The narcissistic primarily autobiographical blog of the pseudonymous d.b. echo
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Ash Wednesday
There are few sights creepier than an evening church service filled with the weatherbeaten and bedraggled descendants of coal miners all with black spots of ash on their foreheads. I kept on thinking I was in a zombie movie. The lightning that kept lighting up the stained-glass windows didn't help shake this feeling.
Isn't anyone who performs a bizarre religious ritual, usually out of "Tradition", basically behaving as a Zombie? Most folks who follow such traditions (of ANY faith) often don't even seem to realize WHY they are performing the act. Ritual without understanding or context is meaningless, mindless behavior....if that doesn't define a Zombie, what does? (ok, the brain eating part :-) )
joy
p.s. We have a couple fun Cheapass Games involving Zombies...now that you're working normal hours, maybe we can play games again, either here or at Jen's house. Interested?
Actually, Ash Wednesday is one of the few rituals in the Catholic Church that is simple and explicit. It's a reminder of the mortality of humans - the phrase the priest used to mumble as he applied the ashes was "Remember, man, dust thou art and to dust thou shall return." It also harkens back to the good old days of penitents wearing sackcloth and ashes to publicly announce their penitential status, despite the fact that showy practices of this sort are explicitly spoken against in the Bible. Nowadays I still think anyone who voted for Bush more than zero times would be well advised to don some sackcloth and ashes to begin expressing their regret.
Yes, I would absolutely be interested in getting together with you guys sometime! Though I pity the poor drowning sheep - alas, I cannot aid them in any way...
Isn't anyone who performs a bizarre religious ritual, usually out of "Tradition", basically behaving as a Zombie? Most folks who follow such traditions (of ANY faith) often don't even seem to realize WHY they are performing the act. Ritual without understanding or context is meaningless, mindless behavior....if that doesn't define a Zombie, what does? (ok, the brain eating part :-) )
ReplyDeletejoy
p.s. We have a couple fun Cheapass Games involving Zombies...now that you're working normal hours, maybe we can play games again, either here or at Jen's house. Interested?
Actually, Ash Wednesday is one of the few rituals in the Catholic Church that is simple and explicit. It's a reminder of the mortality of humans - the phrase the priest used to mumble as he applied the ashes was "Remember, man, dust thou art and to dust thou shall return." It also harkens back to the good old days of penitents wearing sackcloth and ashes to publicly announce their penitential status, despite the fact that showy practices of this sort are explicitly spoken against in the Bible. Nowadays I still think anyone who voted for Bush more than zero times would be well advised to don some sackcloth and ashes to begin expressing their regret.
ReplyDeleteYes, I would absolutely be interested in getting together with you guys sometime! Though I pity the poor drowning sheep - alas, I cannot aid them in any way...