This is one of those occasions when a passage in a Poul Anderson text prompts personal reflections that take on a life of their own - and we think that this is valid and legitimate. Each of us has our own reflections, of course.
Today is Sunday, day of reflection. Yesterday I met and had a friendly conversation with a Methodist minister at a community event. A week from today, members of our meditation group will visit the Buddhist monastery to which we are linked over in the North East and will meet the Head of the Order before he returns to Canada. Although Jews have Saturday and Muslims have Friday, Sikhs in Christian countries attend Gurdwara on Sundays for convenience!
The passage:
"Perhaps I should not even have dismissed the chaplain. With so much religiosity about, as our universe goes down in wreck, I have painted myself more strongly Lucifer (for references to "Lucifer" in Anderson's works, scroll down) by not spending these last hours in prayer. Will my children hear at school, He wasn't just a traitor, he was a dirty atheist -? Never mind, I am not entitled to a great deal, but let me claim the dignity of remaining myself." (p. 50)
"Remaining myself" can mean either shutting everyone else out or remaining honest and authentic.
Society is unhealthy if there is a religiosity that condemns "dirty atheists." Was the narrator offered a chaplain of his own denomination or was a single appointed chaplain foisted upon him? If the latter, then, if I were in the narrator's position and depending on the chaplain, I might have a conversation with him, then invite him to pray silently while I meditated. If he told me that I was damned, then I would invite him to leave.
"Spending these last hours in prayer..." can mean such different things for different people! God, if He exists, hears it all.
No comments:
Post a Comment