All posts tagged abuse of power
I'm not always wearing my full habit...
And in 45 years of me being on this earth, that was the very first time that I ever heard my father where he was pleading and begging for his life, someone who I looked at as being extremely strong, to hear him beg for his life, to say that this was his sworn testimony on the audio, which the police did not know that was being recorded. He said, “My name is Kenneth Chamberlain. This is my sworn testimony. White Plains police are going to come in here and kill me.
- Kenneth Chamberlain Jr. speaking to Democracy Now on Thursday. His father, Kenneth Chamberlain, Sr., a 68-year-old African-American Marine veteran, was fatally shot in November by White Plains, NY police who responded to a false alarm from his medical alert pendant. The officers broke down Chamberlain’s door, tasered him, and then shot him dead. Audio of the entire incident was recorded by the medical alert device in Chamberlain’s apartment and has not been released. The police have still not been charged. (via squintyoureyes)
White Plains police? Undercover Nun is praying for your immortal souls.
And Mr. Chamberlain? May God grant you eternal rest and let light perpetual shine upon you.
(via bluntlyblue)
Church fakes teens' kidnapping using real gun
I couldn’t make this up if I tried. And I sure as hell wouldn’t want to. (via @kirkjeffrey)
A southeastern Pennsylvania church subjected members of a youth group to a mock kidnapping and interrogations without telling them it was staged, and the outraged mother of one 14-year-old girl has filed a complaint with police.
The pastor of the Glad Tidings Assembly of God in Middletown said the church is “so saddened” that the girl was traumatized at the Wednesday evening youth meeting.
But the pastor, John Lanza, said Friday there have been emails of support from other students at the church, about 10 miles southeast of Harrisburg, because the intent was to prepare them for what they might encounter as missionaries. He didn’t disclose the names of those involved but said the mock kidnappers included an off-duty police officer and a retired Army captain.
Lanza said there were about 17 students at the meeting and the mock kidnappers covered the students’ heads, put them in a van and interrogated them. Neither the students nor their parents were told about the raid beforehand, he said, though it was discussed with the parents of one youth who might have health issues.
TV station WHTM interviewed the girl who complained.
“They pulled my chair out from underneath me, and then they told me to get on the ground,” she told the station. “I had my hands behind my back. They said, ‘Just do as I say, and you won’t be hurt.’”
The girl said the teens were taken to the pastor’s house, where it appeared he was being assaulted. Eventually, she said, the adults in charge revealed it was a staged event.
“They heard me crying,” the girl said. “Why not right then and there tell us it was a joke, when you see me crying?”
This is terrible. This is horrifying. This is abominable. This is an example of everything the church should not ever, ever, ever, ever, EVER be. This is an act of physical, emotional, and spiritual abuse. This is not the loving-kindness God commands of us.
And the worst part? These children have had one of the very few places where we can feel truly safe and comfortable stripped away from them, by adult authority figures who should be the ones giving them loving encouragement and support.
No, wait, there’s an even worse part. Pastor Tony Lanza says he would DO IT AGAIN:
“I would find a way that we could continue to keep the shock value,” he said, “but I would find a way to inform the parents (beforehand).”
John Lanza, Glad Tidings Assembly of God, and everyone involved in this event: Undercover Nun is praying for your immortal souls. God knows, you need it.
Now please excuse me while I go vomit.
EDIT: The canister of gas is indeed nothing more than pressurized air. While it’s reprehensible to cover up the activities, these protesters were not “gassed.”
Houston Police Place Tent Over Restrained Protestors and Gas Them
oh. my. god.
This is absolutely horrifying. I couldn’t watch the entire 14 minutes. It’s shortly after 3 minutes when you see the tank of gas being used. Tears rolled freely down my cheeks, and I feel like vomiting now.
Houston first responders who did this to fellow human beings: Undercover Nun is praying for your immortal souls. God knows, you need it.
Westboro Baptist Church to picket funerals of Arizona shooting victims (Click image for story and press release)
Let me say this one more time:
The leaders of Westboro Baptist Church are not Christians.
It takes more than claiming the name to be a Christian. What does it take? It’s right in the baptismal vows:
- Do you renounce Satan and all the spiritual forces of wickedness that rebel against God?
- Do you renounce the evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God?
- Do you renounce all sinful desires that draw you from the love of God?
- Do you turn to Jesus Christ and accept him as your savior?
- Do you put your whole trust in his grace and love?
- Do you promise to follow him and obey him as your lord?
- Do you believe in God the Father?
- Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?
- Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit?
I’m sure that the WBC folk think they’re okay so far, and I’m willing to give them this much. But this isn’t all. It gets harder from here.
- Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?
- Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?
- Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?
- Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?
- Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?
It’s in these later parts of the vow (which we answer not just with I will, but with I will, with God’s help) where the Phelps family and other members of Westboro fall short.
Where are these people proclaiming the Good News of God in Christ? What evidence is there to show them finding and serving Christ in all persons or of loving your neighbor as themselves? And how on earth does this respect the dignity of every human being?!?
To be a Christian, one must believe in and accept Jesus as savior. And then, one must behave in the ways Jesus commands us to behave. These commandments are actually very simple.
- Love me.
- Love all persons.
That’s it! It’s a two-part plan, and it is just that simple. The thing is, love is hard work; it isn’t easy. To love means to work for the very best for another person, even at the cost of getting the very best for oneself. That sounds pretty simple, too, doesn’t it? We may not be wired this way, but we can do it… with God’s help.
This kind of love becomes more complex and difficult once the community gets to be larger than about a dozen or so people. That’s when we need love-in-community, which is called justice. Justice means that we work to secure equal access to the good things in life for all persons. And the good things in life are both the things we need to physically survive (food, shelter, clean water) and the things that give us life (learning, meaningful work, a life of the spirit, love, forgiveness, grace). Truly, justice is pretty simple though it can be as difficult as love. But we can do this, too… with God’s help.
The Westboro folk, though, do not appear to live out the love and justice that Jesus commands of us. Instead, they hide behind shouts, chants, and signs, all of which display anger and hatred. If you’ve read this tumblr blog for more than a week or so, then you know where anger, hatred, bullying, and abuse come from: FEAR. And fear is not just the opposite of faith but the rejection of faith. So not only do these demonstrators clearly demonstrate their rejection of the very basic and simple commandments of Jesus, but they demonstrate their complete rejection of faith. By their actions, these demonstrators show us that they utterly reject Christianity.
Fred Phelps, I name you a False Prophet. You and your family teach God’s children to reject and defame the savior God sent to us. You and your family teach God’s children to live in fearfulness, in anger, in abuse. You and your family are the forces of wickedness that rebel against God. You and your family are the evil powers of this world that corrupt and destroy the creatures of God.
As a Christian — newly reaffirming my own baptismal vows this morning, on the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord — I RENOUNCE YOU.
And I pray for your immortal souls. God knows, you need it.
Religious leaders must safeguard life
Undercover Nun commends to your reading this excellent piece by Father Frank Pavone. I also encourage you to set aside any preconceptions you might have about the good Father or his work, when you read the piece. Take it on its own merit. A couple samples for you to taste:
Religious violence is an assault not only on the immediate victims, but on all humanity, because it takes a sacred dimension of our existence and abuses it as a tool of destruction.
and
In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the commandment “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain” … means that we should not invoke God to justify doing things that God abhors. Violence against human beings is in fact one of those things.
and
Entering a house of faith should never demand that we leave our minds at the door. Religion does not call for the shutdown of reason. Religious beliefs can and do transcend human reason, but they must never be allowed to contradict it.
and
Ultimately, people abuse religion because they are suffering. Someone has written that the false god transforms suffering into violence, while the true God transforms violence into suffering. True religion, rather than doing violence to the other, suffers with the other. This is the root meaning of the word “compassion” - “to suffer with.”
Undercover Nun finds herself in complete agreement with Fr. Frank’s statement on religious violence. Violence is an abuse of religion, and violence should be intolerable to Christians. I know that this world is not perfect, that violence happens and will continue to happen. But we are charged by Christ to help bring about God’s Kingdom here and now: Thy kingdom come on earth, as in heaven. This means that is the responsibility of every Christian — including those in elected office — to cry out on behalf of the abused, to stand up and say, “This is wrong, and I will not tolerate it.”
Now. In the comments on this post, you will see a number of detractors. Some address the violence that the Church has perpetrated on people, throughout centuries. To these, I can only say this: I am sorry. Yes, some of these incidents are indeed vile and abominable. There was no excuse for the Church to violently stamp out heresy, including the Crusades against Islam (which was seen at the time as just one more new heresy). There is no excuse for clergy to abuse those under their care. There is no excuse for anyone representing the Church to give injury or suffering to another person. I can offer only two things. First, we are mere humans, and we make mistakes, and I hope you will pray for us. And second, not all Christians are power-mad abusers; the vast majority of us go quietly about our own lives and work, loving God and trying not to mess things up too badly.
Other detractors write about abortion. Let me say clearly here that the moniker Pro Life means many things, including opposition to abortion; however, this term is not synonymous with “anti-abortion.” Rather, pro-life means an opposition to suffering, violence, and death, and it requires an entire orientation of being that is very taxing to mind, body, and spirit. Many who call themselves pro-life do not understand this, and thus they take on over-simplified positions that don’t take into account the effects on multiple lives. My invitation to you is this: Please don’t throw out Christianity because a minority of Christians are abusive. And please don’t refuse to thoughtfully consider a true pro-life orientation because some who claim the title use it exclusively to mean anti-abortion.
Undercover Nun is not going to express her views on sexuality, contraception, pregnancy, and abortion at this time. They have absolutely no bearing on this excellent piece of writing by Fr. Frank. I ask you to consider these questions as red herrings, and to consider the argument against violence based on religion as one area that expresses support for human life.
тијана: Militant atheism
The terms militant atheism and militant atheist are designations applied to atheists who are, or are perceived to be, hostile towards religion. The term has been used going back to at least 1894 and it has been applied to people from Thomas Hobbes onwards. It had a specific application within the materialism of Marxism–Leninism, and in the early years of the Soviet Union, and more recently the term has been used, frequently pejoratively, to describe atheists such as Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris and Daniel Dennett.
Julian Baggini defines militant atheism as “Atheism which is actively hostile to religion”, which “requires more than strong disagreement with religion — it requires something verging on hatred and is characterised by a desire to wipe out all forms of religious belief. Militant atheists tend to make one or both of two claims that moderate atheists do not. The first is that religion is demonstrably false or nonsense and the second is that it is usually or always harmful.i wouldn’t ever go as far as to say that i am at all actively hostile towards religion, nor do i have any desire to eliminate religion (though i do believe that would improve things exponentially). but the last sentence is resonating with me.
The first is that religion is demonstrably false or nonsense and the second is that it is usually or always harmful.
i think it’s quite rude of me to express openly that i think religion is false/nonsense (even though i certainly do), but i wholeheartedly agree that it is usually or always harmful. globally, it’s by far one of the biggest incentives for violence, ignorance and hate. duh.
Undercover Nun always saddened when I hear it said that religion is usually or always harmful, and the source of most or all wars. In fact, religion has brought many great goods into the world, but we humans do tend to weigh tremendous evil more heavily than tremendous good.
It is not religion itself that is harmful. It is people who have a pathology, who have deep-seated fears, control issues, feelings of powerlessness (etc.) that lead them to abuse others. Religion is used by these people as a tool, just as abusers and bullies use politics, laws, rules, and even social customs as tools to put others down and to keep them down.
But this is a perversion of religion. Religion is our experience of the sublime, of the divine, of that which is beyond us. It goes by many names, with many stories and legends and myths, with strong or weak doctrine. Religion itself does not harm people, but religion in the hands of a bully is used to harm others.
I grieve for everyone who has been harmed by religion, especially by my beloved Christianity, and I’ve long felt a specific call to those who have been damaged by the church and/or who are hostile toward the church. I want to gather them in my arms, hold them while they cry out their pain, and whisper to them, This was not of God. What was done to you was abuse, and it was done by a bully who is very sick on the inside. And for every loud, obnoxious bully in the church, there are a dozen faithful and loving Christians who go quietly about living their faith, never showing up on television or in the news because they don’t think it’s anything special — it’s just what they do, who they are. I promise you, this is not God’s church. I love you, and I will hold you in the Light.
Fundamentally, I believe all bullying and abuse to be expressions of fear. And fear is the opposite of faith — the rejection of faith. Faith is a choice, made continually every day. Faith is work, it is the conscious turning toward the Divine whenever we notice we’re facing another way. But fear — fear is a choice, too. Fear is the conscious turning away from the Holy One, turning our backs and squinting our eyes tightly shut and sticking our fingers in our ears to sing the “La la la, I can’t hear you!” song.
So truly, religion is not the root of bullying, abuse, terrorism, war, genocide. No, the root of these is fear, which is actually a rejection of religion, even when one appears to be embracing religion to promote these harms and insults to the world. Were there no religions for fearful people to wield against us, they would find other weapons.
Spiritual terrorism is not of God
Undercover Nun does not like to cuss, but Pastor Marc Grizzard’s yearly burnings of bibles and so-called “idols” (like rosaries, “crosses with Jesus on them,” icons, ect [sic]) is fucking scary.
Let me make something clear. God is more than powerful enough to protect the sanctity of God’s Word. God also has the ability to choose whether to do this or not. If God chooses not to protect the bible, this doesn’t tell us whether the bible is truly God’s Word or not. The thing is, we can’t tell from this world whether God has protected the sanctity of the bible as God’s Word — in which case, all translations are blessed and sacred — or not.
But I know that all books and stories contain Truth — yes, even the stories in Playboy or comic books with all their glorification of violence. Even pulp science fiction or the cheesiest of romances contain Truth. Even Machiavelli’s The Prince or Mein Kampf or the Qur’an or even neopagan reference books contain Truth. We don’t see God acting against those.
So why would anyone professing to be a Christian burn the bible?
No, this is another case of abuse of power. This man controls his congregation through fear, and they obey because he promises protection from damnation. Alas, none of these people realize that fear is the opposite of faith, and is the tool of the Adversary. This spiritual abuse — spiritual terrorism, truly — promotes the goals of the Evil One, not of God’s Kingdom.
And all I know to do in response is to pray. I choose faith in the risen Christ over fear of impurity or hellfire.
Mr. Grizzard, Undercover Nun is praying for your immortal soul, and for the salvation of those who have followed you into fear and error.
(Source: christiannightmares)
“At seventeen I was engaged to a man I had never met.”
Read this story. Take time to weep if you need it. Undercover Nun did.
Then go follow newfilosofee. You won’t regret it.
First off, I’d like to say I have never shared this story to this extent before. So many parts of this may make you angry, upset or sad. And I’d also like to make it clear that this story cannot be told to it’s full effect online or even if written in a book so imagine that we are in a little house on the mountains of Kabul overlooking the city and I have just poured you a cup of tea.
With a few months to my high school graduation date, I was approached by my mother and a family friend in regards to a guy in Afghanistan who was seeking my hand in marriage. He wasn’t the first guy to ask but he was the first one my parents approved of. It may sound strange but in the Afghan culture, people marry young. Also, I was a different person back then. I was very religious and I just wanted to make my parents happy. They gave me two photos of him and I told them I’d think about it. I had enough on my mind already with school and graduating. Some days I’d tell my mom that I just wasn’t ready for marriage but she told me that I should think about it more. After a few months, the guy’s family called and told me that I had to make up my mind. They said “Marry him or risk never being married.” I was so frustrated at the amount of pressure they were putting on me. I began praying to see what God wanted and what was best. I spoke to a Mullah about the situation. He told me that it would be in my best interest to marry the guy and it would make my parents as well as God happy with me.
So after a few months, with the intention of making others happy I said yes. I would sit in my room, holding his picture in my hand and wonder what was going to happen. He was very stunning. Tall, handsome and strong. He had the bluest eyes I had ever seen. I still wanted to know more about him though. After a few conversations on the phone I had learned that he worked at the United Nations, knew three or four languages and many other things. He seemed wonderful.
I had a beautiful engagement party. I wore a blue gown and felt like a princess. My mother was so happy and seeing her happy made me happy.
Months later I graduated from High School. And one month after that, I was on an airplane to Afghanistan with my mother for the wedding. My father was already in Afghanistan. It would be my first time back after 15 years.
Once I arrived there was at least fourty people waitingg for me at the Kabul Airport. My entourage exceeded Karzais. I met uncles and aunts that I didn’t recognize, I met cousins for the first time and family friends and then I met him. I wasn’t that nervous because I didn’t like him that much. I mean, I barely knew him. But he took my hand and it’s a strange feeling to hold hands with a person you’ve never had a conversation with in person. I kept letting go of his hand and pretending it was an accident. Like I had to fix my scarf or get my suitcase or something.
I was staying at an aunt’s house and didn’t see him often before the wedding. The Wedding was ten days after my arrival in Kabul. But I wasn’t ready. Things moved too fast and I was just getting to know my family that I hadn’t seen in forever. We went to choose a wedding gown and they were all sleeveless. In an “Islamic” country, where women cannot leave the house unless covered from head to toe, they didn’t have one wedding dress with sleeves. Back then I wore hijab so I wanted a dress with sleeves. They later made sleeves for a dress but even then, you could see right through them. I was also told by everybody that I couldn’t wear my hijab for my wedding. That it was ridiculous and nobody covers their hair on their wedding day. I was so upset. It’s funny that in America I could wear what I wanted but in Afghanistan I was told I couldn’t wear my scarf during my wedding because it wasn’t the “norm”.
The morning of the wedding I was ever so afraid. I begged my mom to stop the wedding. I didn’t want to get married anymore. I realized what I had gotten into. Everybody got angry at me. It was only my cousins who were my age that felt bad for me. My cousin Abidah hugged me and told me it’d be okay. She said “If he lays a hand on you, I’ll break his hand off.” I thought how violent yet kind of her. I wanted to get a taxi and go see my father who was in a different city at the time. But it would be too dangerous to get a taxi alone specially when I’ve got an American accent when I speak farsi. But I knew if I could get to my father, he would help me. He’d be by my side. I was always “daddy’s little girl” and he always loved me so much. He always called me his flower. I asked if I could at least call him and they told me to stop being ridiculous and acting like a child. But that’s just the thing, I was a child.
There was no use in trying anymore. There were 500 guests invited to the wedding. The Hotel was one of the finest in Kabul and the wedding singer was one of the best. Everything was ready from the people to the food to the music. Everything and everyone was ready except for me.
After many arguments and lectures, I started cooperating. I arrived at the salon and got my hair and make-up done. I put on the dress and looked like a princess, I just didn’t feel like one. He arrived to pick me up and he was more nervous than I. His palms were sweaty and he breathed so heavily I almost asked if he needed an inhaler. We didn’t talk at all in the car. I took off the fake eyelashes and blended in my lipstick with the lip liner. I then just sat in the car opposite of him and looked out the window. When we arrived at the Hotel’s Ball room and it was crazy. There were so many people, mostly people I didn’t know and the place looked like a palace. We sat down and everyone just stared. I felt so awkward and out of place but the shoes were too difficult to run in for me to run away. There was a bubble machine and these children kept trying to pop all the bubbles. I looked at them and smiled. Just as I smiled, I got ten different people running up to me telling me not to look so happy. My reply was “If a woman can’t smile on her own wedding day, when can she smile? At her funeral?” He laughed at my joke. I was starting to like him. Some Mullahs took him into a room and they discussed the marriage contract, they were there for about an hour and they brought the contract for me to sign and I looked at it, it was all in Farsi so I just signed it. I didn’t know what the hell it said but I just wanted for it to end.
When the wedding ceremony was over, the party was barely over. We arrived at his house and there were still people dancing. Before we walked through the door, they brought a chicken and cut it’s throat then put the blood underneath my shoe. I screamed. I didn’t know what the heck they were doing but it’s some sort of tradition. I asked if the chicken was going to be okay and everybody laughed at me.
Now the night of my wedding is one I will never forget, but not in the sense you’d think. I changed into my sleeping attire and walked into my bedroom. He was waiting for me and asked why I had taken so long. I didn’t reply, I just looked down. He walked closer to me and my heart raced. But not in the way it races when you see your crush walking down the hallway or at their locker in school, not the way your heart races when you’re meeting your favorite singer or the way your heart races when you are on a roller coaster. My heart raced out of fear. I was so scared of him and what he wanted from me. I didn’t feel comfortable at all. He brushed my hair off my shoulder and said “Tonight it will be something new but soon it will be routine.” He kissed me and I didn’t feel anything. Nothing happy at least. I asked him if we could just talk and get to know each other. He laughed. But I wasn’t joking at all. I then told him that I was super sleepy but that didn’t work either. I made so many excuses but he had that look in his eyes and I knew what he wanted. He was persistent and unkind.
It was in that moment that I realized I meant nothing. I wasn’t important or beautiful or special to him, I was just an object to satisfy his sexual needs. I fought and yelled and told him not to lay a hand on me. He gave up after a while and he went to sleep but I, I didn’t sleep that night at all. I sat at the edge of the bed, looked out the window towards the moon and I cried. I asked God, “How could you let this happen? I trusted you. I did this to get closer to you.” It was that moment in my life where my respect and love for Religion, God and Marriage all went out the window. It would take the next few years to get it back if not longer.
I slowly began getting used to this stranger that I had to start calling my husband. I became very fond of his family. I missed mine more. I missed America. I was having to adapt to being in a completely different country and the new lifestyle of being married. I wasn’t your average Afghan Bride though and for that I got in lots of trouble. I never wore make up or gold which is tradition if you are a newly wed. You have to wear almost every piece of gold you posses everywhere you go. I thought it was an insane idea so I just wore two or three. I would soon fall in love but not with him, with my country and the people of Afghanistan.
I will be writing about part 2 and 3 soon.
dinosaurjam:queerwatch: bitterbuffalo:
What’s this? An anti-rape campaign that focuses on preventing rape instead of preventing women leaving the house? Holy crap it’s Christmas.
I saw this and just started crying, it made me so happy. I’ve never been a victim of sexual assault - but the thing is, I almost phrased that, “Luckily, I’ve never been a victim…” It should never be a matter of luck not to be raped. In a culture that says “don’t do XYZ so you won’t get raped,” it’s so important for these sorts of campaigns that focus on reducing the number of potential rapists.
Hallelujah! Undercover Nun wholeheartedly approves of this campaign!
