When we say "never again", what do we mean "never again"?

I spent June 14th through June 19th in Washington D.C. as a part of the Next Generation Leadership Intern program. We went for a Mission and Justice Seminar on Immigration. It was hosted at the United Methodist Building on Capitol Hill. We also had the opportunity to visit Wesley Theological Seminary and the Holocaust Museum. At the end we were able to speak to the offices of Kilgroy and Voinovich on the issue of immigration. What a wonderful learning experience! Originally I was concerned that the group of interns would have a couple of personalities that would clash and make this trip difficult. As it turns out, many lifelong friendships were formed between people that I wouldn’t expect. The trip as a whole was a blessing.
The theme for the week was exemplified in Micah 6:8, Ephesians 4:1-6 and Matthew 23:23. They provided structure to our thoughts surrounding our calling as Christians and the idea of justice within the constructs of religion and theology. One of my thoughts throughout the week was, “If everyone who is able helps one who is unable, what would the world look like?” It is the responsibility of those who have, to help those who have not. The recognition of privilege is an important step towards justice and equality; especially unearned and unwanted privilege. Unfortunately, the recognition of privilege is often a step that is overlooked because the privileged become comfortable with their situation. Until you are compromised it is easy to be complacent. As quoted in the Holocaust Museum, Pastor Martin Neimoeller said, “First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out -- Because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionist, and I did not speak out -- Because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out -- Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me -- and there was no one left to speak for me.” This was a quote that was on the wall at the end of the permanent exhibit at the Holocaust Museum. It’s a perfect example of complacency. Does the fact that we live under, or are a part of, a suppressive system give us the right or privilege to become complacent to the system? I’d say no. But what does that mean for me, for us, for the people, for the nation?

Other memorable quotes and thoughts from the day we spent at the Holocaust Museum include one from Elie Wiesel, “When we say “never again”, what do we mean “never again”?” It makes me wonder how we continue to say that we would never become complacent to genocide and yet there is Darfur, Rwanda, Bosnia, etc. Genocide is not a problem of the past. It’s not a problem of tomorrow. It’s today’s problem. It’s our problem. So, when we say “never again”, what do we mean “never again”?

There was a temporary exhibit on propaganda. How much of today’s Jewish stereotype was influenced by Hitler? One thing I noticed was that the methods that Hitler used to persuade and coerce people to listen and follow him were the basic methods of persuasion studied in communication. Later that evening, during reflection, we discussed how those methods are also used by the church. At what point does the church shift from persuasion to coercion? What makes the church any different than Hitler? It can’t be because we think we’re right…Hitler thought he was right? So, when we say “never again”, what do we mean “never again”?

As we explored the immigration situation here in the U.S., I was reminded that during the Holocaust, when Jews tried to enter this country, we sent many back to Germany, even though we knew that they were refugees. To this day we continue to deport refugees back to the country they fled for numerous unnecessary reasons. Furthermore, once they are deported they can never return. So, when we say “never again”, what do we mean “never again”?

When we say "never again", what do we mean "never again"?

As always…

In Christ,