‽istis reclaims symbols (weekending April 3rd
2021)
On this Easter weekending:
‽ when many of the estimated 2.2billion
Christians around the world[i] (in a total population of
c.7.8billion[ii])
will remember and commemorate; perhaps wail; possibly wash (pre-cleaned) feet; may
wait, watch and hope; will celebrate (some even in open Churches)
‽ when the number of people dying over
a three day period (say, from Good Friday to Easter Day) is estimated at over
460,000 people[iii]
(resting in peace? possibly rising in glory?[iv], but unlikely to come
back to life as we know it…)
‽ when the blessing to the city and the
world (‘Urbi et orbi’) will again be mainly experienced virtually this year[v]
‽ when back in 2009, a study reported
that the Easter Bunny was more popular than Jesus[vi]
‽ when it is estimated that
80-90million chocolate eggs are sold over Easter in the UK[vii]
then ‽istis wonders whether there is a word for the
original ‘thing’ (perhaps now forgotten or de-coupled) that lies behind a symbol?
And ‽istis wonders what the process might be called that brings us to the point where symbols take over or change significantly (for example, the very means of calibrating time and events: BC/AD becomes BCE/CE[viii]; and ‽istis wonders what that particular change may mean for our Easter weekend reflections...)
So, with Father Christmas and that chocolate
bearing rabbit or its haring around counterpart, ‽istis is tempted to ask: ‘Oh
Christ, what has happened?’ And some of the 5.6 billion (take the first number
from the second in the opening paragraph, above) could perhaps, possibly, maybe say:
· not enough
·
something else, I believe
·
too much apparent hypocrisy, abuse and ‘evil’ done by those who have professed
(people and communities and nations and peoples)
·
religion and its organisation and power
·
nothing to see here…
while others,
nevertheless may say ‘Happy Easter!’ still somehow hoping (if not quite believing)
that just perhaps, possibly, maybe – things could be different?
©
Pistis
NB: further reflections and comments linked to this week’s theme and
past blog
entries to be found on Twitter: replies, retweets (which don’t necessarily
indicate approval, sometimes the very opposite!) and ‘likes’:
@Pistis_wonders
[i] https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/which-countries-have-the-most-christians-around-the-world.html#:~:text=Christian%20Populations%20Around%20the%20World%20%20%20,%20%2086%2C500%2C000%20%2021%20more%20rows%20
[vi] https://www.dw.com/en/the-easter-bunny-more-popular-than-jesus/a-4171032
(though not necessarily more popular
than The Beatles?)
