Jesus said - love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you - is war forgiving?

Jesus said - love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you - is war forgiving?

This poster printed for the Peace Committee of the Society of Friends in 1936 incorporates an image of Jesus riding a donkey with a child in hand. This poster fosters a sense of humanity and condemns the types of atrocities that were induced and later escalated by the Spanish Civil War. The inclusion of Jesus’ teachings attempts to justify the opposition of war through religious virtues. The religious connotation in conjunction with the question, “Is war forgiving?” reiterates the inhumane nature of war and the opposition of Christian values. By raising this query, this poster aligns religion against war, thereby emphasizing how Jesus wanted people to resolve discord through forgiveness and peaceful rectitude. The visual of Jesus sitting on a donkey symbolizes humility. God’s choice to be one with the masses calls into question the exploitation and suffering that are consequences of war. The graphic of Jesus walking with a child morphs into the notion of an ideological society, in which children are guided into a harmonious world. The duality between the innocence of children and widespread civilian death by violence, calls upon an urgent need for pacifist retaliation. This artistic piece’s ability to resonate as anti-war propaganda showcases pacifism’s concordance with Christianity and humanity.

RIDDHI PANCHAL

Northern Friends Peace Board and the Friends Peace Committee

1936