I first want to say this page wasn't created to convince anyone I'm 100% correct or to start debates, it's intended to show my point of view and share information. Please don't start bombarding me with angry emails.
     One of my Christian beliefs is that Christ instructed his followers to live a life of non-violence. Maybe I'm being overly optimistic, but I do believe it's possible to find non-violent means to resolve any and all situations. Unfortunately, in the world in which we live, there are too many people who turn directly to the use of force before exhausting every non-violent alternative. As ineffective as pacifism seems to most people, I'll continue to live my life without causing physical harm to anyone for any reason.
     I've talked to fellow pacifists who refuse to allow any violence slip into their lives other than the real violence around them. These people won't watch movies, read books, or participate in sports containing any violence. In their minds, doing so in some way condones violence. At worst, they fear they'll be swayed from their beliefs. I do hate violence, but to me, avoiding all such forms of information or entertainment is like burying our heads in the sand. I think there's something we can learn from seeing or reading about the violence.
     The one thing I've been told when other pacifists hear I've written a detective novel is that I'm "glorifying the violence". My response is I'm not. My intent is to show that violence isn't the way to resolve conflict. It's one thing to sit and talk about the theoretical application of pacifism, but without seeing the practical application or alternatives, the words mean nothing to some people.
     A myth I attempt to erase is the one which, according to pacifists and many people who've been on the wrong side of the law, states that the police in some way enjoy harming or killing people . . . that they develop the attitude of "shoot first and ask questions later". Although there are some police like that, for most it's far from being true. The majority exhaust every peaceful means to accomplish their job before resorting to violence. I'd have to say that most of the police officers I know are much closer to being pacifists than the vigilantes some people try to make them out to be.
     While I don't condone violence, I do appreciate the job done by people in the law enforcement community. I hope my novels convey that appreciation while, at the same time, providing people with alternatives to the use of violence. I present one set of moral standards which, if more people were to follow, the police would never have to subdue suspects or draw their weapon. My stories don't put down the police, but the people who decide to resort to crime and murder instead of living by God's command to "Love your neighbor as yourself".