6-6-6
Funny how much today's date still scares people. Even the NOS has put up this article (in dutch). I have been studying Medieval Christianity through the entire pentacost weekend and am truly amazed how 'medieval' we actually still are. A colleague told me that a suicide warning has been issued by the health service. His dad-in-law works as principal at a High School. My mum told me the same thing, she works at the emergency services callcenter.
Of course goths are singled out in the warning.
*sigh*
Stupid stereotyping.
As some kind of holy countermeasure over 2000 Christians are currently doing a pray-a-thon to keep the Devil from doing his dirty work. They form part of a worldwide prayer chain in order to provide God with a different sound other than continuous satanic 'Death Metal' you hear on the radio. Now I am a big metal fan mind you, and the last time I heard some metal on the radio was really quite a while ago actually. Metal, especially Death Metal, doesn't seem to improve the number of listeners. Which is eventually all that matters to commercial radio. Oh, not counting Metallica's 'Nothing Else Matters' of course. It seems that Satan's work for the 21st century is thwarted by our commercial drive and the urge to make more money... which I feel is somewhere a bit ironic.
As a Christian (although I do very much *not* believe in the Devil!) and wannabe historian of religious human behaviour this entire thing obviously intrigues me. Yesterday on Belgian television I saw a documentary about a Pere Samuel who was kicked out of the Roman Catholic church, bought his own church and founded something the Belgian parliament identifies as a sect. Funnily, he copies the exact behaviour as the wanderpreachers in the late fourteenth century. He preaches without approval and holds people under a spell of faith in order to save their soul. In the mean time (also very fourteenth-century-like) he tends to make a bit of money from them. A pity for him that culture and mentality have changed a bit over the past 600 years and people on the average tend to be a tiny bit more educated and informed. His flock is dwindling to the gullible who don't make much of an impression when you are confronted with journalists. Neither does telling people exactly what they need to say in front of the camera while you think the mike is off. Nor does answering annoying questions with: "In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost..." or "If people spoke ill of Christ they will also speak ill of me...". All in all he is very much a fossil of a bygone age and thus very interesting to observe.
Well... need to get back to work. I promise that if all hell breaks lose I'll let you know.
...
But I wouldn't count on it.
Of course goths are singled out in the warning.
*sigh*
Stupid stereotyping.
As some kind of holy countermeasure over 2000 Christians are currently doing a pray-a-thon to keep the Devil from doing his dirty work. They form part of a worldwide prayer chain in order to provide God with a different sound other than continuous satanic 'Death Metal' you hear on the radio. Now I am a big metal fan mind you, and the last time I heard some metal on the radio was really quite a while ago actually. Metal, especially Death Metal, doesn't seem to improve the number of listeners. Which is eventually all that matters to commercial radio. Oh, not counting Metallica's 'Nothing Else Matters' of course. It seems that Satan's work for the 21st century is thwarted by our commercial drive and the urge to make more money... which I feel is somewhere a bit ironic.
As a Christian (although I do very much *not* believe in the Devil!) and wannabe historian of religious human behaviour this entire thing obviously intrigues me. Yesterday on Belgian television I saw a documentary about a Pere Samuel who was kicked out of the Roman Catholic church, bought his own church and founded something the Belgian parliament identifies as a sect. Funnily, he copies the exact behaviour as the wanderpreachers in the late fourteenth century. He preaches without approval and holds people under a spell of faith in order to save their soul. In the mean time (also very fourteenth-century-like) he tends to make a bit of money from them. A pity for him that culture and mentality have changed a bit over the past 600 years and people on the average tend to be a tiny bit more educated and informed. His flock is dwindling to the gullible who don't make much of an impression when you are confronted with journalists. Neither does telling people exactly what they need to say in front of the camera while you think the mike is off. Nor does answering annoying questions with: "In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost..." or "If people spoke ill of Christ they will also speak ill of me...". All in all he is very much a fossil of a bygone age and thus very interesting to observe.
Well... need to get back to work. I promise that if all hell breaks lose I'll let you know.
...
But I wouldn't count on it.
posted by Gertjan at
8:21 am
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