Church of God News

Occupy protests go from peace to “chaos”

CBS News – ‎3 November 2011

OAKLAND, Calif. – A day of demonstrations in Oakland that began as a significant step toward expanding the political and economic influence of the Occupy Wall Street movement, ended with police in riot gear arresting dozens of protesters who had marched through downtown to break into a vacant building, shattering windows, spraying graffiti and setting fires along the way.

Peaceful Occupy protests degenerate into chaosWall Street Journal

November 3, 2011

A peaceful protest that shut down the Port of Oakland to show the broadening reach of the Occupy Wall Street movement ended in violence when police in riot gear arrested dozens of protesters overnight who broke into a vacant building, shattered downtown windows, sprayed graffiti and set blazes along the way.At least four protesters were hospitalized Thursday with various injuries, including one needing stitches after fighting with an officer, police said. Several officers were also injured but didn’t need hospitalization.

“We go from having a peaceful movement to now just chaos,” protester Monique Agnew, 40, said early Thursday.

Also notice from the UK:

Occupy and the militarisation of policing protest

‎The Guardian (blog) – 3 November 2011…

Protesters are indeed correct to view the law enforcement they encounter at Occupy with a critical eye. The USA Patriot Act, which had its 10-year anniversary last week, gave the US government virtually unchecked powers to spy and track the activity of ordinary Americans without probable cause right after the 9/11 attacks. For that reason, it should come as no surprise that law enforcement agencies – thus empowered – have shown up at various Occupy protests armed with cameras, most certainly, to keep surveillance on protesters who are merely exercising their first amendment rights.

Reports of targeted arrests of informal “leaders” at Wall Street, Chicago and Boston indicate surveillance measures are operating. In Boston and Chicago, reports of extended and humiliating detentions of targeted occupy “leaders”, typically from Direct Action, media, legal and medics groups, are disturbing.

Now, let me clearly state that I do not consider that the Occupy movement is a terrorist movement (though some terrorists may try to exploit it)–and that it is true that some of the police in the USA seem to have a different view.

It seems that the main motivations for those involved in the Occupy protests are a combination of covetousness, political objectives, economic uncertainty, and class warfare.  Sadly, many of the protesters apparently believe that they are entitled to assets that other people have accumulated.  US President Barack Obama, in my view, has repeatedly encouraged class warfare through his rhetoric and so the “Occupy” movement is no surprise (I believe that if he is re-elected, that there is a good chance that Barack Obama will see protests turning increasingly violent in the future–much more so that we have already seen).

Of course there is economic uncertainty for many in the USA and other lands.  I am, though, certain that ultimately the US dollar will crash and be less than worthless as that is consistent with various biblical prophecies.  I personally believe that, in the USA, factors such as legalizing abortion, redefining marriage, the increasing acceptance of immodestly dressed females, pornography, violent sports, covetousness, and other sins are the root cause of its economic problems (cf. Deuteronomy 28:15-20).  National repentance, which likely will not happen, is the only hope–and since that seems nearly impossible, personal repentance is the only solution.

In my view, while there are appropriate biblical provisions for debt relief (Deuteronomy 15:1-2), gleaning (Leviticus 19:10), helping the poor (1 Timothy 5:3-7; Deuteronomy 26:12-15, see also Is Third Tithe Still Valid Today?), and certain land distribution issues (Leviticus 25:8-17), what many of the protesters seem to want is unbiblical (cf Acts 5:4; Exodus 20:17). Russia and China had revolutions for this type of thing when they became Communist. And the result was not increased wealth, assets, or freedom for their average citizen. It is only since those nations loosened up government control and encouraged private businesses that their citizens began to have their lives improved economically.

Some people have hinted that the Occupy movement may give government officials a sufficient excuse (crisis exploitation) to go more towards a “police state” in order to stop chaos.  We will see.  Yet, whether they do or not, it is likely that terrorists in the future may very well exploit the Occupy movement and/or other forms of civil unrest/protest in the USA and other Anglo-dominated lands.

Yet, as far as meeting the economic desires of the protesters, the reality is that producing more goods and services, from a carnal perspective, is economically what the USA needs. Protests generally speaking, do not do that. Covetousness, which is a lot of what I have heard related to the “Occupy” movement is not love, nor appropriate for real Christians:

5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. (Hebrews 13:5)

The Occupy movement and some of the related police actions bring the following to mind:

1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. (2 Timothy 3:1-8)