I had originally intended for this post to continue the Elements series (books about Earth, Air, Fire, and Water). However, after an uncomfortable experience this morning, I changed that focus.
In deference to devoutly Catholic family who are visiting this week, I opted to attend Easter Mass with them. For the most part, it was fine. The church was lovely, filled with incense and spring flowers, the stained glass windows glowing in the sunlight. Then it came time for the homily, in which the priest spoke on the meaning of the gospel. I was a bit startled -- and quite dismayed -- when he stated that Christianity must be right and true because people were willing to die for it, that even the first generation of Apostles must have seen and experienced something real (not a myth or a made-up story) if they were willing to lay down their lives for it.
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@Jolene Dawe: no, getting the history right is *not* that hard. That is what I found so frustrating. If the priest at that service
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@Carol P. Christ: agreed. There is a definite tendency in Christian martyrologies (and some Buddhism and Muslim martyrologies, too
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Ugh. The only time I venture to church services these days are for funerals -- I find there is a heck of a lot less of that sort o
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Thank you so much for this.
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Thank you for this, Rebecca.