The state of Missouri grants Christian anarchists the honour of having to be spied upon:
Christian vegetarians are apparently something to be feared, at least by Missouri officials, who fail to explain how being a vegetarian deserves a mention on a police watch list.
Here’s what Missouri officials say:
“Christian anarchists have opposed war and other ‘Statist’ aggression through nonviolent tax resistance. Many Christian Anarchists were vegetarian or vegan.”
Further reading.
Interesting stuff. Christian anarchists that I am aware are/were vegetarian include Leo Tolstoy, Ammon Hennacy and Théodore Monod. Although I am sure there were/are others.
ReplyDeleteFor those interested in discussing the compatibility of Christianity, pacifism and anarchism with veganism or vegetarianism check out Lost Religion of Jesus, a Yahoo Group I set up a few years ago.
I was briefly vegan, it seemed the thing to do and a lot of people I admire are vegan. That's how changes in behaviour often work: I felt a need to conform myself to the behaviour of the group (in this case Christian anarchists and radicals) and suddenly realised the irony of it and decided to look into the politics of food for myself.
ReplyDeleteI suspect the real issue that Andre is pointing to is the demonisation of vegans and Christian anarchists by the state. Which to some extent is understandable but not terribly helpful. I'd rather work with who will work with me in ways that work and try not to worry too much about the other stuff. I mean - yeah cops beat people up and enforce unjust laws and keep a false peace - but I sometimes shout at my daughter, neglect my neighbour, and horde wealth. There are no goodies or baddies just alienated bodies.
ReplyDeleteI hear what you Keith. Veganism should always be a personal choice rather than just a need to conform to others. As you say, conformity is not very anarchist.
ReplyDeleteFor me, my primary motive was I just felt better rather than ethics/politics. Doctors such as Neal D. Barnard, Michael Klaper and T. Colin Campbell share my opinion on the matter.
Sorry for my last post I did not phrase myself very well. What I meant to say was not that some doctors "share my opinion on the matter" (doctors do not care about opinions only facts) but that some doctors have conducted scientific research into vegan diets which explains why I felt better.
ReplyDeleteA new film, called Forks over Knives, was released in the US last month. I have not seen it but have heard good things. Here is a review by Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times.
It seems the full report from the Missouri Information Analysis Center is now available. On the subject of Christian anarchism they say:
ReplyDeleteChristian Anarchism is the belief that there is only one source of authority to which Christians are ultimately answerable, the authority of God as embodied in the teachings of Jesus. Christian Anarchists feel that “earthly” authority such as government, or the established church do not and should not have power over them. Christian Anarchists are pacifists and oppose the use of all physical force, both proactive and reactive. Christian anarchists have opposed war and other “Statist” aggression through nonviolent tax resistance. Many Christian Anarchists were vegetarian or vegan.
I recognize these words. Many of them were written by me! The government researcher has just copied the 2007 Wikipedia article!
I recognize these words. Many of them were written by me!
ReplyDeleteTalking about irony...
Mmm. I find it a bit hard to believe that any state is really worried about Christian Anarchists, but then stranger things have happened I suppose.
ReplyDelete"Mmm. I find it a bit hard to believe that any state is really worried about Christian Anarchists, but then stranger things have happened I suppose."
ReplyDeleteI agree. You would think that the state has better things to do with its time. It reminds of the period during the world wars when Quakers promoting conscientious objection were considered a threat to national security and put on government watch lists. Obama looks like he has continued the policy (see here).
Anyone opposed to the state is considered dangerous. That's how Christian anarchism started in the first place: with numerically insignifant groups like the Christian Fraternity in NL or the Dukhobors in Russia.
ReplyDeleteIt is a sign they must be doing something right...
(In fact, it is the way Christianity itself started).
AdR, I think you are over-egging the cake. Sure, Christian radicals through the ages have been considered a threat to the state. But today anyone espousing a Christian Anarchist position is a) numerically tiny and b) pacifist hence it is very hard to imagine a situation where they'd actually represent any kind of threat to anyone.
ReplyDeleteJoe, you don't have to take my word - it is the state of Missouri that declares Christian anarchists a threat (or a treat) to the state...
ReplyDeleteOr someone is just trying to defend their job by writing nonsense in a report..
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure I'm not a threat. I have a friend who is a priest who knows the police keep an extensive file on him with photos, press-cuttings etc because it was shown to a Methodist minister he was working with in attempt to get them to keep away from him. Whether or not we are a threat we are certainly to be discouraged.
ReplyDelete"But today anyone espousing a Christian Anarchist position is a) numerically tiny and b) pacifist hence it is very hard to imagine a situation where they'd actually represent any kind of threat to anyone."
ReplyDeleteThe state feels uneasy by any group who calls themselves anarchists, however small. The state is very good at preserving their position and snuffing out potential trouble before it spreads.
In terms of Christians using nonviolence, you are right in that the state should therefore have nothing to fear physically (unlike with violent terrorists/fanatics/Zealots). However as I pointed out before, the pacifist Quakers were put on government watch lists during the world wars. The government is worried about pacifist contagion. Many pacifist individuals turn to tax resistance/avoidance in wartime. This again is undesirable if you are in power.
Interesting. America is the most Christian country in the world according to some people, but anyone who tries to follow Christ rather than just go to church is seen as a threat, at least in one state? There seems some kind of irony in there.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand it seems anything can happen in America. I read the other day that in at least one state a woman who tried to commit suicide when her boyfriend left her was put in prison because the suicide attempt appears to have killed the baby she was expecting and other women have also been accused of killing their foetuses although there was not always an obvious link between their behaviour and the death.
In this case it seems as if the authorities are afraid of a group who are different and who they are not sure they can control. As you say, Adam, in a country like America where patriotism is valued so highly and seen in terms of supporting the military, the authorities will be afraid of anything that might undermine that ethos.
If they are being watched so closely may the Christian Anarchists of Missouri could carry out some totally legal, collective, public good works for the police to add to their reports.
Dear friends, explain me in the simple words why christian must be an vegetarian? From the Bible I know Jesus did not say anything against a meat, and He said to Peter "Arise, Peter, kill and eat" ( Act 10:13). What connection between christianity and vegetarianism?
ReplyDeleteIgor, while i don't think christians should be vegetarian you may find some apologetics that way inclined at JEsusradicals.com
ReplyDeleteHi Igor,
ReplyDeletePersonally I base most of my textual Christian beliefs on the four gospels, not Acts etc. I find getting back as close to the source helps, rather than any text attributed to Paul.
As for vegetarianism, unlike Keith Akers who makes an argument that Jesus was vegetarian, I am personally a bit of a realist on this matter. I do believe that if he could have been vegetarian he would, but he was living in a different time when food was more scarce than today. He was probably semi-vegetarian eating fish and, at very occasional feasts, meat. The question I like to ask is would Jesus be vegetarian/vegan today?