156 – Resisting genocide

Editorial: Resisting genocide

The bust of Dietrich Bonoeffer on the cover of this issue was carved by the artist and Methodist minister, the Reverend David Moore. A lot of David’s art honours Bonhoeffer, and the images on pages four and 24 show further examples. Bonhoeffer was executed 80 years ago, on the 9th  April 1945, and in recognition of that anniversary Sofia will have two articles on Bonhoeffer by Martin Spence. The first, on Bonhoeffer’s life, is in this issue, and the second, on his theology, is planned for the September issue.

Bonhoeffer was executed for resisting the genocidal Nazi regime, and in this issue we meet people resisting the current slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories of the West Bank. The authors of the books discussed in The Notion that the Polite, Western Liberal Ever Stood for Anything At All (page 18), Munther Isaac and Omar El Akkad, have no doubt that the actions of Israel in Gaza should be called genocide, and Isaac says: “for those who object to the use of this term [genocide], I must question not only their analysis but also their motives”. Both authors not only draw attention to those committing and supporting the atrocities, but are scathing of anyone who watches and does nothing. El Akkad quotes a Palestinian poet Rash Abdulhadi:

Wherever you are, whatever sand you can throw on the gears of genocide, do it now. If it’s a handful, throw it. If its a fingernail, scrape it out and throw. Get in the way however you can.  

What about us, in the Sea of Faith Network? Paul Overend’s Don Cupitt on Political Agency and Social Resistance helps us grapple with a foundation and framework for ethics from a SOF perspective. Alison Webster’s examination of Feminism, Non-realism and Resistance tackles potential difficulties with non-realism that not only apply to feminism, but for any question of social justice. Is non-realist theology at root a quietist endeavour?

Isaac and El Akkad would have no time for quietism, for they are challenging us immediately: what are you doing about it now? This was discussed at the SOF Steering Group meeting in April, and it was agreed that although the Network is not an appropriate entity to take action, as an organisation, nevertheless many individual members of the network have in the past taken action or spoken out in a personal capacity, and continue to do so. For example, last year Caroline Pickard shared her experience of protective presence in Palestine at an In Conversation session and in this issue she has an appreciation of Ilan Pappe’s 2024 book Lobbying for Zionism on both Sides of the Atlantic. If you have been active in the cause of peace and justice in the Middle East we would love to hear from you: please get in touch via editor@sofn.uk

In the immediate aftermath of the horrific Hamas attacks on 7th October 2023, as the terrible scale of Israel’s response became clear, a grass-roots group (which was later to designate itself Communities for Peace and Justice) emerged in Milton Keynes to call for peace. It initially met in a Mosque but although the largest number of members were Muslims, it also included representatives from Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist and nonfaith communities. The group sent an open letter, signed by representatives from all the groups, urging the Milton Keynes MPs to support an immediate ceasefire, as well as calling for the return of all hostages. The group still continues and organises events campaigning for an end to the killings. In this issue we have input from two of the key members of the group: Kurshida Mirza answers the questions for our Religion in my life feature, and Arif Master writes about how the example of the Muslim prophet Hussain inspires the annual “Peace and Humanity Procession” in Milton Keynes.

In this issue we also have important articles continuing the more general theme of resisting: David Lambourn continues his analysis of Mark as a Gospel of Resistance and Edward Nickell presents a fascinating look at an Irish saint in Saint, Goddess and Resistor: Will the Real Brigid Please Stand Up? Sadly we lost a much-loved and long-standing member or the Network, Penny Mawdsley, earlier this year, and John Pearson offers a reflection and appreciation of her life. We also have poetry curated by our poetry editor, letters from readers, Dave Francis’s regular Worldviews Navigator column and brief biographies from a selection of our members.

Finally, remember that we want to hear from you!

• editor@sofn.uk
• poetry@sofn.uk

Cover image: Photographs of David Moore’s art © David Phillips under CC (BY) license

Meet the members

In the March issue of Sofia we introduced the members of the Sea of Faith network Steering Group. In this issue we introduce some more of our valuable network members. But all our members are valuable! So please send your own brief biography to editor@sofn.uk and this will be a regular feature, as long we continue to receive bios.

Marianne Mead was born and raised in Brussels, but did nursing and midwifery training in London. She worked as a midwife in the UK and Belgium, in clinical, teaching and finally research practice. Speaking French gave her opportunities to work for some organisations where French and English were the official languages, which was very interesting to open one’s eyes to different practices. Brought up as a Catholic, she found Catholicism in the UK very different from what she had experienced in Brussels. She looked at Anglicanism for a long time, but never joined another denomination. When the BBC programme Sea of Faith was transmitted, she thought “I’ll have a bit of that”… and joined about 25-30 years ago, attending conferences when she could. It made her realise her major shortcomings, particularly in philosophy and theology, so she listens and reads but do not always understand all the subtleties of some arguments. Work in progress…

John Pearson, a retired University (Poly’) lecturer, has belonged the Network for over thirty years – serving for most of them on the Board of Trustees or previous Steering Committee, acting variously as Secretary, Treasurer and Chair. In 2024 he resigned from the Board in protest at its direction of travel. Brought up in the mainstream Anglican tradition, he gave up belief in a Supernatural god (or gods) or any of the “baggage” in his early 20’s. Most recently he has described himself as “at best a Christian Atheist, at worst a militant Atheist”. Though a disciple of Richard Dawkins he still attends an Anglican church and is a PCC member, but sees himself as a follower of Christ rather than the Established Church. He sees all traditional doctrine as merely metaphor, born of the different times, places and situations of its creators. He is chiefly occupied by his medal collection, allotment and grandchildren.

David Lambourn: approximately 55 years ago was priest in-charge of a daughter church in the diocese of Southwark – with John Robinson as his suffragan bishop. With only a few very minor lapses he has not been a church attender since. He has been a youth worker and trainer of part-time youth workers in London, a researcher in adult and higher education in Manchester, an in-service trainer of secondary school teachers in Birmingham, and latterly an OU tutor. He wrote a PhD thesis on social thought when working at Warwick University. He was SoF membership secretary for 5 years, and founder member of the Birmingham SoF group and he has found a home as a Quaker in East Anglia.

Paul Overend spent most of his thirty years as an Anglican priest working in theological education. While a university chaplain at Cardiff, he was editor of Sea of Faith magazine (issues 52-67). After gaining a doctorate in philosophy (on Levinas’ ethics), he taught philosophy and ethics at Liverpool Hope University before working in the Diocese of Salisbury as Principal of its Local Ordained Ministry scheme, at the ecumenical Southern Theological Education and Training Scheme, and later in the Norwich Diocese as director of lay ministry education, before finally spending a few years as Canon Chancellor of Lincoln with oversight of learning. He left ministry and the church in 2023, and is not currently employed.

David Boulton: Humanist and Quaker, journalist, author and broadcaster. Former editor of SoF Magazine, co-founder of the Nontheist Friends Network. Former head of news, current affairs, arts and religion at Granada TV and editor of World in Action. Former member of the Broadcasting Standards Commission. Books include Jazz in Britain (1958), The Trouble with God (2005) and Who on Earth was Jesus? 2008. Currently writing a history of Dentdale in the Yorkshire Dales where he lives in quiet recollection of all those ‘former’ lives and unfulfilled dreams.

Bobbie Stephens Wright, officially Roberta but known as Bobbie all her life, worked for 20 years with the Post Office (later British Telecom) where she was involved with accounting. Due to ongoing problems with chronic arthritis she was advised by her consultant to seek early retirement on medical grounds. This opened up the opportunity to undertake a degree course and her first choice was religion – after years of confusion, as her father was an atheist and her mother a spiritualist. She also took politics as a subsidiary subject and realised that her real interest was philosophy. She left with a Masters degree in philosophy. She also trained as a public speaker through LAMDA up to gold medal level, and gained a teaching qualification. In religious terms she seemed to fit nowhere until after a chance meeting at Durham university, with a chaplain from Leicester university, she was introduced to the Sea of Faith in 1997.  On hearing Don for the first time she knew that she had found her community and a place to belong. With her husband she enjoys football and they are season ticket holders at Newcastle United.

Letters to the Editor

Email your letter to: editor@sofn.uk, or put in the post to:  2 Holywell Place, Springfield, Milton Keynes, MK6 3LP

Don’t say it’s legitimate resistance

Any statement that may appear to justify brutalities by anyone in Israel/Palestine is likely to increase mistrust and anger. The attacks by Hamas on October 2023 were terrifying crimes of murder, rape and kidnaping. In Resisting the Hegemonic Narrative (Sofia 155, March 2025), it was suggested that the Hamas attacks could be seen as a legitimate act of resistance against the Israeli occupation. I can’t see how any good could come from expressing such a view. I found the rest of the article very interesting.

James Priestman.

We will be exploring issues around resisting with violence in the December issue. Editor

The new statement is better

In response to “debate” between Dave Francis & David Boulton [Reviewing the purpose of the Sea of Faith Network, Sofia 155, March 2025], the old strapline was indeed satisfyingly succinct, but I’ve always had to explain it to friends, saying I wasn’t either a multi-faither like King Charles or an atheist with vaguely “spiritual” tendencies. And sometimes I think we also need to remind ourselves that, though it’s important from an historical viewpoint – and great fun – to explore the scriptures and toss around abstract ideas about religion, it’s overwhelmingly important to ask ourselves how we should conduct ourselves day to day. Cupitt wouldn’t disagree? And I’m acutely aware that future generations will judge us by one thing above all others: what we did about climate change and biodiversity. Anyway, if we hope to have any influence beyond our declining membership I think we’re right to emphasise “For This Life” and to include the wider expression Worldviews. It’s good to see Dave Francis concentrating on a practical proposal for rescuing the RE curriculum.

Digby Hartridge

Having read both points of view I think we should stick with the new Statement. It is inclusive of people who are focused on religion as a human creation concentrating on this life but are not sure that belief in God is wrong. I agree that religion in its many different forms is a product of the human imagination, but at the same time it is human thinking about the nature of reality, and we cannot rule out the possibility that there is something real about the universe that it reflects and responds to. Modern developments in physics are showing us how little we know about the nature of the universe, and who knows what surprises are still to come?

Looking at the profiles of the Steering Group, it seems that at least 5 of them, including yourself, are active in a church. I myself am a regular church attender and occasional preacher, and more appreciative than ever of the value of corporate worship. I think of myself as a Christian agnostic. Being in my late 80s, I do not expect to live much longer, and I cannot imagine a life after my death, but in this mysterious universe nothing can be ruled out.  

Raymond Vincent

Against changing the statement of purpose

I am against changing the statement of purpose. The present one is so direct and meaningful.  In the new version it seems to me that ‘worldviews’ have got to be human so the word is unnecessary, and also that ‘for this life’ implies that we are not much different from other religions. (Just saying as before that ‘we promote religion as a human creation’ doesn’t rule out the idea of another life).  I like to think that we offer a way of thinking which makes us stand out.

Yvonne Burman

The debate is a distraction

I thought I would respond to your invitation to “join the debate”. In my opinion debates of this kind are a distraction best avoided. I think the problem might be obviated by adopting as the aim of the Network: “promoting discussion instigated by the original ‘Sea of Faith’ broadcasts”. I guess that such discussion might include the merits or otherwise of distinguishing worldviews from religions.

Stephen Parsons

I loved your piece about Tom Bulman much more than the two articles about a strap line which you confessed “I find that as I read each of these papers I agree with whichever one is in front of me at the time!” Intellectually you enjoy watching angels dancing on the pin head, but honestly is it worth your time and energy? It certainly doesn’t seem to add to resistance in any of the senses you describe in your introduction?

Maggie Greaves