Peace Farm is a vision for a community dedicated to helping soldiers heal from the military and war. It is made up of people wanting to learn from Jesus and share his peaceful way. Jesus’ peaceful way is to relate in communion, be loving, and practice creative healing power. Jesus’ three fold way is a wonderful vision for humanity and sounds really nice but it got Jesus murdered – by warmakers (Matthew 37:27-31). Thus, Jesus’ peaceful way is much more controversial than we are led to believe.
Jesus’ peaceful way of communion, love, and creative healing power is controversial because 2,000 years ago and still today it is a direct challenge to and replacement of the religion of Militarism. Militarism is the origin of religion’s cult, creed, and code. Militarism is a cult of ranked supremacists who dominate subordinates. It is a creed that justifies inflicting suffering on those it subordinates. It is a code that sanctifies lethal suffering, murder. Militarism is most apparent in the military with its standard operating procedures of ranked supremacy, suffering, and violence. The military’s procedure of dominating commanders training compliant subordinates to obey them is replaced by Jesus’ way of relating from conscience in a communion of equals. The military’s procedure of making subordinate people suffer and justifying it is replaced by Jesus’ way of love shared with vulnerable people, animals, and the earth. The military’s procedure of training soldiers to act violently as if it is a saving solution to conflict is replaced by Jesus’ way of being a creative healing power, a real solution, especially in conflict. Peace Farm exists to help soldiers be free from the religion of Militarism. We can be free from its standard operating procedures of a supremacist cult, an abusive creed, and a violent code that make for war and be free for Jesus’ way that makes for peace.
Peace Farm thus recognizes the military is NOT the solution to any problem. The military is the problem that prevents all solutions. Warmakers, on all sides of conflicts, are trained to believe their domination, inflicted suffering, and violent actions are protective, even good and to perpetuate them; yet each quality is objectively harmful. Peace Farm models a living transformation away from each harmful military quality. We model community living centered on care for vulnerable life – people, animals, plants, and the earth – in which creative healing power is received and given because we are in touch with life-giving nature, activities, and people.
In a world that too often champions warriors and killing, Peace Farm wants to nurture growers and life. We want to help fighters become farmers. We want to help a culture enticed with warmaking embrace peacemaking.