Things Jesus didn't say

Blessed are the arms dealers, for theirs is the profit of suffering

Blessed are the politicians for their concern lies with only a few

Blessed are the militarily strong for they live in uneasy comfort

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for violence for they shall reap only in kind

Blessed are those with hate in their hearts for they lack true understanding of God

Blessed are the generals for they shall be called parents of war

Blessed are the drone pilots for they will not see the faces of those they kill

Blessed are those who cause suffering and persecution in my name for theirs is the kingdom of hypocrisy

Blasphemy Riot?

Going through my previous blog posts it would seem that the recurring topic I choose to write about is the institutionalised Church cosying it up with the political regime and as a result ignoring the true message of the man they claim to hold at the centre of their work. This blog post, unfortunately, is another perfect example of this. This time however it is the Russian Orthodox Church rather than the CofE that is guilty of this most heinous of crimes (lovers of variety will be thrilled).

As most of you have no doubt heard by now the punk rock band Pussy Riot have been jail for two years on hooliganism and blasphemy charges. The story is that they were staging an anti-Putin demonstration, however because of their choice of location and their use of Biblical themes and characters the story has taken a theological/religious character which, I think, has distorted the original message of the band whilst also highlighting the problems of the relationship between church and state.

As I mentioned in a previous blog entryon Punk and Christianity, the lyrics of their song (see below) are not strictly blasphemous. In fact if read correctly they are more likely to show the band as believers and followers rather than critics. They invoke the Virgin Mary whilst giving her the title of Mother of God. Surely a blasphemous song would not have called upon her in aid but criticised or insulted her? They also recommend that the Patriarch of the Church turn back to God after straying from his beliefs. Not the kind of recommendation you would expect form a song described as blasphemous......

No, the blasphemy of their protest was the criticism of the organised church not Jesus or Mary or God, so is it really blasphemy? I wouldn’t describe it as such. It is no more blasphemous than Protestants denouncing the Pope or Orthodox Christians celebrating Easter and Christmas on different dates. All Pussy riot are guilty of doing is criticising the religious authorities of losing sight of God and straying from the path, something Christians will (should) recognise in the life of a man from Nazareth.

The organised Church having close links with the ruling regime is always a poisonous relationship. It inevitably results in one of the parties having too much influence over the other, manipulation and corruption. This time the Church is the one suffering the most. With its close support of Putin’s government it is inevitable that any political attack on his rule would also include the Church. The Russian government have been clever in their manipulation of the story where all political arguments against Putin have been ignored and drowned out by the Church’s outrage at a phoney blasphemous attack. The Church has also taken the flak from international outrage at the ruling. Whilst this international condemnation is valid, especially in light of the Church allowing the ruling to happen, we must not allow Putin and his government to escape unscathed. It was after all his government that was being attacked in the first place and so they who have the most to fear from the band. Pussy Riot’s message itself has also been watered down, instead of being seen as a political act and message it has been seen as anti-God and anti-church, something the band themselves never wanted to say. Finally Putin has used the Church’s outrage at blasphemy to cover up the imprisonment of political opponents; something we all thought had ended with the fall of communism.

It doesn’t matter what the members of the band have been charged with, be it for blasphemy or crimes against the state. Either way it should never have been allowed to happen and it just goes to show how little has changed in Russia since the fall of Communism. Another harrowing truth that has come to light is that a country in the post-enlightenment,  Western “civilised” world has imprisoned people on blasphemy charges; something we thought was reserved only for ultra conservative, 3rd world countries lagging behind the free-thinking, human rights governed countries.......

Thoughts and prayers go out to Pussy Riot, their friends and families and supports of the band worldwide.

[Update] After failing an appeal, two of the jailed members (after one was freed for not actually taking part in the protest) have been sent to two separate prison camps. Which camps they are being sent to is not known but apparently they are both former Soviet detention centres kept for the most serious offenders in Russia. Conditions are extremely harsh and in Russian law mothers shouldn't be jailed until their children are over 14, both defendants have young children. A little extreme for two people accused for hooliganism and causing a public menace don't you think?

The soviet state is not dead.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20026056

“Virgin Mary, Put Putin Away” Lyrics (translated from Russian)

Virgin Mary, Mother of God, put Putin away
Рut Putin away, put Putin away

Black robe, golden epaulettes
All parishioners crawl to bow
The phantom of liberty is in heaven
Gay-pride sent to Siberia in chains

The head of the KGB, their chief saint,
Leads protesters to prison under escort
In order not to offend His Holiness
Women must give birth and love

Shit, shit, the Lord’s shit!
Shit, shit, the Lord’s shit!

Virgin Mary, Mother of God, become a feminist
Become a feminist, become a feminist

The Church’s praise of rotten dictators
The cross-bearer procession of black limousines
A teacher-preacher will meet you at school
Go to class – bring him money!

Patriarch Gundyaev believes in Putin
Bitch, better believe in God instead
The belt of the Virgin can’t replace mass-meetings
Mary, Mother of God, is with us in protest!

Virgin Mary, Mother of God, put Putin away
Рut Putin away, put Putin away

The final countdown

Seeing as this blog is called Tales and thoughts.... I've decided to write a post about my current situation and where I'm about to go instead of my usual angry rant.

Soooooo two weeks today I'll be moving to Manchester to start my new job as a parish assistant. It's a job that's designed to test vocation and calling by throwing people out of their depths into a Church and parish scenario and seeing if they can cope with it. Should be interesting to see how well I cope with 6 day working weeks, dealing with difficult people in difficult situations, handling admin and the masses of public speaking. I'm sure I'll be fine, I've only shied away from any contact with the public, avoided talking in front of people I don't know, have a terrible phone manner, am rubbish with money and counting and have becoming incredibly lazy of late. What could possibly go wrong?

I do take solace in the fact that, having been in contact with my soon to be fellow parish assistant, (who I'm sure is also reading this at the moment, hi if you are) I know it's not only me who's feeling a little worried.

Still enough worrying, Manc's guna offer me loads of new fun and possibilities, not only job wise but also, hopefully, socially, musically and otherally that I can't think of right now.

There's a big anarchist scene up there too, as well as a Food Not Bombs group and other green/anarcho friendly groups to finally get stuck into. Warminster, with it's heavy army presence and generally red neck population (people I work with not withstanding =P) has been slow to pick up any of the anarchist ideas I've tried suggesting to them. Though the group discussion I lead on the subject did start a good debate and hopefully got people thinking......

I've said my good byes, made a list of books and games I want to read/finish in the next two weeks and have a long list of things to pack, people to see, places to go and errands to run before I leave. It's guna be a busy two weeks....... I probably shouldn't have bought Minecraft........

Not a lot of Christian Anarchism in this post I know, but bare with me people who actually find that stuff interesting to read. I do mention anarchy a little bit and I'm sure God's in there somewhere if you look hard enough. He usually is.

The Church vs. progess

Last weekend I listened to a sermon where the priest asked the question “Why is the church not seen as a force for progression?” Unfortunately it was posed as a rhetorical question and was left unanswered leaving me to think on my own of the many reasons why the church is seen more as a force of regression rather than something calling for society to move forward.

You have only got to look at the results of this month’s general synod to see why. The subject of women bishops was once again debated and once again the decision was delayed until later. There was a brief glimmer of hope that finally a landmark ruling would be made in favour of the ordination of women bishops and the CofE would take a huge leap forward in terms of modernisation and equality but at the last minute a few conservative Bishops made an amendment that would create a two tier system of Bishops where women where inferior to their male counterparts and thus making them more or less obsolete. Granted the decision was delayed in order for this amendment to be taken out, and thus is a good thing, but it is still a glaring example of why the CofE seems to be such a huge barrier to change. Legislation for female Bishops in England has been worked on for 12 years already and since then the church has been overtaken and left behind.  Over 90% of dioceses in England and Wales are in favour of female bishops whilst in other countries, such as Australia and Swaziland, the Anglican church has already ordained women as bishops. So when looked at in comparison it is impossible not to come to the conclusion that the CofE is a force of regression.

 Then there is the issue of gay marriage. Parliament declared that they intended to debate the issue of gay marriage and the Church came out in uproar, even before anything had been said of a law being drafted let alone passed. Whilst the majority of Britons were heralding the coming of marriage equality many people in the Church were spouting fear-mongering diatribes against the plans stating that it was the biggest threat to the Church since the dissolution of the monasteries. Once again the Church is seen as proudly holding back social progress.

Finally the Occupy Movement provided the Church with the perfect way to show the general public that they stood against the bad guys and were a force for good in this country helping to fight injustice and caring or the poor. It started off well with, then canon of St Pauls Cathedral, Giles Fraser allowing the camp to set up on the cathedral’s steps and Archbishop Rowan Williams stating that the Occupy Movement was highlighting serious questions that needed to be asked. The Church was in the public eye being portrayed as offering a helping hand to those seeking change and as a potential vehicle for that change to be brought about. Unfortunately when it came to the eviction of the camp it came to light that the Cathedral authorities had asked the bailiffs to clear the steps of the Cathedral, resulting in people innocently praying on the steps being kicked and dragged away. There were also images of police appearing on the Cathedral balcony showing that, despite originally being in favour of the Occupy Movement and the change it wanted to bring about, the Cathedral authorities were far too tempted by the status quo and the money it provided and thus eager to stifle the voices of progress by siding with the opposition.

So to answer why the CofE is no longer seen as a force for progress you only have to look at three of the major social and political changes being talked about and notice which side the Church falls on.

Fortunately it seems that those within the Church who try to stifle change and oppose gay marriage and women Bishops are the elderly conservatives. Unfortunately they are the ones who hold a lot of power and influence within the Church and so are able to control what the Church does and says. Like most movements it is the conservative minority who have the loudest voice so the liberal majority is often drowned out and ignored. This is just as true with the Church as any other organisation for example the afore mention Giles Fraser is a very vocal supporter of progress within the Church and society and the recent creation of an online petition for Anglicans to sign showing their support for same sex marriages in response to the official statement of the CofE against same sex couples was hugely supported.

Legislation for Women bishops and Gay Marriage will both be passed and accepted within the CofE, it is just a matter of time. Liberal ideas and progress always win in the end, it is sadly often simply a case of waiting for the conservative elements to either leave or die out. 

Render unto HMS revenues and customs.......

Tax resistance is one of the most heavily debated areas within Christian anarchist circles. Paying your taxes supports the repressive state that is responsible for the mass poverty (often due to heavy handed taxing) found in this country and others. But taxes pay for schools, hospitals, roads and rubbish collection. They also pay for tanks, missiles and unmanned drones........

Throughout Christian history there have been groups (often decried as heretics) that have refused paying taxation, most famously the Quakers, who refuse to pay for government’s wars.

The Bible is filled with more passages on refusing tax then paying it. Even the great “render unto Caesar” passage (Mat. 22.15-22), so often quoted in support of the state, can be read as Jesus’ warning against taxes. His question of whose image appears on the coin contains hints of the issue of idolatry and graven images so prevalent in Jewish society, especially considering a war was fought simply over a statue of Caesar being placed in the Temple. And so Jesus is warning his followers against caring too much for money. The passage continues “render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s”, as the coin bears Caesar’s image it belongs to him and so should be given back. However if that is the case then what belongs to God is what bears God’s image and should be given back. Now it is a strongly held belief in Christian tradition that humans are made in God’s image and therefore belong to God and not to Caesar. So not exactly a call for his believers to refuse the tax but it is certainly a lesson that there are more important things then money and taxes and that we are not bound to Caesar and his rule.

Another example from Jesus’ ministry involving taxes is his dealing with the Temple tax (Mat. 17.24-27). Jesus asks his disciple who is required to pay taxes, the son’s of the king or other people’s sons? Other people’s comes the answer, which Jesus goes on to explains means that children of God are exempt from paying taxes to the Temple. To avoid upsetting the authorities Jesus then pays the tax using a coin found inside a fish, an act not of submission bowing to the powers that be, but of ridicule and cheek paying with money that belongs to know one, and so is worthless.

In one of his parables Jesus puts tax collectors in league with nonbelievers, the worst kind of sinners(Mat. 18.17). He also eats with a tax collector (Luk.19) to make a point that no one is beyond salvation, even someone considered so evil by the Jews as a tax collector.  

It’s not just Jesus who has a negative view of taxation in the bible. Throughout the Old Testament taxes are only introduced by tyrants and cause nothing but suffering on their subjects. Pharaoh introduced one during a period of famine when the people had nothing else to give him(Gen.47).

So it would seem that once again the Bible is not authority’s friend when it comes to taxation. There is virtually nothing that supports the paying of taxes, however there is also no commandment of thou shalt not pay income tax. So tax avoidance comes down to the moral decision of the individual and in the current economic climate and with many unpopular wars being fought with suspect tactics, it is a moral dilemma that is becoming more and more prevalent. Combine that with the news of big business and the super rich avoiding their taxes and it becomes a very hot topic that today’s Christian should not shy away from. 

This piece was mostly influenced by an article written by Reverend Nemu http://theoccupiedtimes.co.uk/?p=4763

Going Green

 So after a long time wrestling with the idea I’ve decided to try going veggie. Been reading a lot on green anarchism and creation Theology (as in the idea that as God’s creatures we are bound to care for the whole of his creation, not creationism the 7 day start of the world theory) and unfortunately the arguments they put forward have been bugging me and I can no longer put them to one side. It is only meat after all, I can live without that right? Might also help make me healthier, and possibly save money in the future so every one’s a winner.

So yeah no more repressing livestock on farms for me. Luckily creation theology talks about living alongside animals peacefully. So I figure that as long as the animals aren’t hurt I can still eat eggs and cheese and whatever so I don’t have to go Vegan which would have been physically impossible for me. Creation theology was made popular by figures like Francis of Assisi who famously cared for all creatures no matter how small.

Green anarchism extends repression by the State to repression over species by all humans and so to continue to eat meat whilst fighting repression is seen as hypocritical and speciesist. There are a lot of arguments against the meat trade and the treatment of livestock and they make a better case then just burying my head in the sand whenever I have a burger.

 I’m already pretty clued up on environmental issues and do try to do my bit with recycling and cutting down my waste stuffs so I figure the only way for me to be more environmentally friendly is to stop eating meat, also will allow me to be more ethical in the companies I use, no more McD’s or Bernard Mathews. Also luckily because I don’t use a lot of makeup I already don’t support animal testing that I am aware of.....

I’m currently actually quite excited about going veggie, it’s like a challenge and I’m enjoying the idea of being healthier (hopefully) though I have to admit I’ll probably be bored of it by this time next week and probably lapse back into eating cows..... We’ll just have to wait and see how it goes I suppose. Also I’m aware that this may come across as my attempt to be more radical then thou or whatever, that’s honestly not my intention and I do hope I’m not going to turn into one of those hippy/veggie snobs everyone hates.

Also if anyone knows any good veggie recipes please feel free to share.

Doing Theology with DM Boots on

Like many alternative music genres Punk has had a strenuous relationship with religion. Often seen as part of the establishment it is only natural that the punks would rally against religion and the Church. Many song lyrics have been written attacking the position of the Church and the blind faith of religious minded folk, and unfortunately the great punk ideal of think for yourself was often forgotten when people who had decided for themselves that religion was for them where chastised by the punk movement for thinking the wrong thing.

Like the music of the early punks the lyrics were usually very basic and unintelligent and their attacks on religion usually amounted to no more than the rudimentary argument of there’s no proof so you’re an idiot for believing. It wasn’t until the anarcho punk movement and more intelligent bands like Bad Religion that punk rock’s arguments against religion became more substantial. Probably the most famous Punk attack on Religion is Crass’ Reality Asylum. A poetic diatribe full of vulgar language and violent imagery which attacks the established Christianity and blames it for the atrocities of Hiroshima, Auschwitz, misogyny and general repression throughout the ages. Yet what it is is also where it misses the point, it is an attack on the Christian establishment not on Christ the person. Sure there are passages where Jesus the man is attacked, he is labelled as a coward and feeble but these are only passing attacks. The piece is not anti-God or anti-Christ it is anti-organised religion and this is where most punk rock attacks are aimed. Punk rock tends to be anti-establishment not anti-God. (The piece also ends with the line “Jesus died for his own sins, not mine” which, despite not agreeing with the statement, I personally think is one of the best lines ever written.)

It wasn’t just the punks who were on the offensive however; unfortunately many Christian groups sprang up labelling the fledgling punk movement as detrimental to society, a threat to Christian morals and values and even satanic. This was not an uncommon view to hold in ’77 and was shared by the vast majority of conservative minded people, religious or not. But still shows the backwards and misinformed views generally held by the religious right.

The most recent incident involving a clash between the Christian faith and Punk rock comes from Russia where on 21^st February the feminist punk band Pussy Riot played a “punk rock prayer” in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour calling upon the Virgin Mary to remove Putin from office. Unfortunately two members of the band have been arrested for crimes against the state. I’m not sure what part the Orthodox Church had to play in their arrest but they have certainly not helped the punks or spoken out against their arrest.

The relationship between Punk and Christianity is not always detrimental however.  Many punk bands, knowingly or not, have borrowed imagery and ideas from Christian teaching and theory and they share many of the ideals Jesus taught about, pacifism and caring for the down and outs being the obvious examples. As I have just mentioned Pussy Riot have used prayer as a form of protest, and whether they believe or not, they still used and called up Christian beliefs to get their point across. Other examples of Christian teaching being used are the Biblical images and themes employed by Punk bands. The classic punk anthem “Babylon is Burning” by The Ruts uses the Biblical idea and imagery of the Babylonian exile. Whilst crusters Amebix write a lyric that mirrors a similar passage from the first book of Samuel where Samuel warns the people that a king would take their sons and daughters and reap their harvest for his own use if they put him in power over them.

“Famine, disease and a life on your knees, guaranteed when you put them in power” – Spoils of Victory - Amebix

Though almost definitely not a deliberate quote the similarities are striking and it is not the only example of punks mirroring Christian teaching.

Back to the title of this piece; “Doing Theology in DM Boots”. It is a play on a title of a book collecting essays in tribute to the queer feminist theologian Marcella Althaus-Reid “Dancing Theology in Fetish Boots.” Marcella argued against the traditional constraints on sex and gender imposed by Christianity and argued that in order to argue against them correctly one had to be what you were arguing for, so she had to metaphorically put on fetish boots in order to argue that Christianity had no reason to repress fetishists, queers or women.

Having recently become very interested in the punk genre and immersed myself in it I have realised that my outlook on theology and faith is similar to the outlook found among punks and that I have been, unbeknown to me, been reading theology with a punk rock outlook.

 Is my theology similar to punk? In many ways I believe it is. Firstly my faith has lead me to distrust authority, be it the government, the Church, teachers or simply our elders and through that distrust I question their authority; where does it say in the Bible that there must be a monarch? As well as authority I question the faith itself, was Jesus born of a virgin? Did he really walk on water? Nothing is taken at face value, faith must be questioned and understood if it is to be of any use to anyone. I ignore what has gone before, Punk was a breaking down and rebuilding of the Rock and Roll rule book, whilst I do not claim to be breaking anything down and I am certainly not rebuilding anything, I do have a suspicion of the argument the Church makes of “it’s always been like that” or that something is “tradition”. It is traditional for the Church to persecute gays, does that make it right? My faith has also lead me to be anti-repression, anti-racist and anti-sexist something that punk really brought to the forefront of popular culture, before it was only aging hippies singing protest songs on acoustic guitars which are easily drowned out and ignored. When the punks started shouting it in people’s faces people suddenly sat up and took notice and this is how I want my faith and theology to be, making people stand up and take notice that repression is not ok and that Jesus’ teaching requires His disciples to oppose it in any form, rather than use faith as an excuse to repress those who do not agree, something the Church has been guilty of for centuries. Lastly my theology shares the greatest of all punk values and that is DIY, open the Bible yourself and read it, simple as. You don’t need a priest to tell you how to do it, anyone can read the Bible and discuss it, anyone can talk about God, and this is where a Punk Theology has its strength, it is not a closed group it is open and everyone is welcome to have a go.

Just like the music scene in the 70’s Christianity in Britain has become stuck in its ways, arrogant and behind the times and is in desperate need of some new ideas and fresh blood that aren’t afraid to shake things up and ignore the rules. If punk can’t do to theology what it did for music there may be no future (see what I did there) for the Church in a current society.

I'm back in Black

Hmm....

It appears it's been nearly a whole year since I last posted on this blog which I set up with such enthusiasm.

With my new job approaching, (in which I will hopefully be able to actually start acting out some of my beliefs rather then just ranting about them) and the current state of the world and the Church (what with the continuing wars and failed revolutions, Syria, Afghanistan ect ect and the CofE once again showing how behind and out of touch it is with the current Gay Marriage farce) I'll be hopefully posting a lot more often, (maybe even twice a week!!!)

Also hoping to put links to other articles and sites of interest and put more informed posts over mindless rants.

My two readers must be thrilled!!!!