Good Friday 29 March 2002

Pic of the day: Spring flowers emerge after the long winter.

Good Fridays and bad

According to my faith, an innocent man died to save us all from ourselves, one Passover more than 1900 years ago.
And yet innocent men, women and children still die in the Holy Land. Presumably not quite divinely innocent. Still ... people may reasonably wonder if it has helped at all.

And there's the inquisition, the witch hunts, the inter-Christian wars from the dark ages to present-day Ulster. Of course, there's Mother Theresa and the Salvation Army and many nameless men and women giving their time and their money and sometimes their lives to help others too. But they're certainly not the only ones. All in all, was it all in vain?

***

I can't help but notice that it was the priests who tried Jesus and found him guilty in blasphemy and sentenced him to death. They had to have the Romans actually kill him, but according to the book they were the power behind it. I can't help but notice that the Christian priests later were taking an active role in killing innocents druing the Crusades, the Inquisition and the witch hunts.

Not a bad word about priests; I have known some, who were all nice enough people. But I sincerely believe that they are not made to wield power. The Taliban comes to mind too - the Islamic equivalent of Bible school teachers, tempted into grabbing political power. I find that I must commend the Hindu caste system on this one point: There, you can be born into the ruling and military caste, or into the priestly caste, but not both. You can't have it all. If you are a priest, then your kingdom is NOT of this world. I recommend my American friends to think about this before they support the Religious Right. They may not look like they're going to kill innocent people, but once the power fills them, they can no more stop it than a stone can stop falling. It is the fate of priests to kill when they get power. History shows us that this is so. As we say about fire: "A useful servant, but a terrible master."

***

Luckily, we may not need the institutions of priesthood always. Nor may we always need rulers to command people. It may seem these days that we do; but it is the end of the things that were, and not the beginning of the things to come. As the prophet Daniel foretold, fittingly interpreting the dream of a king: There will come a new Kingdom that will eradicate all the old ones of history, blow them away like dust, and expand to fill all of the world. And another prophet foretells that in those days, God's knowledge will cover the Earth like water covers the bottom of the sea. And they shall all be taught by God.

It shall not forever have been in vain.

There are quiet conversations going on,
as people speak about what they have seen.
And everywhere the feeling's getting stronger,
that soon there will be change in our lives.
From a thousand years of looking in the sky:
Something is coming now, something is coming now.

You will believe it when ...
You will believe it,
when the light comes shining through.
You will believe it when ...
You will believe it,
when it's shining down on you.

Chris de Burgh: Quiet Revolution.