The total advocation of nonviolence is ironically one of the most destructive and unjust moral ideologies a person could put into practice, not to mention a wholly unbiblical one. Pacifism is nonetheless mistaken by those who viciously distort the words of Jesus for an enlightened philosophy that promotes human flourishing. There is nothing contrary to Biblical ethics about having a personal, subjective preference for minimizing or avoiding conflict when possible, but it is deeply contrary to major portions of the Bible to claim that the instructions to "turn the other cheek" (Matthew 5:39) in any way establish any sort of Biblical pacifism.
Not only does a person only have one cheek to turn to, but the Bible plainly endorses everything from self-defense to warfare to capital punishment in certain circumstances. Even the New Testament, which is so often held up as an example of "progressive revelation" when it comes to ethics, is perfectly consistent with the Torah's laws about violence (either prohibiting certain forms of it or calling for certain forms of it). Indeed, the God of Acts and Revelation can hardly be said to be opposed to the infliction of death upon the unworthy! Nothing about the so-called "New Testament God" contradicts or supercedes the moral laws permitting or condemning various acts of violence in the Old Testament.
Of course, the Bible has precise limitations on each of these three categories. For example, a person who deals a fatal blow to an intruder during a home invasion is exempted from any murder or manslaughter charges if the ordeal happened at night, whereas he or she is "guilty of bloodshed" if the killing blow is delivered in daylight (Exodus 22:2-3). Going to war without a legitimate need is a moral abomination by Biblical standards, as is refusing to offer soldiers on one's own side a chance to exempt themselves from combat and refusing to offer a military opponent (with the sole exception of a group God specifically wants to be exterminated) an initial chance to surrender before violence ensues (Deuteronomy 20:5-12).
As for capital punishment, the Biblical methods of execution come nowhere near the brutality of pagan and contemporary secular punishments--when not guided by Mosaic Law, humans tend to resort to punishments like crucifixion, flaying, or lifetime imprisonment with the risk of repeated rape. Mosaic Law prescribes no method that is meant to artificially prolong any suffering of the criminal and has laws that are specifically intended to prevent abusive behaviors from being inflicted on criminals out of emotionalistic rage or sadism. Indeed, stoning, one of the most familiar Biblical execution methods, might involve minimal suffering, as a single stone could reduce a person to unconsciousness [1].
It should be clear that at least some of these Biblical demands for or allowances of particular forms of violence are more than just "necessary evils"; they are fundamental elements of justice itself. It is actually immoral to avoid violence in some cases, yet there are always exact boundaries to every justified act of violence called for in the Bible. None of the violence commanded or permitted by the Christian God are gratuitous within the moral framework in question. Consequently, it is genuinely dangerous to encourage a total abstinence from violence for the sake of safety and justice. It is always better to lash out at sincere pacifists with intimidating verbal violence than it is to pretend for even a moment that the Bible is a pacifist book.
[1]. https://thechristianrationalist.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-process-of-stoning.html
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