“War is a wound in the family of God. Help to heal it by thought, word, and deed.”

Title

“War is a wound in the family of God. Help to heal it by thought, word, and deed.”

Description

This poster, printed in 1939, expresses the connection between pacifism and the Quaker religion by stating that war disagrees with God. It can be read both as a Spanish Civil War poster and as a caution against the looming Second World War. It is a call for active pacifism because it asks the viewer to “help heal [the wound in the family of God] by thought, word, and deed.” Active pacifism was important to the Quakers because it meant becoming involved in an active effort to bring about peace while staying neutral to partisan politics. This can be seen in their volunteer work in the relief effort during the Spanish Civil War. The significance of expressing active pacifism is to show that pacifism is more than simply abstaining from violence. It is necessary to take steps to prevent violence as the Quakers were doing through posters, pamphlets, and their volunteer work (“thought, word, and deed”).

Source

Northern Friends Peace Board and the Friends Peace Committee

Date

1939

Contributor

Mairéad Ferry

Type

Poster

Files

(medium4) Peace_Poster_from_Northern_Friends_Peace_Board (4).jpg

Citation

““War is a wound in the family of God. Help to heal it by thought, word, and deed.”,” Testimonies in Art & Action: Igniting Pacifism in the Face of Total War, accessed March 28, 2024, https://ds-omeka.haverford.edu/peacetestimonies/items/show/100.

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