Coronado, Are We Demonic, Unholy and Unclean?
So says the leader of Awaken, who vows to "take the crown" from our Crown City and run us out of town.
The Coronado I know and love is filled with wonderful people. We are religious and secular. We support our schools, library, and the arts. We honor those who serve in the military. We readily volunteer for worthy causes and we are there for our neighbors in tough times. We love our families and our community. And we’re just crazy about our 4th of July and Christmas parades.
Sure, we can and do disagree on a host of issues, but - for the most part - we’re civil about it. A majority of us welcome a diversity of people from all walks of life and backgrounds, but we’re wary of any group that wants to bring a hateful, exclusionary agenda to town.
Jurgen Matthesius, the founder of the Awaken movement, vows to come to Coronado, “take territory,” and impose his will. He calls any who oppose him for his hate speech, conspiracy theories, prejudice, and radical political agenda, unclean, unholy, demonic, and perverted, and he threatens to drive us out of town should we have the temerity to get in his way.
Peter Bolland, Professor of Philosophy and World Religion, sees this kind of authoritarian divisiveness and intolerance as a serious threat.
It’s an age-old strategy: Claim that you have an exclusive pipeline to God, that you are doing his bidding and have his blessings and violà, anyone who fails to bow to your will is vile, demonic, unholy, and deserves to be destroyed.
Matthesius would do well to revisit what the Bible says about loving thy neighbor, practicing humility, and being of service.
As Jesus preached in The Sermon On The Mount, Blessed are the Meek, Blessed are the Peacemakers, Blessed are the Pure in Heart. Nowhere does he say, Blessed are those who curse others, who vow to take territory, or who threaten to run people out of town.
Separation of Church and State
Awaken is part of a militant national movement hellbent on replacing our democracy with a rigid theocracy. This begs the question: if we go down this path, which religious viewpoint gets to hold sway? Should it be those who believe that we are all God’s children and embrace all of humankind without judgment or prejudice? Or should it be those who claim that they are the chosen ones and those who think differently are demonic and damnable?
This is why our Founding Fathers believed in religious freedom but also in the separation of church and state.
Benjamin Franklin said it well, “When a Religion is good, I conceive that it will support itself; and when, it cannot support itself, and God does not take care to support, so that its Professors are oblig'd to call for help of the Civil Power, it is a sign, I apprehend, of its being a bad one.” (Letter to Richard Price, October 9, 1780).
Coronado is No Place for Hate
No, Mr. Matthesius, we are not unclean, unholy, perverted demons. We are simply onto you. We see your hate, your manipulation, your demagoguery, and self-aggrandizement, and we want no part of it.
So come to Coronado and join our community. Enjoy our remarkable and friendly culture. Be a good neighbor. But don’t come on a crusade seeking dominion and control while condemning anyone who doesn’t see things your way.
Anglican clergyman, author, and historian John Dickson said it well, “Every teacher will tell you, the bully on the playground is usually the most insecure boy. It’s a compensation mechanism. If the boy were truly confident, he wouldn’t need to throw his weight around. It’s the same with the Church. The bully Church is the insecure Church.”
More than 1,000 people have signed the petition opposing Awaken. Here are just a few of the latest comments from Coronado residents who have chosen to speak out:
“There is no place in Coronado for the Awaken group. Their AWAKENING does NOT align with Coronado.”
“Let us stay united against this energy that diminishes and divides.”
“We do not want this homophobic radical cult in our town.”
“Love is Love. Awaken platform not welcome in my born and raised hometown of love and community.”
Please lend your voice today.
Resources:
Conspiracies, Crackpots & Crazies