Robert Edis Fairbairn (17 June 1879 - 30 May 1953) was a Canadian minister, writer, and

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...

. Fairbairn became a committed pacifist after "firsthand exposure to the reactions of young men in bayonet drill", and within a decade of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he emerged as "one of the most prolific pacifist writers in Canada". Later, Fairbairn helped R. B. Y. Scott and

Gregory Vlastos Gregory Vlastos (; el, Γρηγόριος Βλαστός; July 27, 1907 – October 12, 1991) was a preeminent scholar of ancient philosophy, and author of many works on Plato and Socrates. He transformed the analysis of classical philosophy ...

to produce '' /openlibrary.org/books/OL9859219M/Towards_the_Christian_Revolution Towards the Christian Revolution' (1936). In his chapter, he argued that one of the primary functions of the Christian faith was to generate opposition to war. In 1939, Fairbairn drafted a

manifesto A manifesto is a published declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party or government. A manifesto usually accepts a previously published opinion or public consensus or promotes a ...

entitled ''Witness Against War'', ultimately signed by over 150 United Churchmen. Fairbairn was often critical of the church for its failure to oppose escalating violence throughout the world. By the end of his career, he had become "the most outspoken radical pacifist in Canada". Regarding his contributions to

Christian pacifism Christian pacifism is the theological and ethical position according to which pacifism and non-violence have both a scriptural and rational basis for Christians, and affirms that any form of violence is incompatible with the Christian faith. Chr ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fairbairn, Robert Edis 1879 births 1953 deaths Canadian anti-capitalists Canadian anti-war activists Canadian Christian pacifists Canadian Esperantists Canadian Methodist ministers English emigrants to Canada Methodist pacifists Non-interventionism