Thursday, November 27, 2008

A less Christian more more generic day of thanksgiving is needed.

American Indian protests against Thanksgiving began in Massachusetts in the 1970s. Every Thanksgiving Day, protestors gather at the top of Cole's Hill, which overlooks Plymouth Rock. This is in honor of Wamsutta James, who, in 1970, was the first person to demonstrate Cole's Hill and protest of the injustices that the American Indians had endured. Such injustices include the capturing and selling of American Indians as slaves; the robbing of their ancestor's graves; the theft of their winter food provisions; the taking of their lands and culture; and depriving them of their freedom. Since the day James' speech was given, Thanksgiving Day for American Indians has become the "National Day of Mourning."

Religion, is there any hope?

Joseph Dan argues convincingly that the very concepts of religion and theology as the academy understands them today are Christian concepts, derived from Christianity's early accommodations with Greco-Roman culture, resulting in a clear differentiation between the realms of church and state and between theology and philosophy. Judaism (and Islam), in contrast, have no such conceptual differentiation between the profane and the religious realms. Instead, these are cultures in which everything ideally participates in the holy, including the most mundane activities. Consequently, nothing lies outside the realm of religion; divinely ordained law governs literally every aspect of life, from the privacy of the home, to the marketplace, to the government, to matters of worship. Thus, the Jewish understanding of the non-Jew builds from a understanding of the self as a member of this holy community in contrast with an outside world that lives according to a different (or non-existent) relationship to God. (5) Modernity has challenged many aspects of this traditional identity, but one cannot understand this challenge without understanding.

From the days of the great Roman Empire; it has been the scared duty of the followers of Christ, to bloody everyone's noses including themselves, going as far as to slaughter millions of their fellow Christians. Though no Christian will claim him as such, Hitler was a very devout dark age type of Christian.
"In a Reichstag speech in 1938, Hitler again echoed the religious origins of his crusade. "I believe today that I am acting in the sense of the Almighty Creator. By warding off the Jews, I am fighting for the Lord's work."

Hitler regarded himself as a Catholic until he died. "I am now as before a Catholic and will always remain so," he told Gerhard Engel, one of his generals, in 1941.

There was really no reason for Hitler to doubt his good standing as a Catholic. The Catholic press in Germany was eager to curry his favor, and the princes of the Catholic Church never asked for his excommunication. Religions encourage their followers to hold authority in unquestioning respect; this is what makes devout religionists such wonderful dupes for dictators.

When Hitler narrowly escaped assassination in Munich in November, 1939, he gave the credit to providence. "Now I am completely content," he exclaimed. "The fact that I left the Burgerbraukeller earlier than usual is a corroboration of Providence's intention to let me reach my goal." Catholic newspapers throughout the Reich echoed this, declaring that it was a miraculous working of providence that had protected their Fuhrer. One cardinal, Michael Faulhaber, sent a telegram instructing that a Te Deum be sung in the cathedral of Munich, "to thank Divine Providence in the name of the archdiocese for the Fuhrer's fortunate escape." The Pope also sent his special personal congratulations!

Later the Pope was to publicly describe Hitler's opposition to Russia as a "highminded gallantry in defense of the foundations of Christian culture." Several German bishops openly supported Hitler's invasion of Russia, calling it a "European crusade."

1 comment:

Kelt Queen said...

Walter David, It sure makes me wonder about the "workings of your mind" when I read such: "A picture is worth a thousand words so it is said, but only if someone cares to see it.
Last year I paid over five hundred dollars for a new camera phone so I could send pictures to a special friend, then she quit talking to me! At least I had a nice phone, until someone stole it out of my office.
Well at last I am pleased that there is someone really wants to know what I look like, and those ancient pictures I gave to Dave will never do. So I'm off to buy a new camera.
Walter, as I've said before... "Honesty is best"!!!!
As for Thanksgiving, all you have to do is "Be Thankful for what God has blessed you with"!

As Always, Kenna