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Meet Traute Klein,
AKA biogardener.

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Related Articles

Paradise Lost, the Tyranny of Conformity
When my unconventional garden irritated a couple of neighbors, it was illegally bulldozed by the City of Winnipeg.

Conformists Are not Born but Raised
Conformity and nonconformity can be instilled in children by teaching and by example.

At the Right Hand of the Father.
Some theologians act as though everyone needs to bow to their superior knowledge.

To Hug or not to Hug, That Is the Question
Is hugging little children in church in front of their parents child abuse?

What is a Christian?
If we are going to live together in heaven, we had better learn to get along here on earth.

What is Your Religion?
Humorous true story of filling out a government form.

Prayer Is not a One-way Street
Don't talk at your heavenly father. Listen to him.

The Majority Is always Wrong
A valuable life lesson taught by a high school teacher

Hallowe'en or the Reformation

by Traute Klein, AKA biogardener

While the English-speaking world celebrates Hallowe'en, continental Europe remembers October 31 as the anniversary of the Reformation, the day of nonconformity, because reform is always brought about by nonconformists.

No Hallowe'en for Germans

October 31 is Hallowe'en. I know that because my calendar says so, and all the grocery stores are trying to lure me into buying black and orange candy. I thought that I should contribute an article to a celebration which most of the country looks forward ti, but I really don't know a thing about it. You see, I grew up in Germany, and I did not even hear the word "Hallowe'en" until I came to Canada in 1952. In the intervening years, I have never had enough interest in the subject to remember what I have heard or read about it.

Hallowe'en or Reformation

To me, as to most continental Europeans, October 31 is not Hallowe'en, but the anniversary of the Reformation. That is the day when in 1517 Martin Luther (1483-1546), a well-educated Augustinian priest, nailed his 95 theses to the church door in Wittenberg. A church door in those days was the town bulletin board, and people would post on it propositions for open discussion. Luther had no intention of starting a new denomination. He merely tried to instigate a debate on some basic points of faith. Yes, he did want reformation, but it was supposed to take place in the confines of the church. Unfortunately, the church was not inclined toward reform at the time, and a new church was born.

Are You a Reformer?

Have you had a similar experience in your life? Have you tried to correct a social ill and found that society prefers the status quo? I don't consider myself a reformer, but I do like to show people a better way of living by my personal example. That is not always an easy road to follow. Conformists seem to lead an easier, more peaceful life. I have written about the subject in the article, "Are You a Nonconformist," linked in the left column of this page.

In a 6 months period in 1998, I went through two experiences which showed me that the conformists' lifestyle might be less stressful.

The first of these happened on June 1 of 1998 when my garden was demolished because it did not conform to those of the surrounding community. For years, I had been trying to teach a better way of gardening, a way which is kind to man and nature. That is not what the City bureaucracy wanted. They forcibly made my garden conform by turning it into a barren wasteland. Carolyn Wallace has written about the event in "Paradise Lost, the Tyranny of Conformity," also linked.

I became aware of the second episode on Novenber 11, Remembrance Day 1998, a day I will certainly not forget. The minister of my church called me into his office to inform me that the church would get sued for child abuse if he allowed me to continue teaching Sunday school. My crime? I was, and still am, in the habit of hugging little children in the presence of their parents. Read the details in my article "To Hug or not to Hug, That Is the Question," also linked.

Be Smart, Be a Conformist

Now if I had been smart, I would have curbed my ambitions for organic gardening years ago when I first found out that the practices irritated two of my neighbors. If I had been smart, I would have stopped hugging children on Remembrance Day of last year, when I first learned that hugging is considered to be "inappropriate touching." If Luther had been smart, he would have retracted his theses when the 1521 Diet of Worms informed him that the church did not condone them. Well, Luther was not smart. He had a mission to fulfill. I am not smart either. All my life, I have been taught that I must do what is right, no matter what the cost.

Yes, conformists appear to lead a more peaceful life, but when you have been brought up to be a nonconformist, it would be hard to find peace while denying your convictions.

What about Galileo?

But then there is Galileo Galilei (1564-1642). He had convictions which collided with those of the church. He was able to show the validity of the Copernican system of astronomy, proving the church position on the shape of the earth to be untenable. He, unlike Luther, had no sympathetic princes who would have saved his life by hiding him in a castle. He could not see the sense in burning at the stake, when he was intent on conducting further studies. So he admitted publicly that the earth was flat, saved his life, and continued to prove that it was round until he died of natural causes.

Was Galileo a conformist? Not likely! He simply spoke the words of recantation which the church required of him. He allowed the church to save face, and in an act of apparent chivalry, the church did not press the point any further. At least they did not try to make him prove that the earth was flat.

Let's just call Galileo a realist who weighed his chances and acted in a manner which appeared most expedient under the circumstances.

Should Luther have done the same? He would have had to condone Tetzel's selling of indulgences, a practice which allowed people to buy salvation. He considered that practice dangerous and could not condone it. Whether the earth was round or flat really did not make any difference to most people. Whether or not salvation can be bought, however, is of highest importance to all of us. If salvation is for sale, then it is reserved for the rich. Luther could not agree to that.

Could I have agreed to change my gardening practices to avoid the demolition? I will never know, because that demolition happened without prior warning.

Could I have stopped hugging children and avoided being called a child abuser? If I had, I would still be teaching Sunday school, but is that what I want? No, I am not interested in teaching for the sake of teaching. I have had my share of it, having taught school and university all my life. I am no longer interested in teaching unless I am able to show by practical example what the Christian faith is all about. When that was no longer possible, teaching Sunday school became meaningless to me.

Be a Nonconformist if You Dare

You and I may not be called to be a Luther, but we may be called to be nonconformists in our own way in our own place. We are all called to be true to our convictions. My conviction tells me that people in this world need to respect nature and be kind to all creation, and that includes gardening organically as well as showing love to our fellow man, especially little children.

If you, on the other hand, feel that you are called to be a conformist, then, by all means, that is the road you need to take. I have met many people who feel that they are meant to be just that. I do not understand the feeling, but I do accept it as being the right path for some. It is their call, not mine.