Irregular Times Diaries: Unfit Discussion

I was reading through a local account of an antiwar protest this afternoon when I came across a statement by one of the protesters that made my head wag at the stupidity. It seems that five people went into the public office of Republican Congressman Randy Kuhl in Bath, New York, and refused to leave until they were arrested. Their idea was that this sort of thing would convince Randy Kuhl to change his position on Iraq.

One of the people, justified his activism as follows:“Pope Benedict said the Iraq War is unjust and I was acting on that – that’s the message from this action.”

What? The message from this protest is that United States Congressmen should bow down and obey the Roman Catholic Church? The message from this protest is that member whatever the Pope says to do, members of the United States Congress should just obey and do it?

If the message from this protest is that ordinary people should engage in protests because of what Pope Benedict says, then should people conduct protests against blue hats if Pope Benedict declares that blue hats are unjust? Should people protest against Thai food restaurants if Pope Benedict says that they are unjust? Should people boycott the word “also” if Pope Benedict says that it is an unjust word?

I’ve been against the war in Iraq from the start. I’ve protested plenty, and I continue to do my part to try to bring the Iraq mess to an end. However, I do so because of the information that I come upon myself, and the thinking that I do for myself. I don’t oppose the war just because some authority tells me to.

If I opposed the the war in Iraq on the say so of some authority figure, I would be doing nothing more than choosing sides in a conflict. I wouldn’t really have a reason for my action, other than blind obedience.

Blind obedience to political and religious leaders is part of what gets us into war. It isn’t a good path to peace.

Catholic Worker activists who preach at others that we all need to oppose this or that war because Pope Benedict says so aren’t making a strong argument for their cause, and they aren’t doing the antiwar movement any favors either.