Progressive Spirit: Occupy Finds Its Soul

[cbayer]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-krattenmaker/progressive-spirit-occupy-finds-its-soul_b_2534384.html

Tom Krattenmaker
Author, 'Onward Christian Athletes'

Posted: 01/23/2013 3:27 pm

If you've ever been hounded by debt collectors about an impossibly large bill saddling you through no fault of your own, as many Americans have, imagine receiving a letter that goes like this:

"We write with good news: You no longer owe the balance of this debt. It is gone, a gift with no strings attached. You are no longer under any obligation to settle this account with the original creditor, the bill collector, or anyone else."

Dozens of people around the country have actually been receiving these letters and the debt forgiveness they describe thanks to Rolling Jubilee, an offshoot of the Occupy Wall Street movement. The campaign has been mimicking collection agencies by buying difficult-to-collect debt for pennies on the dollar. But then, instead of going after the debtor, they are doing the seemingly unthinkable and forgiving it.

The number of dollars and people affected are a pittance so far. But several aspects of this campaign are remarkable, including its explicit religious dimension. "Jubilee" is a concept straight out of the Bible, the tradition of a special year when debts are wiped clean. That the Occupy movement would embrace this biblical concept suggests something new and intriguing about the progressive movement, which has in recent decades been more likely to show contempt than respect when it comes to religion.

more at link

[Curmudgeoness]

1. I have been supporting Rolling Jubilee since I first heard of it.

And I am an atheist. Although I can see the religious undertones to this concept, I also see the moral and ethical issues, and that is where my support comes from. It is just a great idea.

[cbayer]

2. It is truly a great idea and whoever is supporting it is a-ok with me.

[trotsky]

14. "whoever is supporting it is a-ok with me"

Then why poke things by emphasizing the religious tones? You claim you're all about working together for common goals without antagonizing each other, yet it seems it's perfectly fine for the religious elements to overlay their dogma on a political movement. WTF?

[skepticscott]

3. So anything that is mentioned in the Bible

is a "Biblical concept"?

Then I guess slavery, genocide and killing children who talk back to their parents also qualify. Are we going to blame religion and the bible whenever anyone practices one of those "biblical concepts", or are you going to apply your usual double standard and only claim credit for religion for the warm fuzzy shit?

[Skittles]

9. the meme is you need religion to be good, to do the right thing

of course it is crap

[zazen]

4. Yves Smith on Naked Capitalism has raised serious concerns

about this. It is sooo well-intentioned, but apparently, the IRS _never_ tells people up front if something is tax exempt with a hearing, so the up front assurance by the Occupy attorney that the debt write off isn't a taxable gift to the families isn't very reliable.

I hope the IRS doesn't hound these poor families, and I hope the Rolling Jubilee can continue. I so appreciate its spirit. But sadly we're not out of the woods yet on its efficacy.

[cbayer]

5. Was not aware of this side of it.

Even so, wouldn't the tax on it be a pittance compared to the entire loan?

[Bennyboy]

6. Let's not forget how much Occupy has helped with Sandy...

http://interoccupy.net/occupysandy/

The Crisis isn't over, there are people that need your help. Occupy and help.

[cbayer]

7. Great to know and well worth supporting.

Looks like churches and unions have organized behind this effort.

[okasha]

8. More than debts were cancelled.

Slaves were freed, each with a generous nest egg, and leased or rented property returned to the family who had originally occupeds it under the Judaic tribal kinship system.

[dimbear]

10. Here is a serious discussion of Jubilee, not at all like the naive concept:

http://tifwe.org/research/five-myths-about-jubilee/

Note how often this scholar uses the phrase "If it ever happened at all."

Many doubt that it had any real practice.

[Skittles]

12. hoo boy do you have THAT right

yes INDEED

[trotsky]

15. An excellent, informative link.

Thank you for that.

[Phillip McCleod]

13. there is not much in western culture which hasn't been steeped in

or subverted or subsumed by christian thinking. 'jubilee' has a vaguely religious connotation so occupy is embracing religion? talk about a weak premise. sorry but occupy has embraced religion all along as near as i can tell. part of why i lost interest after all the g.a.'s in my city started opening with prayers.

[cbayer]

16. Many have formed coaltions within the occupy movement(s).

It appears to me that those that have have had some of the most success. Those that are intolerant don't seem to be having much at all.

In short, people embracing each other regardless of religious or non-religious affiliation appear most likely to actually accomplish something.

I am assuming by ga you mean gamblers anonymous, yes? Some areas have more secular aa/na/ga meetings, but that's not available everywhere, I know.

[trotsky]

17. I'd really like to know:

"people embracing each other regardless of religious or non-religious affiliation appear most likely to actually accomplish something"

When religious individuals insist on using religious terms and/or symbols in order to promote a goal, does that embrace non-believers?

Or is this strictly a one-way street: non-believers must accept their status as a minority and bow to the majority driving the issue in whatever way they want?

[tama]

18. Who cares?

When religious individuals insist on using religious terms and/or symbols in order to promote a goal, does that embrace non-believers?

When you start with an inclusive volunteer based movement for a common goal, open for all willing, why would you exclude people with religious backgrounds who use religious terms and/or symbols? If some terms and symbols turn of some people, that is their choice, of putting their promotion of their exclusive agenda over participation in inclusive project. Occupy Sandy uses churches as their logistic centers because of practical purposes, as churches are coopereting and offering church buildings for such use. If that turns of some people that want to promote exclusive agenda against anything and everything related to religious terms and/or symbols, that is unfortunate but it is their own choice, not choice of Occupy Sandy to exclude non-believers.

And that has nothing to do with majority or minority of any belief system or lack of. Just mutual aid, simple as that, on volunteer basis.

[okasha]

19. Bull's eye, Tama.

+10.

[tama]

21. I once

visited an anti-immigration forum and had a little talk with a relatively intelligent participant there. Discussing causes of immigration and how our way of life affects that was not difficult on intellectual level, and to find rough agreement on those structural causes, capitalist neocolonialism, consumerism etc. But question why he puts his energy into that forum and anti-immigration policies was answered honestly: because for him promotion of exclusive agenda was more important than addressing the causes of suffering. His intellectual comprehension of larger context did not connect with what drives him emotionally and psychologically, his gut feeling.

[Phillip McCleod]

20. by 'g.a' i meant 'general assembly' as in occupy movement in my city

opened with prayers. sometimes they lasted a long time as different religions had to get their say in before we could get around to not doing a damn thing. i went home disillusioned buy i'm glad some coalitions have found ways to be effective.