Rebirth
Easter Sunday, Christianity's holiest day. The celebration of Jesus' resurrection. According to a recent Newsweek poll, 78% of all Americans believe Jesus was resurrected. I guess it depends how you ask the question, I would have answered yes too, even though I don't believe his physical body got up and started living again.
Fundamentalists take things pretty literally, need to see Jesus as the one and only person ever able to do this, so they can tell all the other religious people in the world that their saviour is superior. For me, and an increasing number of people, the stories of Jesus' superpowers are explained by the way the writers of the Bible commonly phrased things in those days. Also, the Bible was in the exclusive control of church hierarchy for many years and was changed, for political reasons, many times.
People of true power and influence do grow larger in death. In the few hundred years after Jesus' death Christians grew from a few hundred to over 350 million, over half the Roman Empire, largely because they outlawed abortion and the infanticide of girls, and also threw out many of the stringent rules of Judaism. Anyway, I don't want to spend too much time discussing the historical Jesus here, even though it's a fascinating contrast to the fundamentalist view. Anyone who bases their religious position on the supposed superpowers of their teacher is missing the true teachings.
To me, Easter is about spring and rebirth. As the land becomes alive again, so do we. I look around and see new life springing up all around me. I also see Terry Schaivo's parents unwilling to accept the loss of their daughter, unwilling to have faith in the fact that her spirit will always be with them and they need to release her from the limbo she has existed in for 15 years so that she can truly be with them. I see a dying recording industry unwilling to accept change, desperately trying to put fingers in the dyke, having to be dragged, kicking and screaming into the inevitable future.
On the other hand, we have the Pope demonstrating his acceptance of change. His body is failing, he is old and facing pain. Although he refuses to relinquish power, he does not try to excessively hide his failing health either.
In some ways, this particular Easter represents my personal resurrection. I met my ex March 11, 1985 and Easter always represented the first holiday we celebrated together. Today, on what would have been our 20th Easter, we have virtually no connection other than our children, but I have myself back again.
I am now the real me again, fully myself, happy, creative, open, free. I look back at the person I had become, so compromised, the denial. I wasn't even able to see what an angry, closed off, dull, unhappy person I was at the time. But, now I can compare it to this sense of peace and contentment that characterizes my life and I do feel born again. I look around and I do see people still stuck in the same fear I was in, and I feel sad for them. I could easily still be there myself, frustrated, struggling, fighting. It's been a long year, and, not an easy one. Rebirth isn't about floating up to heaven. It takes courage to break from what is familiar and comfortable, it's a painful process. It takes facing one's life and one's own shortcomings. But, it's worth it. When you come out the other side, and you always do, it's so worth it!
Fundamentalists take things pretty literally, need to see Jesus as the one and only person ever able to do this, so they can tell all the other religious people in the world that their saviour is superior. For me, and an increasing number of people, the stories of Jesus' superpowers are explained by the way the writers of the Bible commonly phrased things in those days. Also, the Bible was in the exclusive control of church hierarchy for many years and was changed, for political reasons, many times.
People of true power and influence do grow larger in death. In the few hundred years after Jesus' death Christians grew from a few hundred to over 350 million, over half the Roman Empire, largely because they outlawed abortion and the infanticide of girls, and also threw out many of the stringent rules of Judaism. Anyway, I don't want to spend too much time discussing the historical Jesus here, even though it's a fascinating contrast to the fundamentalist view. Anyone who bases their religious position on the supposed superpowers of their teacher is missing the true teachings.
To me, Easter is about spring and rebirth. As the land becomes alive again, so do we. I look around and see new life springing up all around me. I also see Terry Schaivo's parents unwilling to accept the loss of their daughter, unwilling to have faith in the fact that her spirit will always be with them and they need to release her from the limbo she has existed in for 15 years so that she can truly be with them. I see a dying recording industry unwilling to accept change, desperately trying to put fingers in the dyke, having to be dragged, kicking and screaming into the inevitable future.
On the other hand, we have the Pope demonstrating his acceptance of change. His body is failing, he is old and facing pain. Although he refuses to relinquish power, he does not try to excessively hide his failing health either.
In some ways, this particular Easter represents my personal resurrection. I met my ex March 11, 1985 and Easter always represented the first holiday we celebrated together. Today, on what would have been our 20th Easter, we have virtually no connection other than our children, but I have myself back again.
I am now the real me again, fully myself, happy, creative, open, free. I look back at the person I had become, so compromised, the denial. I wasn't even able to see what an angry, closed off, dull, unhappy person I was at the time. But, now I can compare it to this sense of peace and contentment that characterizes my life and I do feel born again. I look around and I do see people still stuck in the same fear I was in, and I feel sad for them. I could easily still be there myself, frustrated, struggling, fighting. It's been a long year, and, not an easy one. Rebirth isn't about floating up to heaven. It takes courage to break from what is familiar and comfortable, it's a painful process. It takes facing one's life and one's own shortcomings. But, it's worth it. When you come out the other side, and you always do, it's so worth it!
posted by Intervision at 5:47 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home