Souperism

It was during the Irish Potato Famine, of the mid 19th century that the term “taking the soup” or, “souperism” came into common use.

From 1845 to 1852, over a million Irish died, and well over a million more fled the country.

During that time, several Protestant Bible societies set up schools. Parents could send their starving children to these schools for a bowl of soup on the condition that they submitted to Protestant religious instruction.

Factory workers, it’s been said, were offered a bowl of soup on the condition that they renounced their Catholic faith.

As the food crisis deepened, many poor Catholic families had to choose between Protestantism and starvation: Between souperism, and dying like a dog in the field.

Those who converted for food were known as “soupers”. They not only suffered the consequences of conscience for denying their faith but also violence from Catholics who would rather die than convert.

Though rare, souperism has had a lasting effect on the popular memory of the Irish people. It also blemished the memory of the otherwise good and godly relief work done by many Protestants who gave aid without attempting to convert through coercion.

With the Irish Government’s announcement last week that it would only be re-opening hospitality and other public venues to those who were fully vaccinated, the painful memory of souperism has been revived across Ireland.

To up-end the metaphor, the message is, “Take the soup or suffer segregation, serious social and economic disadvantage, and medical apartheid.”

No jab, no job, no jab, no play, no jab, no pay—and no access to a multitude of public and private services. Soupers to the left, non-soupers to the right. This is not about health. This is about power.

Such abuses of human rights only work if enough people get on board and assist the kings of the earth in their quest – and that’s what we are beginning to see.

Like Germany’s Ministry of Propaganda in the nineteen-thirties, the World Economic Forum and government advisory groups like Sage are openly instructing governments on how to recruit civilians and church leaders to act as handmaidens of the state.

Writing to world governments in June 2021 on the tactics needed to coerce a naive population, the World Economic Forum boasts of it’s success stating,

One rural parish in the US state of Louisiana, for example, enlisted African-American preachers and local leaders to directly phone members of their community. This led to a 9% increase in the parish’s vaccination rate in a week.

Given that very few churches to date have opposed the states attempts to control Christian faith and worship, it’s not unreasonable to assume that the compliance will continue.

No mask, no worship. No test, no worship. No soup for the veins, no worship.

What is grievous here is not that liberty of conscience and Christian worship is being challenged. We are to expect it (1 Peter 4:12). What’s grievous is that it’s happening with the consent and participation of the churches’ shepherds.

In one foul swoop the right to private conscience has been removed from within the body of Christ and replaced with absolute compliance to the state.

Let Caesar enforce his will and bind the conscience of believers if he can. But let not the church’s servants be guilty of enforcing Caesars will or binding the conscience of believers in matters of faith and worship under the guise of “cleanliness”, where no such authority exists for them to do so (Romans 14:23).

For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in filthy clothing also comes in, …and to the one who wears the fine clothing say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? (James 2:2-4)

The response of the common Irishman to their own situation has been encouraging. Those who have not taken the jab are trying to stand up for themselves. But they have not been alone. Many of those who have received this experimental government injectable are rising in their defence.

Both jabbed, and un-jabbed alike are saying no to an attempt to create a new class of clean and unclean. They are calling it for what it is: Despotism. A wicked attempt to divide, demoralise, imprison and conquer the Irish people.

Pray that, by the grace of God the church might also arrest its own descent into souperism and unite under the law of liberty and a life of faith and worship governed by Christ and conscience alone, and not under the tyrannical dictates of the kings of the earth.

Pray that the people of God will take their refuge and safety, not under the shadow of Caesar’s fear, threats or promises, but under the blood of Jesus.

And pray earnestly that the plans of the wicked will fall to the ground (Psalm 141:10) while the church leans steadfast on the Rock of Ages.