Reverend Bishop Replies

In my previous Blogs I included a letter I wrote to a Reverend Bishop who spoke on Radio 4 about Nelson Mandela. I was quite surprise to get a reply below is the letter and my reply

From: HARRIESR@parliament.uk

To: clarkessportsstudio@hotmail.com

Subject: Nelson Mandela

Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2013 16:20:44 +0000

Dear Mr Clarke,

Thank you for your e-mail. If you are a pacifist, then I respect your point of view. If not, and you support the right of a nation to defend itself, you cannot logically condemn the use of force by an oppressed people to defend themselves if there is not peaceful way of changing their situation.

Mandela was not a terrorist in the modern sense. His policy was one of sabotage on key state installations. The case for a Just Revolution in relation to the liberation movements of the time is set out in my little book, “Should a Christian support guerrillas?” Published by Lutterworth in 1981.

Good wishes

Richard

Dear Reverend Bishop Harries

Thank you for replying

I am not a pacifist and I would agree Mandela was extremely good Terrorist and then a clever politician

Was the use of violence affective I doubt it, it was sanctions that ultimately broke Apartheid. I will read your book but wonder if you wrote it today would you come up with the same conclusions?

All that apart what I object to is that that Nelson Mandela is being revered as some sort of Saint one BBC journalist compared him to Jesus this I feel abhorrent. here was a man who beat his first wife, was serial adulterer, admitted in court for being responsible for over 100 bombings where people were killed never apologised for for his violent actions and never asked for the forgiveness for deaths of the innocent committed by him and the ANC. You may excuse him by saying he attacked State Installations that may be true but the truth was there were ordinary innocent South Africans who were killed and it is hard to see a Bus Station as legitimate target. Now there may be some argument about attacking soldiers, Judges, politicians etc those who are responsible for the state but the innocent children at that or do you think they are collateral damage?

Mandela was an extremely intelligent man as I mentioned and a great Politician yet his policies failed South Africa, a country with the highest murder rate in the World, he exchanged a corrupt white government for a black on, the poor people in the townships are poorer and still live in shanty towns.

No Bishop I believe in God and the teachings of Jesus and Mandela was not a good man he was a very clever sinner. A man who does not admit to his sins and seek forgiveness can not be forgiven here or in the here after

I believe you are misguided but will still wish you and your family a Merry Christmas

Martin Clarke