At Christ's Tomb, an Angry Mob

Salt Lake Tribune ^ | April 27, 2003 | Peter Hermann

[NYer]

And I thought these problems only existed in the Religion Forum on FreeRepublic.

[NYer]

A Orthodox Christian pilgrim kisses part of the rock, which is traditionally believed to be the rock which was used to seal Christ's tomb, in the Holy Sepulchre Church during Orthodox Easter Sunday, April 27, 2003. Worshippers visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old City which Christian faithful believe is built on the site of Jesus' last resting place after his body was removed from the cross. REUTERS/Gil Cohen Magen

Greek Orthodox priests bless worshippers on Orthodox Easter Sunday at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem Sunday April 27, 2003. (AP Photo/John McConnico)

A ray of light hits what is traditionally believed to be the tomb of Jesus Christ as an Armenian priest passes Saturday, April 26, 2003 at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem during the Holy Fire ceremony. The ceremony is meant to assure the worshippers that Jesus has not forgotten them and is sending a message of hope through the fire. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

[Alex Murphy]

And I thought these problems only existed in the Religion Forum on FreeRepublic.

ROTFL!

[eastsider]

There's a lot to be said for the Western observance of Easter being on a different day. We don't need the Franciscans to be part of this ongoing public scandal.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

There's a lot to be said for the Western observance of Easter being on a different day. We don't need the Franciscans to be part of this ongoing public scandal. 4 posted on 04/28/2003 10:05 AM PDT by eastsider

LOL! You mean the fundamentalist Baptists and SSPX aren't in there fighting over the holy smoke as well?

[DouglasKC]

Priests from the competing sects shoved each other as part of an ancient dispute over who would emerge first with the flame they believe miraculously descends from heaven during the Easter Ceremony of the Holy Fire, celebrated this weekend by the Eastern Orthodox.
Israeli riot police quelled the small disturbance, which last year erupted in fistfights between Greek and Armenian priests and worshippers and had threatened to explode in violence again Saturday.

You have to wonder about a ceremony that generates this kind of spiritual fruit....

[Alex Murphy]

You have to wonder about a ceremony that generates this kind of spiritual fruit....

Took the words right outta my mouth. Make sure you wash your hands afterwards, okay?

What strikes me is that being first to grab this "fire" seems all-important to them, at least for this one day. What does the fire do for them afterwards? Is anyone else reminded of the pool of Bethesda in John 5? "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me."

[eastsider]

The SSPXers are too busy fighting over control of the Vatican, and the literalists are too busy fighting over control of the Bible. : )

[NYer]

You have to wonder about a ceremony that generates this kind of spiritual fruit....

Now, now ... they all seem to be getting along in this photo.

LOL - I would love to substitute freeper names in this thread. It would be so much fun to rewrite this story from the perspective of forum members who are familiar to us all.

[Alex Murphy]

See that guy second-in-line? That's me. I'm the one looking off instead of reading from the script! LOL

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

I don't suppose a Vatican council of progressive, orthodox, and neo-modernist bishops would solve the problem. Maybe Henry Kissinger or Koffi Annan would have a few ideas.

Well, at least Rembert Weakland is not in charge of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. He would want to renovate, of course. Or the American Jesuits. They would remove all the sacred art, add garish shag carpeting, and turn it into a "multi-purpose room." For "multicultural" students, of course. One wonders....Does "Call to Action" ever "act up" in any of the holy sites in the Holy Land?

[NYer]

What strikes me is that being first to grab this "fire" seems all-important to them, at least for this one day. What does the fire do for them afterwards?

The ceremony is meant to assure the worshippers that Jesus has not forgotten them and is sending a message of hope through the fire.

Is anyone else reminded of the pool of Bethesda in John 5? "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me."

Love that story! Have used it many times with Confirmation students in a guided meditation.

[american colleen]

And I thought these problems only existed in the Religion Forum on FreeRepublic.

Very, very funny! :-)

I dunno, I thought He said "and the first shall be last and the last shall be first" --- you think they'd be fighting for last place, but human nature being what it is and all...

I just thought of the jockeying of some of the AmChurch bishops... sorta the same except for the fisticuffs.

[eastsider]

I'm surprised there's not another fight over who gets to rise from the tomb first -- Osama or Saddam.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

Well, it could be much worse. Instead of a Christian church and shrine there...there could be a mosque. Or an apartment building or secularized university. Or a wreckovated parish church.

[NYer]

you think they'd be fighting for last place

To a certain extent, they are. A little more than 1,000 people were allowed to attend the ceremony this year instead of the usual 10,000 because of squabbling between different denominations. Let mayhem reign!

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

Why not settle the issue with a coin toss? Or better yet, alternate years, letting the Armenians be first next year.

It would make a great seminary "ecumenism" seminar topic - "Just whose Holy Fire is it anyway?"

[Freedom'sWorthIt]

"Why seek ye the living among the dead?"

[BlackVeil]

LOL! Anyway the whole thing is a misunderstanding. These people are Zorastrians (the ancient Middle Eastern religion of fire worshippers). They got hammered by the Muslims back in the olden days, so they retreated to a building in Jerusalem and held annual interesting fire worshipping displays ...

[Salvation]

And I thought these problems only existed in the Religion Forum on FreeRepublic.

ROTFL!


Me too!