Noah, Moses, and the prophets taught that he who kills, maims, and tortures his neighbours does evil. To resist such evil and destroy it, the doer of evil is to be punished by death or maiming or some personal injury. Insult is to be opposed to insult, murder to murder, torture to torture, evil to evil. Thus taught Noah, Moses, and the prophets. But Christ denies it all. "But I say unto you," it says in the Gospel, "that ye resist not evil, resist not an insult with an insult, but rather bear the repeated insult from the doer of evil." What was authorized is prohibited. If we understand what kind of resistance they taught, we clearly see what we are taught by Christ's non-resistance. _Q._ Did the ancients authorize the resistance of insult with insult? _A._ Yes; but Jesus prohibited this. A Christian has under no condition the right to deprive of life or to subject to insult him who does evil to his neighbour. _Q._ May a man kill or maim another in self-defence? _A._ No. _Q._ May he enter a court with a complaint, to have his insulter punished? _A._ No; for what he is doing through others, he is in reality doing in his own person. _Q._ May he fight with an army against enemies, or against domestic rebels? _A._ Of course not. He cannot take any part in war or warlike preparations. He cannot use death-dealing arms. He cannot resist injury with injury, no matter whether he be alone or with others, through himself or through others. _Q._ May he choose or fit out military men for the government? _A._ He can do nothing of the kind, if he wishes to be true to Christ's law. _Q._ May he voluntarily give money, to aid the government, which is supported by military forces, capital punishment, and violence in general? _A._ No, if the money is not intended for some special object, just in itself, where the aim and means are good. _Q._ May he pay taxes to such a government? _A._ No; he must not voluntarily pay the taxes, but he must also not resist their collection. The taxes imposed by the government are collected independently of the will of the subjects. It is impossible to resist the collection, without having recourse to violence; but a Christian must not use violence, and so he must give up his property to the violence which is exerted by the powers. _Q._ May a Christian vote at elections and take part in a court or in the government? _A._ No; the participation in elections, in the court, or in the government, is a participation in governmental violence. _Q._ In what does the chief significance of the doctrine of non-resistance consist?