Article June 14, 2004 Issue

God as the only power

By Shelly Richardson

It is said that India's Mahatma Gandhi searched for the right words to describe his nonviolent movement. Apparently the terms passive resistance and civil disobedience didn't satisfy him. He considered social change to be neither passive nor disobedient.

Finally, he chose the Sanskrit word satyagraha, sometimes translated "pursuit of Truth." He based his social ideals for equality on a spiritual basis including love, compassion, respect, and understanding.

I've always thought of myself as someone who loves the "pursuit of Truth." Giving up old ways of thinking and trusting in the power of Truth to move mountains are not always easy, but the rewards are great. Even before Gandhi, others have whispered to the world that there are higher and more permanent ways to find justice and freedom. Two thousand years ago, it was written that Jesus said, "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32).

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