignorance of God.

BIO

Brother Wayne Teasdale (1945-2004) devoted much of his life to facilitating understanding, respect, and practical cooperation among spiritual leaders. As a lay monk and pioneer of the interfaith movement, he spoke stridently and compellingly about the necessity for all spiritual leaders to actively respond to the crises facing the world. Serving many years on the board of the Parliament of the World's Religions, he was instrumental in bringing almost eight thousand people of different faiths together for the 1993 Chicago Parliament, an event that led to the pivotal signing by two hundred spiritual leaders of Guidelines for a Global Ethic. He also organized the Synthesis Dialogues, an interreligious, interdisciplinary forum moderated by H.H. the Dalai Lama, designed to bring key figures from diverse professions together to explore the value and implications of mystical experience. And, together with His Holiness, he helped to draft the influential Universal Declaration on Nonviolence.

Teasdale studied under Father Thomas Keating of St. Joseph's Abbey, and later became a devoted student of Father Bede Griffiths in his Benedictine ashram in southern India. His books include A Monk in the World: Cultivating a Spiritual Life and The Mystic Heart, and he also wrote numerous articles on religion and mysticism.

Brother Teasdale received his M.A. in philosophy from St. Joseph College and his Ph.D. in theology from Fordham University.