Two Epistles
An epistle (/ɪˈpɪsəl/; from Ancient Greek ἐπιστολή (epistolḗ) ‘letter’) is a writing directed or sent to a person or group of people, usually an elegant and formal didactic letter.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistle
As a Quaker, I wrestled with the decision to resist the draft during the height of the Vietnam War in 1969. I doubt I could have made that choice without witnessing the example of a number of fellow Quakers who had previously refused military conscription—and accepted imprisonment for standing by their convictions.
Another influence in making that decision was the powerful epistle (letter), An Epistle to Friends Concerning Military Conscription (see below), which was signed by several Quakers I knew.
My struggle wasn’t about my decision, because it was clear to me that accepting conscientious objector (CO) status was simply empowering the Selective Service System by silencing dissent against it. My struggle was trying to convince my family why I was led to resist, instead of taking the safe way out as a CO.
Those of us who are joining in this epistle believe that cooperating with the draft, even as a recognized conscientious objector, makes one part of the power which forces our brothers into the military and into war. If we Friends believe that we are special beings and alone deserve to be exempted from war, we find that doing civilian service with conscription or keeping deferments as we pursue our professional careers are acceptable courses of action. But if we Friends really believe that war is wrong, that no man should become the executioner or victim of his brothers, then we will find it impossible to collaborate with the Selective Service System. We will risk being put in prison before we help turn men into murderers.
It matters little what men say they believe when their actions are inconsistent with their words. Thus we Friends may say that all war is wrong, but as long as Friends continue to collaborate in a system that forces men into war, our Peace Testimony will fail to speak to mankind.
Christian colonial capitalist violence
I’ve been learning from my friend Sikowis Nobiss that the injustices we confront today are deeply interconnected. Religious ideology was used to justify colonial conquest, which then opened the door for capitalist exploitation. This insight made me realize that resistance, too, must be interconnected, challenging Christian colonial capitalist violence together as a unified system.
Holistic Resistance
An Epistle to Friends Regarding Community, Mutual Aid and LANDBACK
Over the past twenty years, I have been engaged in LANDBACK efforts, Mutual Aid initiatives, and advocacy for abolishing police and prisons. Recognizing that Christian colonial capitalist violence forms an interlocking system, I realized that resistance must be equally comprehensive—addressing all components at once. This revealed to me that what I once considered distinct ideas were actually deeply interconnected, a realization that proved transformative.
While trying to convey these insights to Quakers, I recalled the Epistle to Friends Concerning Military Conscription described above. My October 2023 blog post reflected on a new Epistle I’d written, An Epistle to Friends Regarding Community, Mutual Aid, and LANDBACK. In this piece, I deliberately placed a quote from Sikowis Nobiss beside my own statement, giving each equal importance and framing them as two facets of a shared truth.
“To protect all living beings and sacred sites is a feminine act and in complete defiance to Christopher Columbus’ worldview, which is the narrative that we counter every time we celebrate Indigenous People’s Day instead of Columbus Day.” — Sikowis Nobiss
I followed with: “It has become clear to some of us who are called Friends that the colonial capitalist economic system and white supremacy are contrary to the Spirit and we must find a better way.” This intentional juxtaposition forms a radical partnership, aligning Indigenous matriarchal perspectives with Quaker spiritual commitment in confronting a common system of oppression.
Syncretic political theology
At the time, I was unfamiliar with the term, but this effort amounted to an act of syncretic political theology: adapting a traditional Quaker format to carry Indigenous-led ideas into my faith community.
Conscientious Objection
