What is Christian Anarchism?
Essentially the same as non-christian anarchism: a political philosophy which seeks to create a state of communism - a moneyless classless, Stateless society - without an intermediary socialist State to aid the transition from capitalism. The only meaningful difference between christian and non-christian anarchism is one's own motivation and reasoning. In addition to dialectical materialism, the teachings of Jesus inspire me to build a world free from all unjust hierarchy.
Despite what evangelicals may say regarding their.... batshit interpretation of revelations, He taught that we must seek to build the kin-dom of heaven here on earth and in the hearts of all. He certainly didn't instruct us to wait for it to come down from above. He said that everyone should be fed, everyone should be housed. When He came to Jerusalem and saw that the temple was filled with merchants and money changers He overturned the tables and told them "It is written that My house will be a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers!". It's clear in scripture that all the earth is a church. There is truly no place untouched by God, but the world is certainly a den of thieves.
Although it is not unique to christian anarchists, we tend to hold a philosophy of non-violence as well. I know many anarchist atheists who feel the same... but I still expect that this is my most controversial opinion on this topic. And I do understand why. Part of it comes from anger. Deep, righteous, and wholly justified anger. If you were not born in to the capitalist class, if you are marginalized, if you are multi-marginalized, if you have ever struggled in life... I do believe that it's your right to hate the people who are responsible for it. The few with actual power who refuse to acknowledge that their power itself is the problem and could never dream of giving it up. You want to see them pay. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want that, too. But I am devout in my principles, too. I try not to follow my own desires, but follow the teachings of Jesus. In Proverbs it's written "If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you." I'm far, FAR, from perfect... But I do try to live by those verses.
Many people are also strategically opposed to non-violence. And I think they have a good point, too. Those who hold unjust power over others will never give that up willingly. It's something which must be taken from them. It is also not enough to remove one person from a position of power; the structures which uphold that power and allow it influence the world must be toppled as well or you are left with a seat and thousands of people who are willing to fill it. With this in mind, know that there are two things which every successful revolution needs: The hearts and minds of the disempowered, and the removal of those in power. All that said... I'm not entirely convinced that blood needs to be spilled. Certainly not by the majority of revolutionaries, at the very least. It's quite the theological dilemma for me. It's perhaps the best known line in the bible: Thou shalt not kill. But the grotesque machinery of capital kills so many people every day. So, so many. If revolution could be accelerated with violence... is that worth it? I don't think I would be asking the soldiers to stop if it did come down to that. Regardless, I hold my non-violent principals for myself. I would not judge another for using violence to free themselves or others from it. It's just not my place. Doctor King and Malcolm X needed one another to succeed... The suffragettes who detonated bombs and the ones who didn't.
That last paragraph got away from me a bit... It's something I think a lot about and something that I have a lot of difficulty parsing for myself. But I hope that this half-written mini essay is helpful, or at least interesting, to somebody.
One more thing I want to make clear: I am not an evangelist. I do not mind a bit if you're not christian. Christianity is my own faith. I don't see any reason to push it on other people. The only thing I care about is whether or not people act in accordance with what Jesus taught - whether it's because of Jesus or not is completely immaterial. By and large, at least in America, the majority of atheists are much more aligned with the principles He espoused than the majority of those who call themselves christian. The same goes for buddhists, muslims, hindus, taoists, agnostics.... Most churches and the elevation of "Religion" over faith is an absolute disgrace.
I am not wiling to litigate my faith! If you try to tell me that I shouldn't follow Jesus, I will remove your comment and block you with zero remorse or fanfare. My faith is precious to me. If you have been the victim of christian abuse, I am truly sorry. You deserve better. And it does not change the way I feel about my God. It only affects the way I view most of the vile people who claim to follow that same God.
