Josh wrote: ↑Wed Dec 20, 2023 1:59 pm
What can we learn from their example? That we should be busy holding ineffective, useless protests at government offices?
Symbolism and symbolic acts are a big part of Christian culture generally and Anabaptist culture in specific. For example, head coverings that don't actually cover anything except symbolically.
I doubt any of these activists are naive enough to think their protest in the middle of PA is going to affect the course of geopolitics in the middle east. But they want to make their voices heard anyway. Lest decision-makers think no one is paying attention.
0 x
A fool can throw out more questions than a wise man can answer. -RZehr
Josh wrote: ↑Wed Dec 20, 2023 1:59 pm
What can we learn from their example? That we should be busy holding ineffective, useless protests at government offices?
Symbolism and symbolic acts are a big part of Christian culture generally and Anabaptist culture in specific. For example, head coverings that don't actually cover anything except symbolically.
I doubt any of these activists are naive enough to think their protest in the middle of PA is going to affect the course of geopolitics in the middle east. But they want to make their voices heard anyway. Lest decision-makers think no one is paying attention.
Given how much attention the Harvard etc protests have gotten, I'm pretty sure decision-makers think lots of people are paying attention.
Including the New York Times, which just had a hand-wringing article about how Trump is now polling 49% with people aged 18-29 specifically because of the Gaza issue.
Josh wrote: ↑Wed Dec 20, 2023 1:59 pm
What can we learn from their example? That we should be busy holding ineffective, useless protests at government offices?
Symbolism and symbolic acts are a big part of Christian culture generally and Anabaptist culture in specific. For example, head coverings that don't actually cover anything except symbolically.
I doubt any of these activists are naive enough to think their protest in the middle of PA is going to affect the course of geopolitics in the middle east. But they want to make their voices heard anyway. Lest decision-makers think no one is paying attention.
Given how much attention the Harvard etc protests have gotten, I'm pretty sure decision-makers think lots of people are paying attention.
Including the New York Times, which just had a hand-wringing article about how Trump is now polling 49% with people aged 18-29 specifically because of the Gaza issue.
So if they are having such an impact are you reversing your previous comment above about how such protests are useless and ineffective?
0 x
A fool can throw out more questions than a wise man can answer. -RZehr
Praxis+Theodicy wrote: ↑Wed Dec 20, 2023 12:31 pm
Looking at the Mennonite Action website, it appears this group is very recent, and created specifically to address the violence in Gaza.
Paid to protest perhaps?
Based on my experience hanging out with these liberal Mennonite activist types, my gut says it’s probably not a paid for protest situation. For starters, there’s a of sympathy among liberal Mennonites for Palestinians already (i.e. MCC and CPT). I don’t think anyone has to pay liberal Mennonites to protest for Gaza.
2 x
“It’s easy to make everything a conspiracy when you don’t know how anything works.” — Brandon L. Bradford
Symbolism and symbolic acts are a big part of Christian culture generally and Anabaptist culture in specific. For example, head coverings that don't actually cover anything except symbolically.
I doubt any of these activists are naive enough to think their protest in the middle of PA is going to affect the course of geopolitics in the middle east. But they want to make their voices heard anyway. Lest decision-makers think no one is paying attention.
Given how much attention the Harvard etc protests have gotten, I'm pretty sure decision-makers think lots of people are paying attention.
Including the New York Times, which just had a hand-wringing article about how Trump is now polling 49% with people aged 18-29 specifically because of the Gaza issue.
So if they are having such an impact are you reversing your previous comment above about how such protests are useless and ineffective?
Mennonite protesters specifically make pointless noise and haven’t accomplished anything. As a bloc, the left wing has gotten a lot of attention, although they have yet to get any of their policy goals, and instead seem to just be getting themselves fired from jobs.
Moderator Melody Yoder Salim of Lancaster, Pa., began the meeting by saying many Mennonites have become involved in protesting the war between Israel and Hamas since Oct. 7.
But so far, she said, there haven’t been any coordinated or unified actions bringing together members of Anabaptist congregations.
“What would it look like if Mennonites were to take action publicly as Mennonites?” she asked.
So I'm on the record on this forum that I'm not bothered by political action from Mennonites. But this naval gazing mush ("What would it look like if Mennonites were to take action publicly as Mennonites") is one of the things that drives me screaming from Goshen or Harrisonburg deep into the Mennonite diaspora.
2 x
“It’s easy to make everything a conspiracy when you don’t know how anything works.” — Brandon L. Bradford
Moderator Melody Yoder Salim of Lancaster, Pa., began the meeting by saying many Mennonites have become involved in protesting the war between Israel and Hamas since Oct. 7.
But so far, she said, there haven’t been any coordinated or unified actions bringing together members of Anabaptist congregations.
“What would it look like if Mennonites were to take action publicly as Mennonites?” she asked.
So I'm on the record on this forum that I'm not bothered by political action from Mennonites. But this naval gazing mush ("What would it look like if Mennonites were to take action publicly as Mennonites") is one of the things that drives me screaming from Goshen or Harrisonburg deep into the Mennonite diaspora.
That and the passive aggressive nature of it all. No one ever actually telling you want they actually mean about anything, just that they have this or that "concern" is why I soured on the same thing after attending Goshen many years ago. Back then it was draft registration and the nuclear freeze movement that Mennos in that world were all "concerned" about.
1 x
A fool can throw out more questions than a wise man can answer. -RZehr
Moderator Melody Yoder Salim of Lancaster, Pa., began the meeting by saying many Mennonites have become involved in protesting the war between Israel and Hamas since Oct. 7.
But so far, she said, there haven’t been any coordinated or unified actions bringing together members of Anabaptist congregations.
“What would it look like if Mennonites were to take action publicly as Mennonites?” she asked.
So I'm on the record on this forum that I'm not bothered by political action from Mennonites. But this naval gazing mush ("What would it look like if Mennonites were to take action publicly as Mennonites") is one of the things that drives me screaming from Goshen or Harrisonburg deep into the Mennonite diaspora.
That and the passive aggressive nature of it all. No one ever actually telling you want they actually mean about anything, just that they have this or that "concern" is why I soured on the same thing after attending Goshen many years ago. Back then it was draft registration and the nuclear freeze movement that Mennos in that world were all "concerned" about.
I tend to prefer Mennonites when there's not a whole bunch of us on top of each other in one place and we think the world revolves around us.
0 x
“It’s easy to make everything a conspiracy when you don’t know how anything works.” — Brandon L. Bradford
Interesting. While no long identifying as Anabaptist, I always subscribed to the key concepts of Non Resistance, Separation and Non-conformity.
Active protesting political views seems anathema to Anabaptist practice.
While I agree no one “owns” the definition of Mennonite, reality should not be ignored
Most liberal Mennonite groups are NOTHING but liberal mainline wish washy Protestants with an emphasis on selective pacifism as opposed to real non resistance.
So I'm on the record on this forum that I'm not bothered by political action from Mennonites. But this naval gazing mush ("What would it look like if Mennonites were to take action publicly as Mennonites") is one of the things that drives me screaming from Goshen or Harrisonburg deep into the Mennonite diaspora.