Timothy Snyder's on How to Avoid or Resist Tyranny: His quotes with my thoughts-10

Years ago, yes, I say that a lot, now. But years ago, I took a trip with a girlfriend, actually a friend of the family. I was to travel with her and then fly home while she stayed with another friend. That is a story in itself that I may write about another time. My husband was kind enough to take care of our children, five at home. 

When I returned, we took a trip to Mexico to visit an orphanage where my husband’s brother worked. While there my brother-in-law told us that he had been told that I had ran off with another man. A very big lie! I finally traced that lie to a sister in-law- who had called the day before I left. I told her I was taking a trip with a friend and would be gone for slightly over a week. Sometimes when you are trying to live for Christ those who are not will jump at the chance to make your life colorful in a bad way. Thankfully that lie did not go far. 

 Timothy Snyder in his introduction to chapter 10 of On Tyranny, writes about holding on to truth. He writes: 

Believe in Truth: “To abandon facts is to abandon freedom. If nothing is true , then no one can criticize power, because there is no basis upon which to do so. If nothing is true, then all is spectacle. The biggest wallet pays for the most blinding lights.” 

 Snyder goes on to give four descriptions of the death of truth in four modes. He writes that he is using the observers of totalitarians, naming one observer, Victor Klemperer. (P.66) The first is “open hostility to verifiable reality.” Yes he does use Trump and his many lies here. The second is “shamanistic incantation.” And Snyder refers to Klemperer’s note that “the fascist style depends on ‘endless repetition.’ Snyder gives as one example the constant reference to the “Big Lie” about the stealing of the election as well as the constant reference to various people giving them degrading names. And repeating those names over and over. He writes “The Big Lie created its own world, where anyone who pointed to simple truths was the enemy.”

 The third mode is, “magical thinking, or the open embrace of contradiction.” Snyder gives several examples. One is, “Liberating the wealthy from taxes will not increase the national debt.” The fourth mode is, “misplaced faith.” That is placing faith in a person who insists they are worthy of that faith. Snyder gives several examples here, but I am thinking of the video Trump placed on Truth Social yesterday where he was implying that he would save Gaza and had multiple images of himself including a huge gold statue that reminds one of the huge statue that Nebuchadnezzar placed on the plain of Dura insisting that all should worship it. 

For a Christian misplaced faith is idolatry because there is only One to place faith in and He, Jesus, is ultimate Truth. But every time we accept untruth, even small lies, we are growing toward that idolatry—we are becoming creatures who are walking in a foggy unreality, losing our foothold. 

 C.S. Lewis wrote of those who were becoming splendors like gods and goddesses or becoming like monsters of nightmares. Truth or untruths under girds such transformations. Tonight, these weeks, a nation, Ukraine is being hurt by the lies told about them and their leader. The monsters have told the lies and others are agreeing because of the fears that lying can cause.

 Rise in splendor Church, stand in truth. 

 

Timothy Snyder's on How to Avoid or Resist Tyranny: His quotes with my thoughts-9

The first time I heard the phrase “the deep state” was from a friend I had worked with in writing ministry, someone I respected and cared about. When I asked her what she was talking about, and this was all on Facebook, her answer was to me gibberish. I did not understand. I still don’t really. Bureaucrats seeking to destroy America! Democrats who are demonic! No, a better word or words might be mythical creatures created by others with dark imaginations. Or, perhaps, paranoid yet dead imaginations. 

 The real term could be Democrats whose principles I don’t agree with. 

And then there is the term “globalist.” Which, according to some means someone who wants The United States to be absorbed into a one world government. But a globalist might simply mean someone who wants peace among nations with all working toward the good of the nations and peoples. 

I have told my story before about a ministry that turned toward dark terms partly because of a book the leader wrote, When The World Will be as One. That was someone who had a very definite definition of globalism. It included as he put it, the Jews (money changers) Jesus chased out of the temple who supposedly went out into the world and became the international bankers.

 And then we could think about the “enemy within.” Now that could mean extremist groups in the United States, like The Proud Boys or it could mean American citizens who disagree with political leaders. One is something to worry about, the other is not an enemy but friends of so many who care about democracy. 

 This leads to Timothy Snyder’s book On Tyranny. His 9th chapter begins with this: 

Be Kind To Our Language:

 “Avoid pronouncing the phrases everyone else does. Think up your own way of speaking, even if only to convey that thing you think everyone is saying. Make an effort to separate yourself from the internet. Read books.” 

Okay, I need to take a lot of that advice—I spend too much time on the internet. And I could read a lot more. 

Snyder lists some books that would be helpful, writing, “Any good novel enlivens our ability to think about ambiguous situations and judge the intentions of others.” Snyder goes on to list some good books to read, And some of my grandchildren will be pleased to hear one is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. 

 Another helpful suggestion is made to Christians. They, “might return to the foundational book, which as ever is very timely. Jesus preached that it ‘is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God. We should be modest, for ‘whoever shall exalt himself shall be abased and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.” 

 Further: “And of course we must be concerned with what is true and what is false: ‘And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free,’”

 Now of course Jesus does go on to state that God can make it possible for the rich man to enter the Kingdom and that would be a change of heart, the regeneration of a lost soul. One who becomes willing to give up all for the Lord. And truth should be capitalized since Jesus is the Truth who gives new life and makes us free, free to live a redeemed life. Free to care for the poor, the needy, the prisoner, the immigrants

.

Timothy Snyder's on How to Avoid or Resist Tyranny: His quotes with my thoughts-8

This is the 8th lesson from Timothy Snyder’s book On Tyranny and the 8th quote I am using.

 “Stand Out” 

“Someone has to. It is easy to follow along. It can feel strange to do or say something different. But without this unease, there is no freedom. Remember Rosa Parks. The moment you set an example. The spell of the status quo is broken, and others will follow.” 

This is a section where Snyder lays out steps that brought the whole world into World War II. He does this to show how Churchill was at one time the only leader standing against Hitler. The United States had not entered the war, yet—but eventually Hitler found himself fighting not only Britian, but having turned on his ally Russia, found himself fighting on two fronts. If Churchill had not continued the fight alone, with France, Norway, Poland, and other nations invaded we would surely, still, be aligned with Nazis1.  or be their subjects. 

Trump is not a Nazi, but perhaps a fascist since he is attracted to authoritarian rulers such as Putin. In the midst of this it is good to see many friends caring for the well being of others. Standing for truth in the midst of lies. Praying for rulers and the ruled. Seeking the peace, grace and help of the true Ruler.

 Toward the end of a news video I posted several days ago there was the story of some immigrants who had been deported to Panama. They were not from Panamá but were sent there as a holding place and were locked in a hotel. Most were returning to their own country but some could not go so were being sent to a camp close to a jungle. One was a woman from Iran who had become a Christian so if she went back to Iran she faced the possibility of death. Pray for her.2.

[1] There were Americans who wanted to align with Nazi Germans, Americans First is not new.

[1] Migrants including Indians deported from the US moved from Panama hotels to Darien jungle This is not the same video I placed on Facebook but now I can’t fined that one. 

 

Timothy Snyder's on How to Avoid or Resist Tyranny: His quotes with my thoughts-7

I have waited awhile to put up my next quote from Timothy Snyder's book, On Tyranny. It is a very serious quote and I wasn't sure how to approach it. After several events today I believe we all need to be very serious about what is happening in our country. There is much to be ashamed of. 

 The posting below from the Whitehouse X site is one thing to be ashamed of. It is immigrants being chained before they are loaded on their deportation plane. There is the suggestion that those chaining them are experiencing euphoria. Besides that, is the fact that today the president said that Ukraine had started the war that Russia actually started. And this after not inviting Ukraine to the supposed peace talks. Our nation is descending deeper and deeper into darkness. 

 Snyder's quote is: "Be Reflective if you must be armed: If you carry a weapon in public service, may God bless you and keep you. But know that evils of the past involved policemen and soldiers finding themselves, one day, doing irregular things. Be ready to say no." 

Snyder writes about how so much of the harm and killing among both Nazi and Soviet authorities was done by regular policemen who never expected to be where they were and did not know how to say no.

 There were so many in Nazi Germany who were ashamed at what was happening to others, what was happening to the Jews, the Roma, the Poles, the Jehovah Witnesses, the LGBT communities, the disabled, the Confessing pastors. 

There were members of the white Rose a group of young people who wrote about all of the terrible actions of the Nazis. They were mostly Catholic and Lutheran. They were caught and most beheaded. 

 And there was the Confessing Church which included Bonhoeffer. In his Ethics he in his feelings of shame wrote a confession of sin for the church as a whole. It is long but I will try to put some of it here.

 "With this confession the entire guilt of the world falls upon the church, upon the Christians, and since the guilt is not denied here, but is confessed, there arises the possibility of forgiveness. ...

 I am guilty of cowardly silence at a time when I ought to have spoken. I am guilty of hypocrisy and untruthfulness in the face of force. I have been lacking in compassion, and I have denied the poorest of my brethren. I am guilty of disloyalty and of apostasy from Christ. ...

The Church confesses that she has not proclaimed often and clearly enough her message of the one God who has revealed Himself for all times in Jesus Christ and who suffers no other gods besides Himself. She confesses, her timidity, her evasiveness, her dangerous concessions. She has been often untrue to her office of guardianship and to her office of comfort. And through this she has often denied to the outcast and to the despised the compassion which she owes them."

 

Timothy Snyder's on How to Avoid or Resist Tyranny: His quotes with my thoughts-6

Uniforms are interesting signs of authority, peacefulness, goodwill and bravery, but also evil. When I think of uniforms outside the police or the armed forces, I think of those who call themselves Christians and wear uniforms. And I think of good and evil. 

 The good I think of is the Salvation Army--giving food, clothing, comfort and the Gospel. The evil I think of is Sacramento's onetime cult. They no longer exist in Sacramento but at one time they had a commune on X street. After changing their name from Free Love Ministries to Aggressive Christianity they decided to get uniforms. 

A young woman, a member of the cult, was brought to my office to talk with me because she wanted to leave the group. She had committed some sin, not making it to their prayer meeting I believe, and they wouldn't let her have a uniform. She did, thankfully, leave as did a woman who was pushed out of her marriage, declared spiritually dead by them. and used as a slave. 

 The cult eventually left Sacramento and ended up, I think, in New Mexico. Just a few years ago I heard on the news that the leaders, Jim and Lilla Green had been arrested for allowing sexual abuse in their commune. And this brings me to Timothy Snyder's 6th way to avoid or resist tyranny. 

"When the men with guns who have always claimed to be against the system start wearing uniforms and marching with torches and pictures of a leader, the end is nigh. When the pro-leader paramilitary and the official police and military intermingle, the end has come." This of course is not something that one can do, but what one must know.

 I could not believe what I was seeing on TV when the many men, in Charlotteville, marched with torches shouting racists slogans, nor the many who attacked the United States Capital beating the policemen and degrading its many offices. 

 Among those who participated at the Capital were uniformed paramilitary groups. The end was nigh. But the day is still free. They have been pardoned by the President but the day is still free. Speaking secularly, we are free. Free to vote, free to write, free to complain or not. But, there are still unknowns, I will not enumerate, except can we write tomorrow? Can we complain? 

I think some of the later chapters have better answers, Stand Out, Be Kind to Our Language, Believe in Truth. Thats coming. But finally, tomorrow is unknown except- as Charles Williams kept writing in his book, The Place of the Lion, after all was disappearing still there was the sheep: 

 .. but the Virtue understood, in its soaring comprehension, the safety in which the sheep still lived, or from what yet deeper distance of spirit was to arise the Innocence which everlastingly formed and maintained them."

 

Timothy Snyder's on How to Avoid or Resist Tyranny: His quotes with my thoughts-5

I've had several aunts who played with my sisters and I when we were children. One aunt, a Missouri aunt. played dress up with us. And we went gooseberry picking with her and then enjoyed her pie. Another woman who I think of as an aunt although she was a second cousin. Mary always brought paper dolls when she came. They were already cut out and saved in boxes. She always took them home with her but we played with them while she visited. I don't know who told me,

 I don't remember, but it was probably my mother who was angry at several great aunts for giving me and my sisters a haircut and perm while my mother was in the hospital. That was in California. In Stockton California. That is where three great aunts and my second cousin Mary lived. 

 The story was that because there was a mentally disabled person in the family when Mary was in the hospital for something serious, the great aunts, without permission, had her sterilized so she could not have children. I wondered for many years how that could be? and then I read a book. 

The author of Preaching Eugenics: Religious Leaders and the American Eugenics Movement, writes about the Eugenic movement in America. Somewhere in the book she noted that Stockton California was one of the larger centers where eugenics was promoted. And then I knew how it was that at the words of several great aunts a woman who loved children lost her ability to birth them. A woman who loved playing with children was denied having her own at the words of a relative. But what if there had been a doctor who said no! Absolutely not! 

 Few people know that Hitler used the American Eugenics movement as his standard for life. For him only white Aryans were worthy of life. But what if the doctors had said no! What if the lawyers had said unlawful! What if the Judges had said unlawful. This is Timothy Snyder's fifth point in his book On Tyranny:

 "Remember Professional Ethics; When political leaders set a negative example, professional commitments to just practice become more important. It is hard to subvert a rule-of-law state without lawyers., or to hold show trials without judges. Authoritarians need obedient civil servants, and concentration camp directors seek businessmen interested in cheap labor." 

 Snyder ends this chapter with this: Professional ethics must guide us precisely when we are told that the situation is exceptional. Then there is no such thing as "just following the rules." If members of the professions confuse their specific ethics with the emotions of the moment, however, they can find themselves saying and doing things they might previously have thought unimaginable." 

 Notice that so much of these thoughts cover both the right and left- look at yourself, and yes, I at myself. The log is in all of our eyes.

 

Timothy Snyder's on How to Avoid or Resist Tyranny: His quotes with my thoughts-4

There are beautiful signs or symbols and ugly ones. The symbols of Christianity are many. in the medieval ages often the unicorn was a symbol of Jesus. Charles Williams in his book The Place of the Lion gives the reader a beautiful picture of communion in a small Methodist chapel. As each person takes the cup a unicorn swings his one horn toward then with sparkling light shining on them. 

Of course, the cross is both symbol and reality and the Church lives under its keeping. Each believer must embrace the cross and live as their Savior lived which includes dying and living.

 But there is an ugly image and use of the cross- it has been called the crooked cross and it is--the swastika. Synder in his book On Tyranny speaks of this in the fourth chapter, "Take Responsibility for the Face of the World. He writes: 

"The symbols of today enable the reality of tomorrow. Notice the swastikas and the other signs of hate. Do not look away, do not get used to them. Remove them yourself and set an example for others to do so." 

 There are also words that are symbolic if you know the history of them and while you cannot take the words away you can renounce them. Snyder writes of how in the early Soviet times Stalin referred to the prosperous farmers as pigs. This became the Marxist propaganda since it made it easier to remove them from their land if they were thought of as pigs. This is the same as calling the legal immigrant Haitians pet eaters in order to make a false point about immigrants. 

There is a beautiful cross that leads away from the ugliness because hate, and death died there, and life became a gift through the resurrected life of Jesus. So go tear down some swastikas whether they are written or spoken.

  

Timothy Snyder's on How to Avoid or Resist Tyranny: His quotes with my thoughts-3

Timothy Snyder's third leading statement in his book On Tyranny has to do with the importance of democratic nations having two or more parties. A tyrant will usually work to destroy opposition parties allowing themselves full control. Sometimes, often; such a leader will have help. 

 Here is a statement, supposedly God's words through her, by the false prophet Julie Green. I have written about her before, several times on my blog. She is part of MAGA and often enjoys the same platform with other MAGA members such as Eric Trump Jr., Laura Trump, and Michael Flynn. Three days ago, these were her words. 

 "An exit out of your capital will take place. My children you will see many leave on their own and some will be removed in handcuffs and prisons will be filled with the ones who use to rule this nation. ... when treason is committed, they will be punished, and justice will always be served says the Lord."

 Too many have worked to discredit the Democrats and others--they are supposedly vile, evil criminals attempting to take over the world. Yes, their views on abortion are terribly wrong--but they are not working as minions, in conspiracy, with evil rulers to destroy everyone and take over the world. 

 Here is Snyder's quote: "Beware the one- party state. The parties that remade states and suppressed rivals were not omnipotent from the start. They exploited a historic moment to make political life impossible for their opponents. So support the multi-party system and defend the rules of democratic elections. Vote in local and state elections while you can. [and this one is funny for someone in their eighties but it's for others anyway.] Consider running for office."