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Game on for Christian Protest
MELBOURNE, Australia - Baptist minister Simon Moyle and friends have gone to Queensland to play hide and seek. It is a long way to go for a simple game, but this one is serious, and is almost certain to end with Mr Moyle in court - again.
Bonhoeffer Four: Margaret Pestorius and Jarrod McKenna (back), with Simon Moyle and Jessica Morrison. Photo: Julian Masters The quartet of Christians plan to hide in the 30,000 square kilometres of the Shoalwater Bay military training area near Rockhampton to disrupt joint exercises by the Australian and US armies, navies and air forces, involving about 24,000 troops.
The exercises, code named Talisman Sabre, feature simulated city fighting in the Middle East.
In the early hours of this morning, the group, calling themselves the Bonhoeffer Four, stole onto the base, knowing that the exercise cannot go ahead while they are loose. They are aligned with a larger Christian group, the Martin Luther King Junior House Church, which is loosely connected with the wider Peace Convergence protest.
The group's namesake, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, was a great German theologian who was hanged in 1945 for supporting a plot to assassinate Hitler. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd identified Bonhoeffer as his inspiration in a major essay in The Monthly in 2006.
"Our faith is calling us to this," Mr Moyle said. "We have committed our lives to taking seriously Jesus' call not just to be peace lovers but peace makers, and to love our enemies."
He said he didn't know how many groups would try to hide. They had to signal that they were there, with balloons and beacons, which made it harder, but their hiding spot is the size of Belgium.
If caught, they will face court. Disrupting the 2007 exercises cost Mr Moyle a six-month good behaviour bond.
"The military are doing invasion training. They have built a model city inside the base with a mosque in the middle, which the Australians are defending against the Americans," he said.
The Bonhoeffer Four comprises Mr Moyle, Margaret Pestorius, Jessica Morrison, and Jarrod McKenna.
Mr Moyle's Brunswick church, Inspiral, will hold a vigil tonight in Federation Square.
Yesterday the ABC reported that a Sydney chaplain, Frank Vavasour, was briefly detained and later released without charge, after trying to climb the fence of the Rockhampton military barracks.
Mr Vavasour is a member of the Catholic group Pax Christi.
53 Comments so far
Show AllNow these are the real Christian Soldiers.
Go Team Go !
Awesome, good luck to them. I can't imagine how dangerous that is.
Wow, religious folks actually doing something worthwhile. It's about time.
"Between the idea
And the reality
Between the motion
And the act
Falls the shadow"
Most serious and effective activism has always been religion based:
A quick list of the top of my head...
Gandhi, MLK, Bishop Romero and other martyred leftist clergy, Fr. Roy Bourgeois, Fr. John Dear, former Frs. Daniel amd late Phil Berrigan, Sr. Prejean, Sr. Chittser, Liberation Theology, Ploughshares Actions, Close the SOA, Christian Peacemaker teams, Voices in the Wilderness (Now Voices for creative nonviolence), Pax Christi, Catholic Worker houses, the American Friends Service Comittee; numerous churches and Quaker meeting houses (especially in urban areas) that provide free work space and meeting space for social activists...
Need I list more?
I don't see any environmental activists on there.
No, organized religion-based activism does tend to concentrate on social and ecomic justice and pacifism. But certainly religious beliefs informs a lot of environmental activism.
I've heard of FUSE and a couple other groups, but I guess the religious involvement in environmental activism is too new to be considered as legendary as the people and groups you've listed earlier.
Social justice for women? For GLBTs?
Lutherans Concerned/North America advocates for the rights of GLBTs, as does Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries. I know that many other Christian denominations and faiths have similar organizations.
My temple had a lesbian assistant rabbi and currently has a gay male cantor. I guess that's social justice by itself.
The problem with your list is that most if not all were "being activist" against institutions and practices that originated in organized religion, or at least the social milieu it established. That's not to say the actions of the folks in the article, or in your list, aren't noble and welcomed. Just let's keep things in perspective.
Can you explain how the practice of war and imperialism originated from a religion? Nearly all of it originates from lust for economic power - first, emperor-conquerers, then feudal lords, then institutionalized as capitalism or it's corporte state (fascist) variant.
Religion is certainly invoked - by the elites - for consumption by the working-class or peasant masses who fight the wars and keep them in line. But religion isn't the origin of war and imperialism.
But "lust for power" is exactly the mindset created by Christianity in the West (though not by Jesus I would add). It's no different from when that looney toon Ann Coulter spouts her beliefs (to paraphrase): My (Christian) God gave earth to us (white christians) to dominate, and use as we see fit. Read-up a little on missionaries, the Pilgrims, and on and on. Imperialism plain and simple.
Yes, it sounds looney. But in her not-so-eloquent way she's simply espousing what most Christians believe, some openly, some not. To the extent that they start to realize the earth ISN'T ours to dominate, and that one group of people (for example, Americans) CANNOT do as they please, they're actually being hypocritical as far as their religion goes.
Of course apologists like yourself always invoke the "religion came second" defense. Yes, in some cases it did. But even in those cases, the social context legitimized the action.
Perhaps you should do some research about the Roman Catholic Church. It is (historically) the bloodiest and most violent institution ever created by man.
Religion (not talking about spirituality here) breeds ignorance and fanaticism. If good things happen because of religion I believe it is in spite of it, not because of it. Yes, there have been a number of activists working for social change that have been religious, but I do not think they did what they did /because/ they were religious.
The current evangelist "green" movement is a perfect example. The mainstream evangelists are still fighting against this shift. It is only the more open minded thinkers in their communities who are embracing this movement. And the only reason they are is because environmentalists have been fighting this fight for decades now, bringing it to light and building momentum and support.
"Between the idea
And the reality
Between the motion
And the act
Falls the shadow"
Harriet Martineau, Robert Owen, one of the founders of socialism, Thomas Paine, Ernestine Rose, Elizabeth Stanton, Annie Beasant, Talisma Nasrin, Vaclav Havel.
Atheists, or doubters, or non believers.
They are not followers of earthbound idiots, they lead by example. They listen to their heart and soul and follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
Isn't that what the Bible says to do?
Live targets
Finally, some Christians who live up to their status as followers of the Prince of Peace. We would do well to have a group like that here in the US, with the courage to stand up to the out-of-control MIC. Unfortunately, they tend to get overridden by "Christians" of the ugly, rabid fundamentalist type, who support that MIC gleefully.
We do have such groups - the Christian Peacemaker Teams, active in key areas where US/Israel and Canada deploy their troops, practices exactly these "get in the way" tactics. The ploughshares movement and the Voices for Creative Nonviolence are also largely christian.
What a true mark of absolute stupidity.
These 'Baptists' using "Bonhoffer" --- (a criminal by his own standards---who watched Hitler rise to power for ten years before deciding to 'help assassinate him'---an illegal act that I am sure 'Jesus' would have participated in---had he ever existed that is)---as a name sake to commit useless unproductive acts of disobedience. If the 'joint military' members want to, they can simply locate these fools via satellite, slip in while they are 'at prayers'---or asleep, or 'taking the morning dump'----and arrest them; or ignore them and reveal their 'pointless protest' as a 'dog and pony show'.
I would think that a 'true christian---that is a 'follower of Jesus the Christ, the "Son of God"---would have the faith to let 'Jesus'---or for that matter "Bid Daddy" handle the mess that humans have made of things here on earth------mostly in the name of "Jesus" or "God"---.
Australians and Americans have much in common---they both are illegally in possession of their geographic territory, and the vast wealth that the illegal possession has brought them. And they both ignore the truth along with the facts of that illegal possession while professing to be 'positve examples'------------of "Christian Nations"-------
"God Bless America---Long Live the Queen"----
Good Luck World, you really need it.
"Native Son," I've noticed EVERYONE is guilty or in this case "stupid," except you.
Must be nice to walk on water, look down and see the dead faces looking up at you.
These good people are NOT "Stupid," but anyone who incessantly and endlessly judges others might remember this; as you judge so shall you be judged. And this-these people are trying, making international headlines with their efforts actually, what the f do you do besides JUDGE people on Common Dreams?
Signed, part effin Native American, and who effin cares!
Note-All land was stolen from people who stole it from people who stole it from other people who stole it from others. Do you think Israel has no right to exist?
Sorry, that was getting political. But try to connect the dots anyway.
Wasting your time. One way thinker. Always right.
Well, someone's trying to give Christians a good name.
Typical Catholic response. A day late and a dollar short.
Go tell, say, Fr. Miguel D'Escoto, liberation theologian, former Sandinista foreign minister, and current president of the UN General Assembly, who saw many of his comrades murdered by the imperialist contra mercenaries, that they were a day late and a dollar short.
what are you doing to fight against war and imperialism?
You are absolutely correct. It was a crass characterization and uncalled for. I apologize.
Maybe you can help me out. I can't seem to find what action the good Father has taken, in his position of authority, to respond to revelations of institutionalized pedophilia and child abuse by The Christian Brothers and Sisters of Mercy as detailed in The Ryan Report.
Or of the persecution of progressive nuns, The Sisters of St. Joseph, by the Vatican.
Or of the reinstatement of historical revisionists, The Society of St. Pius, to positions of authority within the Church.
Or of the coverup of the pedophilia and sexual deviations of Fr Maciel and The Legionaires of Christ.
I may consider myself a Catholic but a non-churchgoing one. Being a Catholic is like being a Jew - you remain "Catholic" to some extent even if you are an athiest -it is part of your ethnic identity.
So, with that background, don't ask me to defend anything the last two right-wing popes have done, I'll be the first to join you in condemning them.
I wasn't asking for a defense. Honestly.
You seemed knowledgeable on Fr. Miguel D'Escoto, and I was curious. As President of the UN General Assembly, an advocate for Human rights, an advocate for children worldwide, a vocal critic of United States human rights abuses, (rightly so), and as a practicing Catholic, I thought there would be some statement in the public record as to his position on those matters. All I seem to be able to find is "Reagan butchered my people."
It doesn't matter. It's off topic, anyway.
But I do agree what you said about Catholicism. Once they mark you, it's there for life.
Good for them.
However, one should ponder on these "exercises", and if this urban combat training is really for the Middle East, or the disintegrated US Posse Comitatus Act.
Keep in mind the DHS and NSA say that the greatest terrorist threat in the US is peaceful, "eco-terrorism". Remember too, Andrew Stepanian, who was sent into solitary confinement for years, for having written a blog concerning the cruelty of animal testing.
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/6/25/exclusive_animal_rights_activist_jailed_at
There are presidential directives from the Bush years that Obama has kept in effect. One says that a person can be declared a terrorist for providing convincing evidence in an argument that is demeaning to the federal government. Another boils down to the president being able to declare martial law for incidents as simple as a peaceful demonstration, or even traffic gridlock.
We're leaving Iraq, why start training for that war NOW? If you trust the Pentagon, then ignore this post. If you hold the Pentagon in dubious regard, then again, is this "urban training" really for Iraq?
Thank you for your considerations.
Excellent point and well said!
I hope not too many people out there actually do trust the Pentagon, and the rest of the War Mongers in Washington. Not after the years of lies and deceit that the people are starting to wake up to.
Yes, these are true Christians, people that realize war is bad and that Jesus would be against it. The are Christians I could actually stand with.
Wow!!! I am sooo impressed...that is truly the act of REAL Christians...people who KNOW the word of Jesus and are willing to die for love of humanity!!! : ) I think this is the kind of LOVE IN ACTION that I know I could engage in!!! BEAUTIFUL !!!!
Yes, impressive. Now if only they'd do it simply because they love humanity, and not also to score points to help them get into heaven. Isn't that the bottom-line selfishness of Christianity? And if they're not doing it to score points for heaven, why bring religion into it at all - just do it because it's the right thing to do!
As someone associated a little bit with some christian peace groups, I can assure you that they are indeed doing it out of love for humanity. Ever heard the Sermon on the Mount? They most certainly are not doing it to score points in heaven - that's a terribly derogatory remark.
They bring religion into it simply because their religion provides the organizing principles (i.e. Jesus's sermons in the Gospels and apostles latters) - no different than a socialist (which many of them are as well) invoking Marx's writings. If you wish to act based on principles of simple humanism and not get religion involved, that is fine too, and groups like the Christian Peacemaker Teams would let you in on their actions, the only training they require is a course in nonviolent-civil disobiedience tactics.
Sermon of the Mount is wonderful (though I don't think it's original to Jesus). And they most certainly wouldn't say outright that they're doing it to score points. But it's built into the religion, so they can't help but do so. I haven't met a Christian yet, liberal or conservative, that acts contrary, regardless of how good a deed they're doing.
You mention socialism, humanism, etc. The difference is, in these cases the underlying motive isn't to please a so-called god (i.e. score points for heaven).
I have had brushes with Christianity on several occasions in my life so far. I do not attend any church, and am appalled by the behaviors of many mainstream and fringe "Christians". However, one school of thought(and schools of thought are legion within Christianity, broadly speaking)claims that "once saved, always saved", and if that is the case, there would be no need to "score points to get into heaven". I don't give a shit. I don't even think about a heaven per say, but in my time of being in the fold, though few and far between, I did see a sort of universal goodness expressed and encouraged by the teachings of Jesus in all the stories. So, when ever I have found myself accidentally doing something that upon reflection I judged as somewhat good, I chalked it up to some sort of change of heart I had after being given "permission" by that historical, or fictional character of Jesus to do something WITHOUT thought of reward. True, that on closer examination, I found that on some occasions of "selfless" good, I had, in fact, had ulterior motives, but not always. Sometimes it just makes one feel "whole", complete, to have done something for the greater good. These people might just be doing that. God only knows.
I'm sorry, but your views of religion are a distorted, closed-minded caricature, not reality. MLK and Gandhi and Bishop Romero, or the CPT's don't so what they do or did to please "a so-called god." OK?
A small group acting on their own. Sounds like it's a personal thing to me.
The author is just connecting the dots.
Although I am an atheist, the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth himself (as well as others), clearly and strongly reflect forms of socialism.
His challenges of the religious and economic establishment are clear for all to see and only the most twisted interpretations (all too common sadly) could dispute that. He was a radical revolutionary who espoused peaceful civil disobedience.
Regardless of their beliefs, the Bonhoeffer group are working for justice and peace and a natural ally for progressives/leftists/radicals. Although I do not share their beliefs, I welcome their efforts.
Lets all hope that Mr. Moyle and friends make their point without getting injured or killed.
A prayer wouldn't go amiss and surely you non-believers could send out good wishes?
They have already achieved the good of public awareness of the exercises in an environment where we have to fight for freedom of information in oder to make choices. Prior and informed consent.
Notable is that a mosque was built for training. A second good achieved is providing a mirror on the fact given the conflict between bringing recognition to a delay tactic to the ethnocidal aspect (middleastern persons characterized as the preordained object of violence not to mention the focus on destroying a spiritual/religious symbol, I'm surprised no one notes that joint training exercises of this nature are being carried out rather than training in community development espoused as the goal for the 'troops'.
If the team does not last the day, they have already accomplished a great deal - if eyes are open.
The critique of Bonhoffer also misses the point. Our task is to exercise freedom of information so as to create an opportunity for people who are acting violently based on manipulated and limited information to change. If Bonhoffer changed his ways, part of the message would seem to be that in wanting to kill a killer (Hitler et al) the change still had a ways to go...
Spot On old goat, spot on. You zero in on the marrow within the bone; that it was ArabLand being attacked, a Mosque targeted, Islam defiled. This mirrors the US/Israel/West war on "Islamofascism," (sic) the ME as a whole to be "taken."
At this point a generation of "Americans," have been taught from birth by TV, God, that Arabs are not good, and now Terrorists. They cheer their deaths.
If the anti-war movement of the 60's had been raised from birth to believe the Viet-Namese were even evil, were murderous, were ARAB, would they have protested the napalming of a couple million women and children?
"Our task is to excersize freedom of information so as to create an opportunity for people who are acting violently based on manipulated and limited information"
Goebbels turns over in his grave.
As well he should. The scent of almonds for you Joseph.
Lut us hope for all of his ilk soon.
Nice post you old goat.
An accurate Archer you are.
I hope they will be safe and their message of justice and peace will be heard around the world. Most of the people I know in Pax Christi belong to the Catholic Renewal group called Call to Action. This is a group interested in peace and justice including the human dignity of women. Although many of them in Call to Action are prochoice it is not their official position. It is not the position of Pax Christi to be concerned about the injustice against women in the church but they have worked hard for many years for peace and justice( as long as it does not involve women's reproductive health care.)I don't agree that their prolife Seemless garment theory respects the life of the pregnant woman, therefore it is not a seemless garment. There are many good people in Pax Christi and I wish all the activists success in working for peace.
I have a great deal of respect for Pax Christi. I think this kind of anti war work is truly wonderful !
Why does it seem that this protest being labeled a "Christian " protest gives it more legitimacy in the press, and even with some of those commenting here. If these guys were "Pagan" protesters, protesting in the name of the Earth Goddess, they'd probably be looked at as kooks. Or if it was the Bakunin Four, "Anarchists for Peace", they'd be seen as a greater threat and suspect.
Peace loving Christians protesting war mongering Christians. Anti-abortion terrorist Christians threatening and killing Christian abortion doctors. Christian bankers stealing from Christian clients and on and on. The whole Christian thing is meaningless.
But as a non-Christian, non-atheist, non-Jew, non-agnostic, non-Islamic, non-Pagan, non-Hindu, non-Buddhist, non-Jain, non-Sikh, non-Baha'ist, non-nothing;
I support what these guys are doing.
The problem is NOT Christianity!
The problem is that too few who claim to be Christian, have actually done what Jesus taught and modeled with his NONVIOLENT life.
"The Crusade for a Christian Military: Jesus Killed Mohammed" by Jeff Sharlet in HARPER'S May 2009 edition is a chilling clarion call regarding the entrenchment of Christian fundamentalism in the USA military beginning during the Cold War that accelerated during the Vietnam era which has wrecked havoc on the very soul of our nation.
Fundamentalist [referred to as evangelical by Sharlet] Chaplains began to join the military in droves as they aligned themselves with the Industrial Military Complex in opposition with Catholics and mainline moderate Protestant denominations such as Methodists, Presbyterians, and Episcopalians who were of one voice speaking out against American terrorism in Vietnam and for following in the ways of the nonviolent Jesus.
“Starting in 1987, Protestant denominations were lumped together simply as “Protestant”; moreover, the Pentagon began accrediting hundreds of evangelical and Pentecostal “endorsing agencies,” allowing graduates of fundamentalist Bible colleges—which often train clergy to view those from other faiths as enemies of Christ—to fill up nearly the entire allotment for Protestant chaplains. Today, more than two thirds of the military’s 2,900 active-duty chaplains are affiliated with evangelical or Pentecostal denominations." [1]
"For decades, the military built a sense of solidarity out of a singular purpose, the Cold War struggle between free markets and state-planned economies—the shining city on a hill versus the evil empire…meshed neatly with ideologies [that connected] nationalism and fundamentalism…Communism…the dark alternative should we fail to unite. Fundamentalism thrived…a neat, black-and-white [theology and] a foreign policy. The end of the Cold War deprived militant evangelicals of that clarity [and] the emergence of “radical Islam” [became] the object of a new Cold War." [Ibid]
The roots of American evangelism sprang from the original altar call for Christians to stand up against slavery. What has been passing for Christianity in our military today is the antithesis of what Jesus was all about.
"Everyone but Christians understands that Jesus was nonviolent."-Gandhi
Clement, Tertillian, Polycarp and every other early Church Father taught that violence was a contradiction of what Christ was about. The first and greatest heresy in the Christian faith occurred in the third century when Augustine penned the "Just War Theory" for church and state united and "our problems stem from our acceptance of this filthy, rotten system."-Dorothy Day
One of the greatest Christian spiritual leaders of all time, Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk that listened to Bob Dylan LP's in his hermitage in Kentucky during the '60's was the first religious voice to rise up and speak out against the Vietnam War.
Merton also said, "The duty of the Christian at this time is to do the one task God has imposed upon us in this world today. The task is to work for the total abolition of war. There can be no question that unless war is abolished; the world will remain constantly in a state of madness…The church [meaning all Christians] must lead the way on the road to the abolition of war…Peace is to be preached and nonviolence is to be explained and practiced."
The deep spiritual darkness of Christian fundamentalism in the USA Air Force Academy in Colorado enabled the likes of Walid Shoebat, author of "Why We Want to Kill You" to speak to the troops in his role as a former fundamentalist Islamic supposed terrorist who is now a converted fundamentalist Christian.
Shoebat is one of the infamous darlings of fear filled Christians and Jews [Read More: "The Walid Shoebat Show and 'America is Beautiful, but she has an ugly side.'" - eileen fleming ]of the cult spewed by the likes of John Hagee and the idiot wind blown by FOX's Hannity & Colmes, Bill O'Reilly and Neil Cavuto who have all hosted Shoebat as did the US Air Force Academy on Feb. 6, 2008 when he was the headline act at their annual political forum.
The rest:
June 27, 2009: The problem is NOT Christianity!
http://www.wearewideawake.org/
Eileen Fleming, A Feature Correspondent for The Palestine Telegraph and Arabisto
Founder of WeAreWideAwake.org
Author of "Keep Hope Alive" and "Memoirs of a Nice Irish American 'Girl's' Life in Occupied Territory"
Producer "30 Minutes with Vanunu" and "13 Minutes with Vanunu"
Eileen Fleming, Hi, a conondrum, in my humble pov, is that the machines of repression are so violent. Would you have urged Castro, the Sandanistas, the North in the Civil War or the Allies to have desisted in their efforts?
Is it right to shoot an oppressor to liberate five enslaved, starved, tortured people? To either see them walk forward into deserved joy or know brutal misery until death?
Conondrums to me anyway, unnecessarily made real by men and their insane greed. Men.
Thank you for your many informed ME posts.
What a thoughtful, insightful post.
It's sad that discussions about religion on Common Dreams tend to devolve into an "all religion is bad" theme. It's unfortunate to see so much snarkiness and sarcasm in some of the posts here. I wish that we could be more civilized, but perhaps it's time for us -- and I include myself in this -- to turn off our computers and dialog about these issues in person more often. The decline in the number of face-to-face conversations in our society is sad.
making plow shares out of weapons type of thing. OUTSTANDING!
religion like communism is a wonderful concept only to be
corrupted by human beings. these folks truly put their money
where their mouth is.we as social animals have an inherent
need to congregate and this is a truly beautiful model.
henry the eighth are you some sort of govt.spy or something?
and right wing spin as well. please engage brain before
applying fingers to keyboard!
The first good thing I've seen Christians do in a long time.
It's so refreshing to see Christian activism like this. One would think, with all the problems in the world, there would be more stories in the news of Christians sticking their necks out like this. Instead, what we hear in the news is the ridiculous and hateful things that some of the Fundamental Christians say and, unfortunately do. Where are the other Christians---from denominations that are more "Liberal." Probably going to Church every Sunday and holding rummage sales and other events to shore up their church buildings and perpetuate their existence. If they really believe what Jesus said in the Gospels, they would be in the forefront of activism, and not just a few of them. I am in no way denigrating or taking for granted what some Christians have done and do, but it just seems like there should be more coming from Christians... alot more.
If only Christians would wake up their brains to realize that Christianity is all Harry Potter type stuff involving their Imaginary friend Jesus.
They all believe it began with a sanctimonious Jewish wonder-worker, strolling about 1st century Palestine?
The hypocritical Christians in the US the UK and Australia supported the Invasion and occupation of Iraq and the bombing of Lebanon back 50 years and Gaza back to the Stone Age.
Nazareth did not exist in the 1st century AD – the area was a burial ground of rock-cut tombs.
Following a star would lead you in circles.
The 12 disciples are as fictitious as their master, invented to legitimize the claims of the early churches.
The original Mary was not a virgin. That idea was borrowed from pagan goddesses.
Christianity ,Islam and Judaism are all "cults" created by humans to explain their concept of their God what their God wants etc etc.
http://www.jesusneverexisted.com/