...or at least an ardent supporter of the Sandinistas. July 19 was the 27th anniversary of the Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua. Looking back, I can see how the Sandinista movement and the large number of revolutionary Christians in it changed the course of my life, turning me from fundamentalist Christianity to a more holistic, social justice-oriented faith.But over the years I became disillusioned with them, starting when I made a trip to Nicaragua in 1985 and learned that living in a revolutionary state perhaps wasn't all it was cracked up to be.
Still, I remember how in the early 80s how the Sandinista revolution was really a sign of hope that poor people could free themselves from bondage and oppression and work together to build a new society. Who knows how it all might have turned out if it hadn't happened during the hottest years of the Cold War, when Reagan and the Soviets all had their hands in what happened in Central America.
Just today I am surprised to read in Wikipedia that it was the KGB that originally started the FSLN (Sandinista National Liberation Front). Is this true? Of course, that is what the Republicans claimed throughout the 80s, but is it now confirmed? Does it make a difference to all of those who died for the liberation of Nicaragua? Did any of it make a difference?
(By the way, I believe the answer to this last question is "yes," but sometimes I have to wonder.)
Aaron ... just remember that Wikipedia is only as good as its sources ...
ReplyDeleteJust cause they say - don't make it so ... I'd do some more sleuthing before I took the KGB link at face value. There has been online conversations about the entries in Wikipedia and the way in which they are often one sided, or even high-jacked.
It may be true - but then again it might be a lingering reagan-era propaganda story that just won't go away ... further sleuthing would be in order ...
peace my friend, and it's good to have you in the social justice sphere ... Reagan turned me from a fundamentalist to a social justice fan too !!! Maybe we got him all wrong - maybe we was a positive influence in the world (afterall that's a physic basic isn't it?? - for every action there is an equal and OPPOSITE reaction ...)
peace,