I was going to write another ode to Cynthia Arie today, but there’s plenty of time for that later. Instead I thought I would post about - God help me - religion. I know I'm stirring up a hornet's nest, but folks - that's what the Cayblogger does, so here goes.
I saw some Easter decorations today and got to thinking: Am I the only one who’s just a bit confused by religious holidays and the shameless exploitation of them? Don’t answer that.
It’s coming up on Easter and more and more I see pictures of bunnies and baskets with eggs and candy and bonnets… and a bunch of other frilly crap that has nothing at all to do with Easter. Once, just once, I’d like to see posters of Jesus Christ’s bloodied and broken body or of Him nearly crushed by the weight of the cross He dragged up to Golgotha, or pictures of the nails being driven into His arms and legs, or the spear being jabbed into His side…
I’m not so much worried about when I can start wearing white shoes – personally I like to wear mine year round. But what I am concerned with is the blatant hypocrisy of religion in Cayman.
Cayman ministers will speak out about a stupid fictitious book or a movie with homosexual undercurrents, but they’ll have Easter egg hunts on their lawns to celebrate the resurrection of Christ.
Pastor Alson (aka “little al”) will tell you it’s actually okay to hate, and then Sunday preach a message of forgiveness.
Maybe the reason why people don’t take Cayman ministers seriously is because a lot of them (not all of them) speak out of both sides of their mouths. Never mind… back to the point.
Regardless of and in spite of the inconsistent message pouring forth from quite a few local ministers, I’m still not aware of Jesus going on an Easter egg hunt before he was tortured and mangled by His accusers prior to having spikes driven through His flesh and bones and then being hung on a cross naked.
It’s tragically ironic that the little als of this world will spend so much time belittling a film of fiction and futhering their own agenda, and so little time teaching the word of the one about whom they preach and about whom they claim will be the ultimate judge of our lives here on earth. But perhaps ministers these days have as part of their ordination the charge of becoming movie critics as well… Just what we need – more critics.
But how will God judge those who spend time in criticism of humanity while at the same time supporting pointless activities and shouting at the wind? No one knows, and that’s another post.
But think about this. Which of these two propositions sounds most logical and ultimately most Christian: Being tolerant of things you don’t understand without hatred in your heart, or celebrating Christ’s resurrection by searching for chocolate eggs hidden by a mythical bunny rabbit?
If you chose the Easter egg hunt you’re obviously a member of Pastor little al’s congregation and I wish you all the luck in your upcoming search for chocolate bunny eggs.
Christians believe that Christ died for our sins – and how do people honour this selfless and eternal gift? By fostering the notion that the message of resurrection can be found in the form of a freaking chocolate-egg-laying rabbit. Are you kidding me?
Folks, here is my request. When I die and you're trying to think of some way to remember me and the best idea you can come up with is a crap-eating candy-spewing vermin, please instead just tie a rock to my leg and dump me over the North Wall and erase my name from your memories. Or pray that I don’t have powers from beyond the grave to make your lives a living hell.
Unlike Pastor Alson, I’m not one to second-guess God. But I gotta think on this one He’s thinking, “A chocolate-egg-laying rabbit?” Which begs the question as to whether or not Adam and Eve actually ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge and understanding or of the tree of stupidity and idiocy.
A few of you may have seen this tree – it looks suspiciously like the one growing in Carol Hay’s yard; the fruit of which she shares with Mary Adam. But I digress.
In my Christian upbringing I was taught that Easter is the most holy of the seasons of the church. Go to Spain or Italy or Central and South America during Easter and you will see an entirely different celebration. A celebration of reverence, sadness and contrition wrapped up on Sunday morning by a celebration of exuberance and resurrection.
For as a good friend once told me, Christ’s birth, life and death made Him human – but His resurrection made him real. Put away your chocolate eggs and baskets and bonnets and white shoes, and pick up The Bible and read about the agony of his last few days – of his last few hours.
Let the reality of His triumph over death bring you happiness – I know for me it leaves a much sweeter taste in my mouth than any piece of chocolate ever could.
That’s right, leave it to Cayblogger to take the fun out of the Easter – but at least I didn’t crucify anyone today.
Yes! christains WAKE up and realize that Jesus Christ died for your sins and NOT the BUNNY Wabbit!!!
WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The easter bunny is a LIE from the pits of HELL.
Posted by: charlie | April 07, 2007 at 04:42 PM