In the last posting I talked about how Messy Science Saves when talking about a Greenhouse experiment with AIR. Making nonviolent change can also be messy. The tactics of Gandhi or of the civil rights movement do not seem to be effective in today’s world yet we must work for nonviolent change and to speak truth to power with nonviolence. The “Nonviolent Worm” symbolizes the Growing Power aspect of this web site as well as the Nonviolent side. The ongoing experiment on the nonviolent side is the renewal of the 40-year-old resistance to the Military at Marquette University (MU). Recently we sent an Open Letter to Marquette University leaders seeking a debate on the moral issue of Marquette’s support of the military and war, and asking for a garden of resistance to symbolize the struggle for Marquette to be faithful to Gospel Values.
Marquette’s response has been messy and confusing. Fr. Wild S.J. has said for many years that a dialog on this issue of Marquette hosting the military on campus was not possible, but in recent times has said he was open to a debate on this moral issue on campus. The other two MU leaders the open letter was addressed to, Father Simon S.J. of the Center for Peacemaking at Marquette and Stephanie Russell of the Office of Mission and Identity at MU have gone back and forth communicating through a secretary saying a debate is being planned and than saying there will be a dialog. It is all very confusing and you can find here a summary of Marquette’s Response or No Response.
Whatever Marquette leaders are saying or not saying in response to the open letter, it is the obligation of persons of faith in conscience to take some nonviolent action to stop MU for hosting military training and advocating military values over Christian values. No response would be a consent to the violence to human life being taught at Marquette. If anyone is interested in joining this struggle or has an ideal of nonviolent action that would be effective in these days please contact us at MUPeace@nonviolentworm.org.
Franz Jägerstätter, Christian martyr, said of the Church in Germany at the beginning of World War II: “If the Church stays silent in the face of what is happening, what difference would it make if no church were ever opened again?” Can we not substitute the world ‘Marquette’ for Church’ and say the same thing?
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