Tuesday 11 September 2007

Not a prayer

Germany: A TV talk show host praises Nazi family values, saying they were 'something good.' She is sacked.

Africa: a village priest dives into the water to communicate with the river gods. His body is recovered three days later.

Israel: Neo-Nazi gangs attack religious Jews. The gangs are themselves technically Jewish - having one Jewish grandparent is all it takes to be allowed to settle there on the tit for tat basis that it was also the minimum requirement to be sent to the gas chambers. Gang members are arrested but there's a problem. There's no law that specifically outlaws anti-semitism - the Israeli government having assumed that it was never going to be much of a problem there.

The UK: In assembly at school I play, 'Shine, Jesus, Shine,' - one of the children's favourite hymns - and reflect on the irony that, as an agnostic of Jewish descent, I spend more time playing Christian hymns than pretty much anyone else I know. And, despite my loathing for the cant, I can't helped being moved by the music it inspires.

There's got to be a moral here, but, for the life of me, I can't see what it is.

13 comments:

Rob Clack said...

Any moral eludes me, too. I was raised Christian but am now atheist. And I sing in a choir which specialises in Choral Evensong in English cathedrals. I love the music and architecture, and quite enjoy the ritual, too.

Whoever said "The devil has all the best tunes" was dead wrong, as far as I'm concerned. I'm eternally and extremely grateful to this non-existent god for the centuries of fabulous music he inspired.

It's a privilege to have the opportunity to sing such beautiful music in such awesome surroundings.

Omega Mum said...

Rob Clack: Very interesting. Would the devotion that inspires the religious music have been re-directed had religion not existed. Sounds like an exam question. sorry.

Motheratlarge said...

I couldn't understand that bit about the tit-for-tat definition either. Why did a country founded in defiance of persecution by a sizeable number of people in Germany choose that same model when it came to making up their own rules on the issue? Perhaps it was a very busy time, statutes-wise, when they had a new country to establish and all that and they ran out of time on that one. It's not very nice what's happening now.

I would like to be religious, but find the problem with organised religion is, as author Pat Barker said much more eloquently than me, that many religions spend more time asserting their superiority over each other than they do worshipping whatever version of God they've settled on.

That, or they end up making you dive into some germ-infested swamp in the misguided hope of communing with 'river gods'.

Shine, river gods, shine.

Irene said...

Religion brings out the best and the worst in man. Heavenly music and terrorist activities. The crusades and the Inquisition. Is it worth it? I don't think so. I would rather live in a world that is built on rational thinking and honest deduction about the worth of a human life. Heavenly devotion can be a dangerous thing, so can devotion to an idea of superiority. Let's not set ourselves apart more than we are already.

Omega Mum said...

(Duplicate comment removed)

M@L: Very eloquently put indeed.

Sweet Irene: I can't help feeling that man's capacity for good and bad is expressed in all other aspects of life, though.

Stay at home dad said...

The moral is that people are capable of both good and bad (I hesitate to use the word evil), and are capable of creating some very fine music and lyrics. Everyone was religious, then, not surprising some of them came up with some great tunes. My choice for a modern hymn arrangement would be Brian Wilson.

Mutterings and Meanderings said...

I try to avoid religion as much as possible because it often makes me angry...

I'm more of a believer in the whole natural cycle of things.

Omega Mum said...

SAHD: Good point - wasn't so much that you believed as that you knew...


M&M: I see what you mean except is that the natural cycle of things is something you can't help but believe in - it doesn't require that same rather tricky leap of faith as religion

I Beatrice said...

No moral OM - just people! Just when you think they can't get any worse, they do. If there WERE to be a God of one persuasion or another, he must have washed his hands in despair of his creation long ago.

(I don't overlook the fact that there ARE good people too, of course. They just don't seem to make such good stories.)

Omega Mum said...

IB: And then you get into the whole predestination business, which I think weakens the whole pro-God argument. Anything with a paradox at its heart is deeply suspect, in my book at least.

Anonymous said...

Just catching up after having a power cut. Always enjoy reading your blogs but I particularly enjoyed the one about disobedient dogs! If I had parents in law I would definitely encourage my dog to do just what yours did! Sparky, the pup, still hasn't grown out of the "let's wee in the house, it's fun" stage. Not so when you live in the house!

Crystal xx

debio said...

I was brought up to be religious -not fanatical, but church on Sunday etc.

I spend a lot of my time here comparing Christianity with the other faiths represented and often surprise myself with how much of The Bible I have absorbed considering I'm not a practising anything - except mother and lover and the more practice I get at those things the better.

I do love a rousing hymn though....

Omega Mum said...

CJ: I have never had to house train a puppy - so end up with adult dogs needing a good home. I think you're a wonder with Sparky, I must say - more tolerant that I could ever manage.

Debio: It is the hymns, isn't it? You're so right. My father, as a Jew, found the Nazi marching songs pretty addictive, too...... (no direct comparison intended, I should add).