We affirm the philosophical or religious ideal of nonviolence as the foundation of our purpose, the presupposition of our belief, and the manner of our action.

Nonviolence, as it grows from the Judeo-Christian tradition, seeks a social order of justice permeated by love. Integration of human endeavor represents the crucial first step towards such a society.

Through nonchalance ...

• Courage displaces fear; love transforms hate
• Acceptance dissipates prejudice; hopes ends despair
• Peace dominates war; faith reconciles doubt
• Mutual regard cancels enmity
• Justice for all overcomes injustice
• The redemptive community supersedes systems of gross social immorality

Love is the central motif of nonviolence. Love is the force by which God binds man to himself and man to man. Such love goes to the extreme; it remains loving and forgiving even in the midst of hostility. It matches the capacity of evil to inflict suffering with an even more enduring capacity to absorb evil, all the while persisting in love.

Although each local group in this movement must diligently work out the clear meaning of this statement of purpose, each act or phase of our corporate effort must reflect a genuine spirit of love and good-will.

Originally adopted by the Southwide Youth Leadership Conference
Shaw University, Raleigh, NC
April 15-17, 1960 (as revised April 29, 1962)