2008 Woodie Awards
Death of a Soldier
A man with the courage of his convictions.
Brian Dean
Issue date: 3/22/06 Section: Opinion
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Standing firm for strongly held beliefs requires tremendous courage, especially when the consequences could be death. Tom Fox knew this, yet chose to summon the bravery within him and spread the message of non-violence as a member of Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT).
In a time of radical Muslims and false Christians, it's a great relief to know there also exists a group of people dedicated wholeheartedly to peace and non-violence without equivocation.
While serving in Iraq, Fox, a 54-year-old grocer and practicing Quaker from Clearbrook, Virginia, was kidnapped; his body was found on March 9. CPT released a statement mourning the loss, including a quote from Fox himself: "We reject violence to punish anyone. We ask that there be no retaliation on relatives or property. We forgive those who consider us their enemies."
This bold stance reaffirms a statement of conviction signed by several other members of the CPT Iraq team.
CPT's slogan reads: "Committed to reducing violence by getting in the way," and poses the question "What would happen if Christians devoted the same discipline and self-sacrifice to non-violent peacemaking that armies devote to war?"
Fox embodied that commitment and self-sacrifice. His blog chronicled not only his experiences in Iraq, but also his state of mind in that environment. His writings showed how he relied on the teachings of Gandhi and Jesus, using their examples for reassurance.
Gandhi spoke of knowing God as a means of rendering oneself incapable of harboring anger or fear, no matter how overwhelming the cause. Jesus preached the ideal of loving one's enemy, praying for them, and turning the other cheek.
While it wasn't easy for Fox to confront the fear in his heart, his devotion to his faith drove him to stand firm against evil, and enabled him to resist fighting or fleeing.
And in a scathing indictment of U.S. policy, Fox repeated the line "Do not do what you hate," taken from the Gospel of Thomas, an Apocryphal book about the early life of Jesus.
In a time of radical Muslims and false Christians, it's a great relief to know there also exists a group of people dedicated wholeheartedly to peace and non-violence without equivocation.
While serving in Iraq, Fox, a 54-year-old grocer and practicing Quaker from Clearbrook, Virginia, was kidnapped; his body was found on March 9. CPT released a statement mourning the loss, including a quote from Fox himself: "We reject violence to punish anyone. We ask that there be no retaliation on relatives or property. We forgive those who consider us their enemies."
This bold stance reaffirms a statement of conviction signed by several other members of the CPT Iraq team.
CPT's slogan reads: "Committed to reducing violence by getting in the way," and poses the question "What would happen if Christians devoted the same discipline and self-sacrifice to non-violent peacemaking that armies devote to war?"
Fox embodied that commitment and self-sacrifice. His blog chronicled not only his experiences in Iraq, but also his state of mind in that environment. His writings showed how he relied on the teachings of Gandhi and Jesus, using their examples for reassurance.
Gandhi spoke of knowing God as a means of rendering oneself incapable of harboring anger or fear, no matter how overwhelming the cause. Jesus preached the ideal of loving one's enemy, praying for them, and turning the other cheek.
While it wasn't easy for Fox to confront the fear in his heart, his devotion to his faith drove him to stand firm against evil, and enabled him to resist fighting or fleeing.
And in a scathing indictment of U.S. policy, Fox repeated the line "Do not do what you hate," taken from the Gospel of Thomas, an Apocryphal book about the early life of Jesus.
