The Occupy movement has been going on for months and now church leaders are joining in, hoping to capitalize on the movement’s momentum.
In the past, such protests would have waned by now, but with a whole new arsenal of social media tools at hand, these kinds of movements are sticking around.
Just ask the former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
This from Wikipedia:
The movement was initiated by the Canadian activist group Adbusters,[14][15][16] and partly inspired by the Arab Spring,[17][18] especially Cairo’s Tahrir Square protests, and the Spanish Indignants.[19][20][21] The movement commonly uses the slogan We are the 99%, the #Occupy hashtag format, and organizes through websites such as “Occupy Together”.
Their end goal?
It depends on who you ask.
The movement itself says that it,
aims to fight back against the richest 1% of people that are writing the rules of an unfair global economy that is foreclosing on our future.
But, everyone has their own slant. Shaun Groves put it best:
So, if I agree with Dave I’m not a good Christian. If I agree with David I’m envious. Thankfully, despite the extremism, the two Daves serve up delicious food for thought, challenging me to think about the logistics of bringing Good News to the poor in America.
Groves refers to Dave Ramsey’s open letter to the Occupy Movement and The Huffington Post’s David Dunn, PhD response to it.
I tend to agree with Groves.
Occupy’s mission sounds noble, but lacks good footing. Poverty is relative. Poverty in the US is different than in Europe. Poverty in Europe is different than the poverty in Africa.
Who are these “Joneses” Occupy believes we should all be like?
Just take Compassion International’s quiz to place yourself on the global scale of poverty.
The Latest
Now, today, from CNN:
A group of African-American church leaders announced Wednesday their intention to join ranks with the Occupy movement in the nation’s capital, bolstering what some consider a mutual message of condemning income inequality and social injustice.
Welcome to Occupy 2.0.
Pastor Jamal Harrison Bryant told reporters at the National Press Club in Washington:
“We are occupying until poverty is eradicated.”
The two groups are planning a “day of action” this coming January 16th, as it coincides with the commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr..
Occupy or not to Occupy?
[Image via ElvinWong]
Raoul Snyman says
Yeah, the poor Americans should come to South Africa some time. We have real poverty here… people living in shacks, no water, no electricity. Those that are actually employed (SA has an estimated 25% unemployment rate, I’d rate it as higher) walk a few miles to the nearest taxi rank, get on a taxi into the city, which usually takes an hour or two, and work at a minimum wage job that barely covers their expenses for the month…
Raoul Snyman says
Oh, and when I say taxis, I’m not talking New York style yellow cabs, I’m talking about South Africa’s famous minibux taxis[0] (pictures[1])… usually packed to overflowing, with a driver whose license is of dubious origin, in a minibus which might or might not be legally road-worthy.
[0] http://www.hedgehogswithoutborders.com/blog/entry/in+praise+of+south+africa+minibus+taxis
[1] http://www.sa-transport.co.za/taxis/minibus_taxis_1.html
Eric Dye says
#perspective
Kevin Farmer says
The Void Left by Christian Worldview
In our post-christian society we constantly see the effects of the loss of the Christian worldview that had completely shaped the post-reformation world well into the 20th century. Christian ideals shaped western thought and practice at a core depth creating institutions that once stood as the ‘shining city on a hill’. Here is a short list of the effects of the reformation on western society:
Protestant Work Ethic
Limited Constitutional Democratic Government
Value of Private Property
Separation of powers
Equal Justice
Value of human life
Equality of human’s verse inherited privilege
Private property
Virtue is the bedrock of free government
Resistance to tyranny (evil)
Small Colleges (Value of Education) throughout the frontier
Individual responsibility
If the Occupy Movement upheld these types of qualities it would be easier to identify with them. But it appears that the movement is opposed to many of these ideals. The Occupy movement does have some elements which identify with a Christian world view, such as, eliminating corruption and even-handed enforcement of law, but the movement lacks the ideals to which it is protesting.
Borrowing the image of Guy Fawkes reveals part of this paradox. Using the storyline from the movie what does the image of Mr. Fawkes, used by the character V, portray? In the movie the character uses the same tactics of manipulation and control that he is fighting. This is a problem. The inconsistency erodes the validity of his argument. Groups who do not value virtue and consistency are not viable protesters but simply a mob. Without virtue and consistency one tyranny is replaced with another. Corruption can not be opposed by lawlessness.
Eric Dye says
#EPIC