2 posts tagged “culture”
"If we no longer think of the relationship between cultures and their adherents as perfectly contiguous, totally synchronous, wholly correspondent, and if we think of cultures as permeable and, on the whole, defensive boundaries between polities, a more promising situation appears. Thus to see Others not as ontologically but as historically constituted would be to erode the exclusivist biases we so often ascribe to cultures, our own not least. Cultures may then be represented as zones of control or abandonment, of recollecting and of forgetting, of force or of dependence, of exclusiveness or of sharing, all taking place in the global history that is our element. Exile, immigration, and the crossing of boundaries are experiences that can therefore provide us with new narrative forms or, in John Berger's phrase, with other ways of telling."
-Edward W. Said
I just went to the most awesome midnight mass ever. Before mass everyone was invited to a free dinner. And I'm not talking about bagels and chips. I'm talking three course meal with wine and all the works (and everyone got a candleholder at the end of dinner). But that wasn't even the awesome part.
There were over 40 nationalities present, not to mention other religions (There was a moslem family attending.) And all were gathered in the name of peace. The guy next to me, who looked completely Swiss ended up being from India. Plus, The mass was led by three different priests: of Swiss, Philippino, and Ugandan descent. The two visitors spoke in somewhat broken German, but still made the mass even more complete.
The priest from South India shared a little about their culture. Apparently there are other Indian religions that celebrate Christmas just like Christians. They regard Jesus not as Godly, but as a holy figure. Kudos to any priest who makes it his duty to widen his congregation's perspective, not make it even more narrow.
I think that's what's been missing in most masses that I've visited. We need more unity. We didn't just prey for peace all over the world, we preyed for followers of all religions, and that they shall create a peaceful world together. Does that make sense or what. Plus, all of the donations were going to be donated to a children's hospital in Bethlehem.
Well anyway, I was really touched by the evening. I think if I had a church like in my neighborhood, I'd go on a regular basis. It was a good reminder that religion can do good. What an awesome way to start Christmas Day.
