[Page 58]Anabaptists

The nature of war throughout history is tempered with the state and people who fight in war. Many peace and nonviolent movements centered on the question of whether or not to fight in service to a state for any cause or for a particular cause. The Anabaptist faith was the first significant break within the Protestant reform movement that was founded on a response to this central concern. The issue is not as simple as not wanting to fight in a war for a state but, rather, what religion’s role is within that state. To fully understand this position, one must understand the history of 16th-century Europe and the consequences following the Protestant Reformation and the break from the Catholic Church.

In the beginning of the ...