HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP, N.J.  When the pastor of a church next door announced he is fasting in support of Iraqi citizens, Jim Sierputowski became worried local residents would be incensed and strike out against the Rev. Frederick Boyle.
Just so there was no mistaking his house for Boyle's, Sierputowski erected a large, hand-painted sign in front of his house directing people to the outspoken pastor's home nearby.
"I don't want people vandalizing my house or my cars because they think this guy lives here," Sierputowski said, "What he's doing is a slap in the face to people who have children serving over there and I think people ought to know exactly where he lives so they can discuss this with him."
The Times reported that Boyle began his fast on Jan. 10 to protest what he calls the American troops' mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners and their families.
He has ingested nothing but water, tea and fruit juice. He's vowed to continue the fast until conditions in Iraq improve, calling most notably for a clear and simple process for Iraqi people to find family members taken into custody by coalition forces.
Boyle said he bases his concerns on e-mails he receives daily from people visiting and living in Iraq.
Whether they are merited is unimportant to Sierputowski, whose house bears a historical plaque identifying it as the Titusville United Methodist Church parsonage it once was. Before he put up his sign, he said, he noticed motorists beginning to slow down and look at his house.
"One person drove by and pointed a finger at me, like I had done something wrong," he said.
Officials at the church support Boyle's right to express his views.
"We think the pastor is following his conscience on this issue," said Paul Shelly, chairman of the church council. "We believe he is a person of faith and principles. Unless we thought otherwise, we'd support his following his conscience, even if his views are not necessarily the views of the entire church."
Not everyone at the 212-member parish is happy with Boyle taking such a public stand.
"I wish it wasn't bringing attention to the church, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a right to his political beliefs," said Glen Crane, chairman of the church's missions and outreach committee.
Boyle drew attention to his political views in February when, while pastor of a North Jersey church, he traveled to Iraq with a peace organization to comfort citizens as they faced a U.S.-led attack on their country, the newspaper reported.
His visit was viewed as anti-American by many of his parishioners who rose against him, calling him a traitor and a fool. Boyle was transferred to the Titusville parish in July, in part because of the uproar.
In August, the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Asset Control called him, accusing him of violating a government order banning individuals from traveling to or doing business with Iraq during the war.
Boyle said he has heard nothing more from the federal government on the matter. Shelly said Boyle also promised that his days of civil disobedience were over.
"He made an agreement with the church that he would refrain from anything illegal or contrary to the laws of the state or federal government," said Shelly. ‘But that didn't preclude him from expressing his views in other ways."
Boyle offered no apologies for his recent activism.
"I understand people are concerned about the impact on the church, but the impact on the church is nothing compared to the impact on the lives of the Iraqi people," he said.
He said he is prepared to fast for several weeks, even if it costs him his job.
"I have no question in my mind and my heart of the meaningfulness of this," he said. "If I have to move, I'll move. I'll take it as an indication that this isn't where God needs me to be."
