‘War incompatible with Christianity’

This video from the USA says about itself:

Chuck Fager is an American activist and author, he is a prominent member of the Society of Friends. He is well known for his involvement in the civil rights movement and peace movement.

He comments on the Campaign for the Right to a Nonviolent Education in the context of the International Salon for Peace Initiatives 2008.

From the blog of John Dear in the USA:

Christmas ‘Peace on Earth’ Means ‘No More War’

Posted: 12/24/2012 3:59 pm

When the nonviolent Jesus was born two thousand years ago into abject poverty to homeless refugees on the outskirts of a brutal empire, the story goes that angels appeared in the sky to impoverished shepherds singing, “Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth!”

Peace was coming to the world! They were so excited, they couldn’t contain themselves.

That’s what Christmas is about — the coming of “peace on earth.”

That child grew up to become, in Gandhi’s words, “the greatest nonviolent resister in the history of the world.” Jesus taught peace, lived peace and blessed peacemakers. “My peace is my gift to you,” he said. When we refused to learn “the things that make for peace,” he broke down and wept. He took action to end systemic injustice, and he did it in a nonviolent way and, for his civil disobedience, he was brutally executed by the Roman Empire and died forgiving his killers. When he rose from the dead, he came back not seeking vengeance or retaliation, but once again, offering his gift of peace. “Peace be with you,” he said over and over again. Now you practice nonviolence and go forth as a peacemaker into the world of war. That was his message.

Two thousand years later, the world continues to reject “the things that make for peace.” It remains stuck in the old cycle of war, militarism, empire, poverty and injustice.

This time, however, the empire’s weapons have the power to destroy the entire planet. The money spent funding our wars and weapons bankrupts us and leaves millions in hunger. On top of that, our greed and systemic violence destroys the environment. Catastrophic climate change is upon us, and looks to bring unprecedented new levels of violence and destruction in its wake.

Once again, we categorically reject that Christmas gift of “peace on earth” and pursue the tired-old paradigm of “war on earth.”

Last week, I returned from a peace mission to Afghanistan, where I saw for myself the epitome of poverty, warfare, imperial occupation and environmental destruction. In the last few decades, two million people have been killed there in war. Our current war on the children of Afghanistan is the longest in our own nation’s history, but you don’t hear much about it and folks don’t seem that concerned. War is normal, permanent, institutionalized, taken for granted. This year, the U.S. launched over 330 drone attacks in Afghanistan, and over 1700 Afghan children have been killed or harmed in the conflict — 85 times the number of the horrific Sandy Hook School massacre. We deliberately, systematically, intentionally wage war, kill children, and pursue “war on earth.”

But that’s not the way of Jesus, the meaning of Christmas, or the call of the Gospel. Indeed, support for war, weapons or killing in any form is a complete betrayal of the nonviolent Jesus. It mocks his life, Christmas and the God of peace.

That’s why I’ve come to the conclusion that no one can claim to be an authentic Christian any more if they support warfare and weapons. You cannot seriously call yourself a follower of the nonviolent, peacemaking Jesus, whom we celebrate and honor at Christmas, if you own guns, support our wars, defend our nuclear weapons arsenal, tolerate executions and catastrophic climate change, and participate in violence in any form. Anyone who supports warfare, weapons or killing, even if they be a priest, minister or bishop, goes against the nonviolent Jesus. To be a Christian is to be a practitioner of creative nonviolence. To follow the peacemaking Jesus means becoming a peacemaker.

If the birth of the nonviolent Jesus heralds the coming of “peace on earth,” then those who honor or follow him must try to welcome that great Christmas gift of peace. We join to renounce violence, join the global peace movement, work for disarmament and spend our lives making peace with everyone.

Christmas invites us to reclaim our common imagination for peace, to herald a new future of peace, and so to resist the old paradigm of global war-making.

That vision of peace, announced by the nonviolent Jesus as God’s “reign of peace,” is breath-taking. It upholds a world without borders, one human family where everyone sees everyone else as a beloved sister or brother. When we pray for the coming of that reign, we welcome God’s gift of peace with all its challenging global, social, economic and political implications.

To state the obvious: “Peace on earth” means “No More War.” From now on, nonviolent Christians, resist war, call for the immediate end of our war in Afghanistan and our nuclear arsenal, and work for a world beyond our wildest imagination — a new world without war, weapons, drones, killings, nuclear weapons, poverty, starvation, corporate greed, violence or environmental destruction.

Christmas invites a beautiful opportunity to renew our own personal nonviolence and commit ourselves once again to ending war and killing, to building a stronger global peace movement, and to lifting up that glorious vision of a nonviolent world.

As we celebrate the birth of the nonviolent Jesus, I hope we will honor his way of nonviolence and commit ourselves again to becoming people of nonviolence. That’s what the spiritual life is about — turning from our addiction to violence and war, and becoming sober people of nonviolence and peace. As we do, we become, like Jesus, peacemakers, and we will be blessed.

John Dear is a Christian peace activist, author of ‘Lazarus, Come Forth!‘ and ‘A Persistent Peace.’

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Christmas nativity scenes’ origin

This video from Britain says about itself:

Mr Bean recreates the nativity using toys in a shop at Christmas. From Merry Christmas Mr Bean.

From Smithsonian.com in the USA:

December 14, 2012 12:28 pm

The First Nativity Scene Was Created in 1223

At some point in childhood, many kids don a blue shawl or fake beard and act out the nativity scene in front of doting parents and grandparents. Whether performed by children, set up as little figurines in a home or installed as a life-size tableau in front of a church, these scenes are a staple of the Christmas holidays. But when did this tradition begin?

Slate explores the history of the nativity scene:

Blame St. Francis of Assisi, who is credited with staging the first nativity scene in 1223. The only historical account we have of Francis’ nativity scene comes from The Life of St. Francis of Assisi by St. Bonaventure, a Franciscan monk who was born five years before Francis’ death.

According to Bonaventure’s biography, St. Francis got permission from Pope Honorious III to set up a manger with hay and two live animals—an ox and an ass—in a cave in the Italian village of Grecio. He then invited the villagers to come gaze upon the scene while he preached about “the babe of Bethlehem.” (Francis was supposedly so overcome by emotion that he couldn’t say “Jesus.”) Bonaventure also claims that the hay used by Francis miraculously acquired the power to cure local cattle diseases and pestilences.

The nativity scene’s popularity took off from there. Within a couple of centuries, nativity scenes had spread throughout Europe. We don’t know if people actually played Mary and Joseph during Francis’ time, or whether they just imagined those figures’ presence. We do know that later scenes began incorporating dioramas and life actors, and the cast of characters gradually expanded beyond Mary, Joseph and sweet baby Jesus, to sometimes include an entire village.

Nativity buffs will know, however, that the familiar cast of characters relied upon today—the three wise men and the shepherds—is not biblically accurate. Of the New Testament’s four gospels, only Matthew and Luke describe Jesus’ birth. Matthew mentions wise men, while Luke comments on shepherds. But nowhere in the Bible do shepherds and wise men appear together. What’s worse, no one mentions donkeys, oxen, cattle or other farmyard friends in conjunction with Jesus’ birth. But what would a nativity scene be without those staples? Luckily for all the kids cast as King #2 or random shepherd, some artistic interpretation is permitted.

Read more articles about the holidays with our Smithsonian Holiday Guide here

More from Smithsonian.com:

That Moon on Your Christmas Card
Christmas Shopping Around the World

Should My Child Believe in Christmas If I Don’t? Here.

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Father Christmas arrested in Texas

Pope Benedict XVI abuses Christmas for attacking people who love each other and want to marry.

Police in Austin, Texas, USA abuse Christmas for arresting Santa Claus.

This video from the USA says about itself:

Troopers Arrest Santa Claus & Elf for Chalking Wishes At Capitol

Austin, Texas December 21, 2012: Acclaimed Arctic peace activist Kris Kringle, better known to the world as Santa Claus, was arrested early this afternoon at the Texas State Capitol. Claus was arrested while chalking Christmas wishes for the world, offered by children and other holiday merry makers.

“Today I saw the jolly red elf at the Capitol, cheerfully requesting that children write their wishes for a better world in chalk on the sidewalk. Santa said his favorite word was ‘Community.’ Various children wrote words like ‘Peace,’ ‘Friendship,’ and ‘Grace,’” said Occupy Austin‘s Lainie Duro, a witness to the arrest.

After wrestling Santa to the ground and placing handcuffs on him, activists also arrested Corey Elf after he used sidewalk chalk to write “Free Santa.” Both were arrested for Criminal Mischief, while Santa may face additional resisting arrest charges.

Occupy Austin stands in solidarity with Santa Claus and his elf. Three members of Occupy Austin, Audrey Steiner, Corey Williams, and Jim Bird were arrested earlier in 2012 for chalk. Though they were held in Travis County Jail, they have not been charged with any crime, raising questions about whether Troopers are arresting activists to silence them.

Occupy Austin believes that the use of washable sidewalk chalk is constitutionally protected free speech, and several previous court rulings agree. The organization demands that the Texas State Preservation Board respect the free speech rights of chalkers, and that State Troopers halt arrests immediately.

Occupy Austin called for a Free Santa Rally to begin at 6pm at the Travis County Jail (500 W. 10th St) and to continue until Santa Claus and Corey Elf are released. “DPS has overstepped all boundaries today and I will stand and wait for Santa. I hope he’s out quick, I hear he still has a lot to do to get ready for Tuesday,” said another witness, Christopher Michael, a member of the Occupy Your Capitol group.

About Santa Claus

Santa Claus, or Kris Kringle, is an internationally known child welfare and world peace activist. With the help of his many elves, Santa delivers gifts to good children all over the world while cultivating a sense of global togetherness and love. His busiest night, Christmas Eve, is just around the corner.

About Occupy Austin

Occupy Austin is a standing protest against the unjust and harmful power of large corporations over the world’s economic and political systems and against threats to civil liberties and democracy at home and abroad. Our Occupation began on October 6, 2011 and continues to hold marches and events throughout the city.

See also here. And here.

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Pope abuses Christmas for homophobia

This music video is called Johnny Gill, Give love on Christmas.

Everywhere in the world, millions of Christians, and also millions of non-Christians, see Christmas as a festival of love.

Not so Pope Ratzinger, aka Benedict XVI.

Translated from Dutch NOS TV:

“Gays threaten human nature”

Friday, December 21, 2012, 20:44

In his Christmas speech the Pope said that homosexuals destroy “the essence of humankind”. Families, according to him are “threatened to the core” by opening marriage to LGBTQ couples. Previously he called gay marriages a threat to world peace.

By Scott Roberts:

21 December 2012

Pope Benedict XVI is getting into the festive spirit by taking his opposition to gay relationships to new heights.

The Catholic leader made his latest homophobic attack on Friday in his annual Christmas speech to the Vatican – one of his most important speeches of the year and one in which he dedicated to opposing equal marriage. …

Last Friday, in a message for World Day of Peace 2013, the Pope described same-sex marriage as a threat to justice and peace, adding that it will spark harm for society.

In January, the Pope warned that introducing equal marriage would risk the future of humanity itself.

So, Pope Ratzinger does not link Christmas to love. Rather, he links it to hatred of people who love each other enough to want to marry.

Accusing gay people of threatening world peace is a grave accusation indeed. People threatening world peace might start World War III, with the most horrible (nuclear) bloodshed ever.

If the pope wants to stop people threatening world peace, then he should not look at LGBTQ people. He should look at NATO generals advocating nuclear war. He should look at arms industry fat cats profiting from wars.

Then, the pope, like Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu, should look at politicians like Tony Blair. George W Bush and Tony Blair started the Iraq war, basing themselves on lies. Tony Blair continued with advocating war in Iran.

While criticizing the Vatican and popes, I should also give them credit where credit is due. The present pope’s predecessor condemned the Iraq war; so did Pope Ratzinger, though less strongly so than John Paul II.

However, Pope Ratzinger granted Tony Blair a private audience. Many pious and peace-loving Roman Catholics lay people can only dream about ever getting a private audience with the pope. While Archbishop Tutu does not want to be on the same stage with war criminal Blair.

So, Pope Ratzinger does not treat Blair like he treats gay people. He did not treat anti-Semitic Holocaust denier Richard Williamson like he treats gay people. Quite the contrary. Williamson had been expelled from the Roman Catholic church. By re-admitting Williamson, the pope not only recognized Williamson as a Roman Catholic; but also as a Roman Catholic bishop in good standing.

The pope is far harsher on people in consensual gay relationships than on priests raping little boys and girls.

What is the source of Pope Ratzinger’s homophobia? Not Jesus Christ’s tradition. Rather the near-universal homophobia of the mid-twentieth century, when Ratzinger was young. Homophobia which killed British anti-nazi code breaker and computer inventor Alan Turing. Homophobia climaxing in nazi Germany which murdered many people in concentration camps for being gay. As a member of the Hitler Youth, young Ratzinger may very well have been indoctrinated in homophobia.

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Welsh protest Christmas cards exhibition

By Len Phelan in Britain:

Glad Tidings Of Struggle And Strife: A History Of Protest Christmas Cards

Newport City Art Gallery

Saturday 15 December 2012

A radically different exhibition of Christmas cards and the book accompanying it

This excellent exhibition tells the story of social, industrial and political struggle in Britain and internationally through a unique collection of protest Christmas cards.

Currently running in Newport, it’s accompanied by a book of the same name by ex-Labour MP for Blaenau Gwent Llew Smith and his late wife Pam.

The exhibits on show have been lovingly curated from a collection they built up over many years.

It dates back to the 1840s and includes items from most of the subsequent major social and political protests – women’s suffrage, the peace and anti-apartheid movements, the Spanish civil war, the poll tax rebellion and the 1984 miners’ strike.

It’s a catalogue too of industrial struggle and the fight for equality and human rights right up to the anti-globalisation, Stop the War and UK Uncut campaigns of today.

The cards range from mass produced, party political or trade-union messages to small limited print runs by individual activists, strikers’ support groups or single issue or community protesters. There’s a complementary display of new radical Christmas card designs on show too.

Drawn from individual collections, Leeds Postcards, the Daily Worker and the Morning Star, Glad Tidings Of Struggle And Strife reflects the ongoing struggles for social justice, human, civil and equal rights.

“Many portray the words and deeds of those who, in the face of injustice, refused to remain silent and accept that nothing could be done. They are seen as a threat to the established order and are often described as ‘rebels’ or ‘revolutionaries,’” says Llew Smith.

“Yet many have helped to mould our history and have been responsible for much of the advances made when, too often, we were taught it was the result of the so-called contributions by kings, queens, generals and landowners.

“As activists, we had the privilege of campaigning alongside many of these truly remarkable ‘rebels,’ most of whom never received a mention in our history books. Nevertheless, we are still indebted to them.”

Those are pretty compelling reasons to get along to this exhibition and if that’s not possible, the book would probably make a radical loved one happy this festive season.

In its own right, the authors’ commentary is a highly informative and entertaining read and the latter sections charting the eras of Thatcher and new Labour up to the current state of kleptocratic misrule contain some particularly acute observations.

As Oscar Wilde remarked, “It is through disobedience that progress is made” and he could well have been describing the spirit of much that is on show here.

The exhibition runs at Newport City Art Gallery, John Frost`Square, until January 12. Free. Opening times: (01633) 656656. Glad Tidings Of Struggle And Strife: A History Of Protest Christmas Cards is published by Fonthill Media, price £14.99.

Britain’s “spiralling” fuel poverty crisis risk shutting another 300,000 families out in the cold this Christmas, government advisers warned David Cameron yesterday: here.

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Turtle-friendly holiday gift ideas, video

This video from Canada says about itself:

Holiday Gift Ideas

from The Sticky Tongue Project

“The great outdoors is the foundation of all life on Earth, including yours.”

Episode 3 of a year-long 24 episode education-outreach video series starring Whit Gibbons (Herpetologist and Author), produced in cooperation with The Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy.

This series features “fascinating facts and helpful conservation tips” for everyone “from homeowners to professional land and wildlife managers.

This particular episode however features some conservation-friendly Holiday gift ideas. A large portion of the proceeds will benefit The Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy.

The Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy (ARC)
AmphibianandReptileConservancy.org

Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC)

The Sticky Tongue Project (TSTP)

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Sad Christmas for rich Britons

This video, recorded in the London School of Economics in England, is called Unjust Rewards: Exposing Greed and Inequality in Britain Today.

While in David Cameron‘s Britain a homeless young woman dies from a falling tree crushing her tent during a storm … a homeless man dies from the winter cold … and workers cannot afford to celebrate Christmas … don’t think for one moment that the 1% super-rich, while getting still richer, lack problems of their own in this Christmas season.

The more money one has, the harder it is to find a way to spend it …

From weekly Socialist Worker in Britain:

Tue 11 Dec 2012

What to get for the 1 percent who already own everything?

This can be a stressful time for the super-rich, as they try to find presents extravagant enough for their phenomenal wealth. So we thought we’d help with a few pointers.

Luxury retailer Neiman Marcus has something for all the family. For just £9,500 you get the kids a real edible gingerbread playhouse with fittings made of giant cookies and sweets.

For loving parents there’s the £100,000 48 foot His’n’Hers houseboat.

And if you’re wondering how to treat your pal who’s chuffed with their newest swimming pool, why not splash out on a £1 million Dale Chihuly pool sculpture?

But for some these prices will still seem a bit stingy. For them, luxury mag Robb Report has an “imaginative and extravagant” wishlist of yachts, supercars and antiques. At the top is a £28 million Arctic adventure in a 148 foot yacht.

It might seem a bit steep compared to the trips to space touted by convicted fraudster Richard Branson for less than £200,000. But you get to keep an even larger 164 foot yacht at the end of it.

Or why not get them their own castle? The 4th century fortress of Miolans in France is going for £4 million.

But the best gifts are those you can’t put a price on—because they are waiting for a rich enough buyer to put in a bid. In Italy this goes for both the famous Brunello di Montalcino vineyard and the Genoa CFC football team.

The much-coveted title of Troublemaker gift of the year goes to the tropical island of Narara. It comes with three white sandy beaches and year-round sunshine.

You might want to throw in the new £100,000 Icarus microplane, as it’s a 20 minute flight from the nearest airport. For those wanting to celebrate privilege on a lower budget, pottery firm Emma Bridgewater is already producing the first royal foetus-themed tat.

For just under 20 quid you get a hideous mug covered in red and blue love hearts. It says “Hooray for Will and Kate” on one side and “a royal baby in 2013” on the other.

Talking about the British royal family:

Subsidised housing

To see the holidays that could await the royal foetus, look instead to Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. They are shockingly no longer able to stay rent free in a St James’ Palace flat.

But the rent has been kept down to around £20,000 a year from a market rent of up to £150,000. And even that will be paid by their dad Prince Andrew. The flat was renovated with £250,000 of public money.

Talking about Cameron’s Britain: about Cameron’s Chancellor:

Horse trading

George Osborne secretly spent taxpayer’s money buying himself a horse paddock. It came with his second home in Cheshire.

He broke the rules by claiming up to £100,000 on expenses to pay a mortgage worth more than the value of the home. He then sold it, though only for a modest profit of £450,000.

Greedy energy companies which forced up bills have plunged almost a million Scottish households into fuel povety this Christmas, Energy Action Scotland warned today: here.

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Bush administration Christmas card

This parody Christmas card is from Internet Weekly in the USA.

Bush’s new Iraq war plans: here.

Condoleezza Rice: Iraq war ‘worth it’: here.

Her visit to Britain in March 2006 here.

Australian generals against Iraq war: here.

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