Belligerent Christian protesters fail to rattle Buddhist monks on their Walk for Peace

image: tommaso lizzul/Shutterstock

A group of Buddhist monks are currently participating in a 2,300 mile “Walk for Peace“ as they make their way on foot from Fort Worth, Texas to Washington, D.C. While the crowds who have come out to see them along their journey have been overwhelmingly positive and supportive, unfortunately, the monks have also encountered a handful of not-so-friendly locals. In the past week, as they walked through parts of Walton County in northeast Georgia, a group of Christian protesters showed up in Good Hope, Georgia to voice their opposition to the peace-loving monks. Flagpole Magazine explains:

​The Buddhists left Good Hope this morning, where they had been met by Christian protesters, according to Classic City News. The monks then stopped for lunch in Bishop and planned to spend the night in Arnoldsville, according to their Facebook page.

On their Facebook page, Classic City News stated that “not everyone who showed up in Good Hope came to welcome the monks as they stopped to rest on their Walk For Peace,” and shared a photo of some of the protesters, who held up signs that read, “JESUS SAVES,” “Be humble and let Jesus set you free,” “JESUS IS THE ANSWER” (in MAGA font), and the classic: “WARNING: Drunkards, thieves, homosexuals, lairs, fornicators, atheists, potty mouths, drug users, Muslims, false religions, racists, transgenders, baby killers, sin approvers, all unrepentant sinners — Hell Awaits, Judgement is Coming, DON’T GO TO HELL!!”

Ah yes, because, as one of the comments on the photos states, “There’s no hate quite like Christian Nationalist love.”

It’s almost like the protesters completely missed the whole point of the Walk for Peace, which, as reported by the Asheville Citizen Times, is to “raise awareness for peace, loving kindness, and compassion across America and the world.” And according to many folks who were at the Good Hope event and witnessed the protest, it wasn’t just hateful signs that the monks and the supporters had to deal with. Many commented on the Classic City News post with their eyewitness accounts, stating that the protesters yelled, made noise, and were generally the very opposite of peaceful or respectful. Here are some of the eyewitness accounts:

I was there. These people are not godly people. The people that were screaming and yelling were hateful people. They needed to listen to the message of the monks. The people who claim that they are of Jesus and righteous are not christians. They are snakes. Jesus was a peaceful man and he absolutely would not have done this.

When the Monks would ask everyone to focus on breathing in silence, the guys on the hill would start screaming “You’re going to hell” & “Save yourself from the flames”

The Walton County PD did a great job keeping them quiet. And, I can assure you, the crowd that gathered to see the monks were not happy they were there, which speaks volumes because Good Hope (GA) is a small town and known to be very conservative.

THANK YOU i was there today there were so many Nasty people standing on the bank screaming mean and hateful things out at them–i meet 1 and got a pic with him.

I saw this first hand in Monroe, where they used a PA that was louder than the monks. They have 364 days a year for their message, and no one was there to see them. Absolutely disgraceful, Jesus would be embarrassed.

There was two of them hollering and being loud in Monroe too. It’s disgusting really. The Monks aren’t trying to change who you believe in, they’re literally only walking for peace. People are making it more complicated when it is just simply about Peace and nothing else.

I was there and I have video of those said “Christians” they were yelling and laughing when we were asked to be silent. It was so disrespectful and disappointing!

i was there those stupid people were on the bank one man with a mega phone others were just screaming the police wouldnt allow them down in the parking lot where the monks were.

These guys were idiots. I videoed one of them just trying to start trouble with a lady. There was nothing peaceful about them. They were just trying to cause a scene. There was nothing Christian about them.

I was there this evening. Not a great look for Christianity. They were loud, disruptive, even trying to pray the Lord’s Prayer over the Monk’s blessing and chants. Extremely disrespectful to people trying to bring awareness to peace. The monks are not doing this to convert anybody to anything. If you are ignorant to what their beliefs are, just educate yourself.

During the speech, they tried to get even more belligerent, and the monk said “we all bleed the same color, we all cry tears that taste salty. When you come from love regardless of differences, that ripples into a world that is unbalanced. It starts within you.” So with that I ask you: Who better represented Jesus tonight?

Thankfully, in a clear demonstration of the very peace they are encouraging with their journey, the monks just kept walking and paid no attention to the protesters. One attendee stated: “The Monks didn’t engage AT ALL (better people than me that’s for sure) and delivered a beautiful message of peace and unity. Nothing religious what so ever. Just kindness! So lucky I got to be there!” Another person shared: “The monks had the perfect response at lunchtime today. No reaction. We have a lot to learn from them.” Someone else wrote:

They [the protesters] absolutely were not acting like Jesus and it was a shame they used their time on expending so much hate when there was way more love there then hate last night. Love and Peace wins! They had nothing but bad vibes and the Monks fought it with good vibes and peace. It was a good show of letting your inner peace not be disturbed.

Fortunately, most of the folks in the comments of the Classic City News post condemned the protesters, and shared only love and support for the Buddhist monks and their Walk for Peace. One person reported, “Don’t worry guys, even though they were doing this they looked stupid. The crowds cheer and responses to the monks were way louder than their stupid chants. They were really only heard every time it was supposed to be silent moment. That’s when they chose to speak up.” Another commenter said, “How disgraceful. This is the first I’m seeing of this. Good Lord if someone feels the need to protest Peaceful Loving humans spreading peace and love they have some serious inner work to do. They know no mindfulness.” Other comments supporting the monks included:

Jesus would have washed their feet, and fed them, given them clothes and taken care of them. End of story.

If your core belief is so shakeable that a quiet monk handing out flowers and saying “peace and love fill you” challenges your beliefs, you are the problem, not them.

It was a wonderful teaching moment to expose my kids to other cultures and beliefs. It did not convert them from Christianity to Buddhism. It taught them to focus on what we have in common. Sad to see Walton county is always going to live in the dark ages.

One of the attendees who posted on Facebook revealed that the protestors had also recently showed up in nearby Monroe, Georgia when the monks passed through, and that the ‘ring leader’ of the protestors was formerly an educator at a huge local university that was fired for having inappropriate sexual relationships with a student and a teaching assistant, who ended up filing a harassment complaint against him. I don’t know if any of this is true, so I won’t be sharing the name, but it’s available if you scroll through this thread.

To learn more about the Walk for Peace, visit their website or Facebook page, where they are documenting their journey.