The Anti-Vietnam War Movement Within the Religious Communities

This thesis explores the roles of exemplary figures in Christian communities in the United States during the Vietnam War, highlighting how their faith-driven resistance formed a powerful moral force against American militarism. The actions and writings of Daniel and Philip Berrigan, William Sloane Coffin, James Carroll, and Harry J. Bury serve as examples of a broader antiwar movement within the Christian sphere, which used their theological principles to criticize institutions and mobilized support for their cause. By analyzing their memoirs and war diaries, one can grasp an understanding of how such resistance persevered despite push backs and condemnation from the state, the Church, and their own communities. This thesis thus also serves as a deep dive into the personal struggles that religious leaders and believers faced for their vocal dissent of the Vietnam War, which did not deter them from the movement, but rather strengthened their moral convictions that the war they were fighting against was indeed unjust.