The Quaker Conundrum
Bear Creek Friends Meeting faces a profound spiritual paradox. While maintaining a historic "Peace Testimony" against war, the community has recognized a "catastrophic moral failure": complicity in the systemic violence of Christian Colonial Capitalist Violence (CCV).
The New Idea (Input)
"The New Conscientious Objector (NewCO)"
A proposal to expand the Peace Testimony from a static refusal of war to an Active Objection against the systems of capitalism and colonialism through LANDBACK, Mutual Aid, and Abolition.
The Architecture of the Crisis
The Discernment Engine
Quakers do not vote. They seek "Unity" with the Spirit. This interactive diagram illustrates the iterative process Bear Creek Meeting uses to wrestle with the radical demands of the NewCO framework.
1. Individual Leading
The "Weight" of Concern
2. Committee Seasoning
Peace & Social Concerns
3. Corporate Discernment
Meeting for Business
4. The Witness
Adoption & Action
1. Individual Leading
InitiationThe Action
An individual Friend (e.g., Jeff Kisling) experiences a spiritual "incommensurability"—a feeling that their current life does not align with the Truth. They draft an "Epistle" or proposal (NewCO) identifying the new threat (CCV).
The Core Query
"Does consistency of faith demand an expansion of our refusal of war to a holistic objection to the entire architecture of systemic violence?"
The Obstacle
The "Inner Critic" and fear of disruption.
Historical Precedent
Seth Laughlin (Civil War): Refusing the act of killing.
The Arc of Conscience
The NewCO is not a break from tradition, but a "Continuing Revelation." This chart tracks the expanding definition of "Violence" recognized by Iowa Conservative Friends over 160 years.
- 1860s: Refusal of the Act (Killing).
- 1948: Refusal of the Institution (Draft Registration).
- 2025: Refusal of the System (Capitalism/Colonialism).
Charity vs. Solidarity
The shift from traditional benevolence to NewCO Mutual Aid requires a fundamental change in structure.
The Old Way (Charity)
Vertical Hierarchy
"Us giving to Them." Maintains the status quo by alleviating symptoms without changing power structures. Often reinforces "White Saviorism."
The NewCO Way (Mutual Aid)
Horizontal Reciprocity
"Solidarity, Not Charity." A shared struggle where everyone has needs and gifts. Makes the hierarchy required for white supremacy impossible.
The Alliance Ecosystem
The "Witness" is not solitary. Bear Creek Meeting implements the NewCO through a specific, interdependent web of relationships. Each entity plays a distinct strategic role.
GPAS
Great Plains Action Society
Role: Strategic Leadership. Indigenous-led. They set the agenda, diagnose CCV, and direct LANDBACK efforts.
DMMA
Des Moines Mutual Aid
Role: Tactical Support. The "Hands." Provides bail funds, food, and survival infrastructure outside the state.
DRN
Decolonial Repair Network
Role: Ally Support. A mechanism for non-Natives to funnel resources (Reparations) to Indigenous leadership.
BCFM
Bear Creek Friends Meeting
Role: Spiritual Container. The local Quaker body testing the "NewCO" as a valid expression of ancient faith.