Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 9
The Kansas mobs tarred and feathered George Cooprider (who offered to take his sick father’s place) and later threatened the Deaners with, “If we come again, you will be hung”; what does this kind of community violence expose about how quickly “patriotism” becomes a rival religion, and what would faithful nonresistance realistically look like if your family’s safety were on the line?
Another way to ask: Kansas mobs attacked George Cooprider and threatened to hang another family. What does this show about how fast “patriotism” can replace faith, and what would real nonresistance look like if your family’s safety was at risk?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
The transcript portrays patriotism acting like a rival religion because it demanded outward proofs (bonds, flags, pledges) and punished “heretics” with violence. It also points toward nonresistance through the lens of suffering for doing good and refusing vengeance, even though it acknowledges intense pressure on families.
- The mob demanded religious-like conformity: they “demanded he purchase liberty bonds,” and later demanded the Deaners “support other war measures.”
- Violence enforced the demands: George was stripped and covered in “warm roofing tar… and applied the feathers.”
- The Deaners were threatened with escalating terror: “If we come again, you will be hung.”
- The community narrative excused the mob: the paper said vigilantes were “orderly” and gave them a chance to “change their beliefs,” treating dissent like a creed.
- The speaker prepares listeners for this kind of test: “What would we do if it happened to us?…Would you compromise?…Can you forgive them?”
- He anchors a Christian posture: “better…to suffer for doing good” (1 Pet. 3:17), and later highlights non-vengeance in the Fronds story.