Everyone has something to teach and everyone has something to learn
Day 17 of Occupy Wall Street, October 3, 2011 Credit: David Shankbone, https://www.flickr.com/photos/shankbone/6209348934/
As faith and activism have slowly grown apart over the last 40 years, many of us with one foot in both worlds have ended up being let down by them both. We see a lot of talk and not a lot of action from our faith communities, and we hide who we are from the activist communities out of fear of judgement for still believing in a faith that may be considered out of date. What can we learn from both worlds to bring them closer together again?
What Christians can learn from activists
1. Give without expecting anything in return
give: to transfer the possession of freely; hand over as a present (Canadian Oxford Dictionary)
We have let capitalism infiltrate the walls of the church, by putting a price on what we should be freely giving away. We give out free hot chocolate to support Occupy Wall Street protesters in their fight against capitalism, but when they ask us to go a step further by offering them shelter we have them thrown in jail. We need to remove ourselves from the systems that stop us from giving as freely as we need to in order to achieve the more just world we desire.
2. Take Action
A prayer that does not lead you to practical action for your brother – the poor, the sick, those in need of help, a brother in difficulty – is a sterile and incomplete prayer. –Pope Francis, Angelus, Sunday July 21 2013, St Peter’s Square.
The church has historically been an excellent provider of charity to those in need. However after 2000 years it is clear that unless we do something the need will never be solved. Canada is experiencing rates of inequality that haven’t been seen since before World War II, along with record-high rates of food bank use. Instead of creating short-term solutions like soup kitchens, churches must address the system that makes people so poor they can’t afford to put food on the table. One example of this is Vancouver’s Calvary Baptist church who in 2011 changed their typical Downtown East Side soup kitchen into a community kitchen program. Guests can now either pay $2 for a meal or sign up to do a job in lieu of payment. This shift was done in an attempt to empower people and create a sustainable food system instead of the “free food” model which causes people to get stuck going around in a circuit.
What activists can learn from Christians
1. Love your enemies
But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you –Matthew 5:44
The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these. –Mark 12:31
Activism means you are constantly pushing against a system and/or people who are doing unfair, mean, and sometimes violent things. It is easy and understandable to grow bitter or hate your enemies. If we want to have any chance of changing the world we need to bring everyone back to a human level. We need to remember our enemies are also victims of the same systems of oppression that we are, they have just ended up on the other side of the fence. As activists we are working towards a better world for everyone. We are meant to love our enemies by showing them goodwill, which is a synonym for compassion. Through showing compassion to our enemies we are able to also see their suffering at the same hands of the system that has caused our own suffering and work towards a better world for us all.
2. Have something to hold you up
Towards the end of the “Jesus and Revolution” workshop at the Peoples’ Social Forum Maggie Helwig said that activism is incredibly hard work and it will burn you out; the people with staying power are often those who have faith because they have something to fall back on. Activists need to find something that they can fall back on when they have no hope left. Regardless of whether it is a community or spiritual practice, you need to find something outside of activism that will help you refuel when you have nothing left to give.
What do both communities have in common? Both are working for a more just world. Both communities often have unique resources or skills that the other desperately needs. We need to start working together and sharing the load so that we have a chance of achieving our common goals.
Caitlin Armstrong lives in Ottawa, Ontario
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