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Canberra Times (Australia)
January 1, 2012 Sunday
Final Edition
Bethlehem's annual brawl traduces a faith founded on peace
Bethlehem's annual brawl traduces a faith founded on peace T HE ANNUAL
stoush between custodians of Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity is a
poor reflection of a faith which from its foundation has preached
peace.
Luke 2:13-14: "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of
the heavenly host praising God and saying: 'Glory to God in the
highest, And on earth peace, good will toward men!"' That peace and
good will are sadly lacking among the Greek and Armenian clergy who
frequently fight over which has the right to care for particular areas
of the 1700-year-old church.
After the celebration of Christmas, as observed by the western Church
on December 25 in the Church of the Nativity, preparations began to
mark Christmas as observed by the Orthodox Church on January 7.
Consistent media reports record an Armenian priest supervising
cleaning of the church thought a broom held by a Greek Orthodox priest
encroached on the Armenian space. Angry words degenerated into a
physical fight.
Almost 100 Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic priests fought inside
the church, using brooms as weapons. Bethlehem police said no one was
arrested because all those involved were men of God and it was a
trivial problem which occurred every year.
Other religious groups and tourists found the incident amusing.
Most who respect the tradition of the historic church would not. It is
the sort of nonsense which Christianity and the troubled town of
Bethlehem could well do without.
The Church of the Nativity is said to mark the place where Jesus was
born. There is good reason to question the validity of this;
nevertheless the building holds significant importance for
Christianity generally. But it is in poor repair, largely because the
clergy responsible for maintaining it cannot agree on who should pay
for its upkeep.
Similarly, Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre, on the site
traditionally observed as marking the place of Jesus' crucifixion and
burial, has seen similar violence between feuding Christian
denominations.
Both churches receive considerable income from pilgrims who are
largely conned into believing they are touching the very birthplace of
Christ or on the ground of the cross and tomb.
Yet the custodians of these churches, symbolising the foundation of
Christianity, seem more intent on petty jealousies than maintaining
the buildings. More importantly, their lack of respect for the other
custodians is a poor reflection on the faith they represent.Of course,
petty jealousies and worse are not confined to Christianity.
Islam in particular is a victim of carnage committed in its name by
people who the faith generally willingly disowns. Neither is stupidity
among Christians confined to Bethlehem and Jerusalem.However, despite,
or perhaps because of, increasing secularism in Western countries,
much of the antagonism and bigotry which prevailed among Christian
denominations has markedly declined over the past 50 or so years.
There has also been some progress toward better understanding and
improved relationships between major world religions.
Given the moral authority they claim, this is long overdue. Indeed,
the major part played by religions in conflict and violence over the
centuries has greatly detracted from the considerable good also done
in their name.
January 1, 2012 Sunday
Final Edition
Bethlehem's annual brawl traduces a faith founded on peace
Bethlehem's annual brawl traduces a faith founded on peace T HE ANNUAL
stoush between custodians of Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity is a
poor reflection of a faith which from its foundation has preached
peace.
Luke 2:13-14: "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of
the heavenly host praising God and saying: 'Glory to God in the
highest, And on earth peace, good will toward men!"' That peace and
good will are sadly lacking among the Greek and Armenian clergy who
frequently fight over which has the right to care for particular areas
of the 1700-year-old church.
After the celebration of Christmas, as observed by the western Church
on December 25 in the Church of the Nativity, preparations began to
mark Christmas as observed by the Orthodox Church on January 7.
Consistent media reports record an Armenian priest supervising
cleaning of the church thought a broom held by a Greek Orthodox priest
encroached on the Armenian space. Angry words degenerated into a
physical fight.
Almost 100 Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic priests fought inside
the church, using brooms as weapons. Bethlehem police said no one was
arrested because all those involved were men of God and it was a
trivial problem which occurred every year.
Other religious groups and tourists found the incident amusing.
Most who respect the tradition of the historic church would not. It is
the sort of nonsense which Christianity and the troubled town of
Bethlehem could well do without.
The Church of the Nativity is said to mark the place where Jesus was
born. There is good reason to question the validity of this;
nevertheless the building holds significant importance for
Christianity generally. But it is in poor repair, largely because the
clergy responsible for maintaining it cannot agree on who should pay
for its upkeep.
Similarly, Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre, on the site
traditionally observed as marking the place of Jesus' crucifixion and
burial, has seen similar violence between feuding Christian
denominations.
Both churches receive considerable income from pilgrims who are
largely conned into believing they are touching the very birthplace of
Christ or on the ground of the cross and tomb.
Yet the custodians of these churches, symbolising the foundation of
Christianity, seem more intent on petty jealousies than maintaining
the buildings. More importantly, their lack of respect for the other
custodians is a poor reflection on the faith they represent.Of course,
petty jealousies and worse are not confined to Christianity.
Islam in particular is a victim of carnage committed in its name by
people who the faith generally willingly disowns. Neither is stupidity
among Christians confined to Bethlehem and Jerusalem.However, despite,
or perhaps because of, increasing secularism in Western countries,
much of the antagonism and bigotry which prevailed among Christian
denominations has markedly declined over the past 50 or so years.
There has also been some progress toward better understanding and
improved relationships between major world religions.
Given the moral authority they claim, this is long overdue. Indeed,
the major part played by religions in conflict and violence over the
centuries has greatly detracted from the considerable good also done
in their name.