Religiopacis

TwodieinBelgianantiterrorraid.TheheadlineisfromtheBBCwebsite,yesterday,butthesekeywordscouldbefoundin
breakingnewsheadlinesallacrossEurope.(Ichecked.)
Gentlereadermusthavebeenwondering,whoisitthistime?TheBuddhists,perhaps?(MahayanaorTheravada?)Jains?Angry
rampagingHinduswamis?PrimConfucians?Taoistanarchists?WhatabouttheZoroastrians,wehaventheardfromtheminawhile.
ButitmightbetheLutherans,no?OrthePresbyterians?HighChurchAnglicans?(Ivelookedintosomeoftheireyes.)Hmm,but
nowImthinking,whataboutthosePentecostals?Baptists?SomeotherFundamentalistChristiansfromAllahbamaandtheDeep
South?Heywait,BelgiumusedtobeaCatholiccountry,perhapstheywereLatinMasstraditionalists?SSPiXies?Dominicanmonks?
ThirdOrderFranciscans?Ontheotherhand,SecularHumanistswouldbestatisticallymorelikely.Wiccans?Druids?Nudists?Maybe
weshouldbetlongshotonAnimistsofsomesort,fromtheformerBelgianCongo.OrfromNewGuinea:couldbe,youneverknow
thesedays.
Well,theanswercaughteveryonebysurprise.Muslims:canyoubelieveit?
AssomewaginWashingtonrecentlyresponded,toanotherreligionofpeacemutteringfromonhigh:Howoddthatsomanyare
killingforit.
AcorrespondentinAlexandriabyEgyptremindsofChristiansslaughteredandchurchestrashedinhistownnotsolongago,after
rumourscirculatedthataCopticpriesthadsaid,Islamisaviolentreligion.Turnedouthehadntsaidthat.Butwhateveritwas,he
wontbesayingitagain.
ThemediahavethoughtfullysparedusfromreportsofdemonstrationsintheMuslimworldinsupportofrecentactionsinParis,
whichinvolvedtheexecutionofseveralFrenchcartoonistswhohaddrawnvile,blasphemouspicturesoftheirProphetJesus,and
hisMotherMary.Also,oftheProphetMuhammad.Themediadontwanttoabetprejudiceagainstanyparticularreligious
community;andIslamiswhattheymeanbyparticular.
TherearemanymoderateMuslims,accordingtothesameauthorities.IfIwereapeacefulMuslimandlookout,ImnotId
bepositivelyirritatedbythispatronizingexpression.IdwantthemtothinkmeanextremeMuslim,likethewonderfulSufifellow
whodidthelinenonmyfloorinaCairohotel,afewyearsago.Icouldtellhewasareligiousnutjob,fromanauraofsanctityabout
him.Ineveryfreemomenthewaslostinprayer.Whenhesmiled,onefeltthatAllahweresmilingonone.(ThewordmeansGodin
Arabic,andisusedbyChristiansandMuslimsalike.)
OrwhenIwenttointerviewthelateSheikhTantawi,masterofalAzharandhighestIslamicauthorityinthatcountry,Iwastold,
Islamisnotareligionofpeace.Itisareligionoflove.HeconfirmedthattheterroristserronimportantpointsofIslamicdoctrine,
suchascondemnationofsuicideandmurder.HetoldmeheplayedgolfwiththeCopticPope.Aroundhim,Ialsodetectedacertain
serenity.Hewasgracious,andpatient,asifhehadallthetimeintheworld.Hewasworriedthatmyteaglasswasempty.He
understoodIwaswritingforCanadiannewspapers.Aboutfivetimeshetoldme,lestourtranslatormissedabeat,Please,givemy
greetingsandmylovetoCanada.Hesaiditmustbeaveryfinecountry;somanyMuslimstoldhimtheyhadbeenwelcomedthere.
AnimaminLahore,Pakistan,toldmebackinthe1990sthathiscountryandthewholeworldwasgoingtoHell.Thereweremany
thingswrong,buttheworstthingsseemedtobehappeninginIslam.Therewereverydevilsrunningabout,andtheywereinflaming
ignorantpeople.Hehelpedmetorememberimamsglimpsedinmyyouth,whowerelikeoldfashionedAnglicanvicars.Fromthe
minbarofthemosqueonFridaystheywouldtellthepeople,Dontlie,dontcheat,dontsteal.Bekindtochildrenandanimals.Take
careofyourfamily.Sayyourprayers!
Ihave,infact,metandknownsomanydecentandlovableMuslims,thatImincapableofconsigningthewholelotofthemtothe
flamesofGehenna.ButofcourseIamareligiousnutjobmyself,whohasboughtintoalltheorthodox,Catholic,Christiantheological
positions.CandidlyandpleasedonttellanyoneIthinkmostMuslimsarebetterthantheirreligion.AndintheWest,thatwe
haveareligionthatisbetterthanweare.
Itisobvious,tothosewhocanread,whichpassagesfromtheKorancouldbeusedtoinflameignorantpeople.Itisfurtherobvious,at
leasttome,thatsophisticalgamesarebeingplayed,whenearlierpassagesbeggingforreasonandtolerance(thereisnocompulsion
inreligion)maybenegatedbymanydozenlaterswordversesusedtojustifyaviolentJihad.Wewontgointothattoday.Gentle

readershouldgethishandsonsofineabookasthatofJacquesJomier,OP:TheBibleandtheKoran(1959;translatedtoEnglish,
1964).Alearnedman,andareasonablesoul,whohadspentmuchofhislifeamongMuslims,heexploredtheprobleminawaynot
cloudedbythewrathofmanyWesterncommentators,whoinflameignorantpeopleintheirownway.
Tomymind,thebestthingwecandoforterroristsistrackthemdown,andcatchorkillthem.ButthereremainstheissueofIslamat
large.TherearemorethanabillionofthoseMuslims,andasBurkesaid,Idonotknowthemethodofdrawingupanindictment
againstanwholepeople.NeitherdoI.
Thetopicisbroadenoughtoreturnto.
January15,2015
Hermits&artists
Wecommemoratetoday,intheOldMassifnotintheNew,oneofmyfavourites:SaintPaul,thefirsthermit.Hisbiographywas
writtenbySaintJerome:seehisVitaSanctiPauliPrimieremitae,whichgentlereadermayfindenglishdontheInternet(here).Off
intothedesertmountainsaboveThebesinEgyptwentourPaul,toescapethepersecutionofDecius,andtherehestayed,inprayerand
penance,livingtoanextremelyoldage.
AmongtheCoptsinEgypt,Iwasdelightedbythelegendaryaccretionstohisstoryhow,afterlivingfordecadesinhismountain
cavenearaspring,clothedandfedbytheproductsofadatepalm,aravenbegantobringhimhalfaloafofbreadeveryday.Howthe
greatdesertfather,SaintAnthony,learntofhiminadream,andthenfoundhim.HowthecloakofSaintAthanasius,thegreat
ArchbishopofAlexandria(himselffrequentlyontherunfromthesecularauthoritiesofhisday)wasfetched,towraparoundPaul
whenhewasdying.Howitwasdelivered,alittletoolate.How,intheend,hisgravewasdugbythesame,veryaged,Anthony
Abbot,withthehelpoftwolions.
TheCoptsareveryclosetomyheart,andwhatmostWesternvisitorstakefortheircredulitymuchappealstome.TheythinkGodcan
doanything.WhatweintheWesthaveforgottenisthatHecan:doalmostanything.(Hecannotdoevil,orcontradictHimself,unlike
someothermiddleeasterndeities.)ShouldGodassignaraventobeacourier,Ishouldthinktheravencouldbepersuadedtoobey.
ShouldGodneedextrahandstodigagrave,whywouldntHesummonthelocallions?Theyhavethepawsforit,afterall.The
reasoningofmyCopticfriends,includingoneWesterneducatedbishopofconsiderableintellectualsophistication,struckmeas
incontestable.
ThisPaulofThebeshasbeen,sinceSaintJeromescharminglifewaspublishedin375,aPatrontomany,manyartistswhohave
servedtheChurch,bothEastandWest.Icantspeakfortheliturgycommittees,whichmustnotthinkhimterriblyimportant,butI
willspeakforartists.Wehavecallings,aspriests,nuns,andmanyothershavecallings;ourvocationsofteninvolvesolitude,isolation,
thehermitage:goingourownway,butwithGod.ThisiswhywesooftenseePaultheHermitrepresentedinWesternart,withthe
veryattributesatwhichthesophisticatedmaysneer:thepalm,theravenwiththeloaf,thelions.EvenshouldthefactotiinRome
happentomisplacehisfile,wewillrememberhim,andwhathehasdoneforus,andwhathestilldoes.
SaintPaul,hermitoftheThebanwilderness,prayforus.