May 9, 2010

The Origins of Mother's Day

It has been over 140 years since Mother's Day first came into being, yet few people know that it was originally conceived as a day for mothers to protest injustice and war. Over the years the activist observance of this holiday became squelched by its commercialization by flower and card companies who turned it into billion-dollar industry. There has been a recent movement to return Mother's Day to its original meaning.
read more:
The Original Anti-War Mother's Day
Soap to Ploughshares: How to return Mother's Day to its original meaning.
CODEPINK Observes Mother's Day With Protest
Mothers' Day Proclamation: Julia Ward Howe, Boston, 1870
Mother’s Day for Peace: A Dramatic Reading of Julia Ward Howe’s Mother’s Day Proclamation
Mother's Day Proclamation
Original Mother's Day a war protest
Mothers Acting Up





Conscientious Objectors' Day - May 15th

A conscientious objector (CO) is an “individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion.
Many conscientious objectors can find themselves in a very difficult situation, especially in times of war. One of the initial motivations for the formation of a Lutheran peace movement in the US was the need to support those resisting the draft through conscientious objection to military solutions to conflict. Lutheran Peace Fellowship has a long history of supporting conscientious objectors and traces its roots to this movement dating back to 1940.
for more information:
Conscientious objector - From Wikipedia
Youth and the Military
Soldiers of Consciencefilm on moral challenges of military service.Watch clips on Youtube
International Conscientious Objector Day May 15
History of Conscientious Objectors' Day
St. Martin of Tours Feast Day