And the sign said everyone welcome
come in, kneel now and pray
But when they passed round
the plate at the end of it all
I didn't have a penny to pay!
So I got me a pen and paper
And I made up my own little sign
It says thank you Lord for
thinkin bout me
I'm alive and doin fine.
Five Man Electrical Band "Signs" 1971
There was a bombing at a movie theatre on Sunday night in Delhi. 49 people aren't doin fine since yesterday evening, and 1 person isn't alive or doin fine.
I am writing this, to reassure that Ben and Joel and I are fine and still enjoying each other's company. This song has been springing to mind from time to time lately, I guess because we are so grateful for all of the "thinkin about" us that has been going on on both sides of the world and in both hemispheres.
I have included the picture from the CBC story of the bombing because it reminded me of a similar image that I saw as the result of violence at Concordia University a few years ago. Dianne went to Concordia University and she and I saw the finger style guitarist, Don Ross, play there the last time we were in Montreal.
Sadly we Waterloo Hildreds don't have to think back to our big city visits to remember that people can be terrible to each other. Christine's prom was ended early because a fight broke out. Joel's Indian school mates refused to believe that there had been killings, in a small University city in a place that they viewed as so peaceful as Canada.
At a work party last week Sarika asked me what I liked best about India. I forget my exact answer but I am sure that one of the things that I mentioned was how patient people were with each other's mistakes, especially on the extremely crowded streets. All the while that people are putting up with each other's wild driving the horns are being used as signals or just blaring warnings. This would be a North American recipe for road rage.
The Concordia violence a few years ago and the theater violence yesterday were partly explained by religious controversy, a controversial speaker in Canada and a controversially titled movie in India. Beyond the personal tragedy for the people injured, it is a tragedy to me that these incidents take public attention from schools, hospitals, gyms, tsunami relief and the good that is done in the name of religion. Good people that are patient with the mistakes of others, and are bravely bearing their own responsibilities of children and aging parents are turned away from a source of regular fellowship. Many with these same responsibilities find this fellowship a source of support. When in Goa, I finished a collection of essays "Step Across this line" by Salman Rushdie (Random House; 2002). I was disappointed, because the thesis of many of these seemed to be that: a) Because bad is done in the name of religion b) If there was no religion there would be no bad. "Nothing to kill or die for, And no religion too," as John Lennon said (Imagine 1971). I didn't view Salman's thesis as logical as "a" implying "b" at all. I feel that if there was no "religion too" people would still find other things "to kill or die for."
We have been attending the Delhi International Christian Fellowship. It is the only church for foreigners in Delhi, and as such, a non-denominational church. We have felt so much love and support from people of all faith backgrounds within and outside of that church. Last Sunday, Ben and Joel and I attended a meeting to call a new minister to that church, the motion was passed with out a single dissenting vote. Ben said that he found the whole process interesting, despite being very hungry for lunch. Ben at 17 is a guy that is very sensitive to hypocrisy of any kind. He feels sometimes uncomfortable at church “because of unanswered questions.” I am pretty sure that Ben would have found that meeting a lot less interesting after an hour of acrimonious debate on an empty stomach. Instead there was prayer before and after a few, well asked and answered questions and the vote itself, which Ben participated in as he was over 17 and a “member” by attendance. Sadly we can also turn seekers and others in drastic need of fellowship away from “organized religion” by much less violent actions than bombs.
Another 17 year old, from Nigeria, a country divided in half by religious war, responded so well to a senior high school lesson that I had prepared on “justice.” My text was from Isaiah chapter 1:
Stop doing wrong,
learn to do right!
Seek justice,
encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
plead the case of the widow.
She very wisely said that they have learned that seeking justice by helping the oppressed is different than judging others. In her situation she has learned to seek justice for the oppressed while leaving the judging to God. I was so impressed by her sincerity in the face of much violence and difficulty that she went on to describe, and her wise interpretation of the Bible. I had no idea just how sheltered I am!
$.02
Rich
