"I AM A RIVER FOR MY PEOPLE !"

The grandiloquent self-congratulation of the black-robed Arab chieftain, played by Anthony Quinn, become an ally of Lawrence of Arabia in the famous film, made movie-goers smile.  The point, however, is not the movie but the metaphor.  Rivers, as figures of speech are frequently exploited in the Bible, born in the deserts of the Middle East, as they are in the poetry of even less arid countries.  They are popular too in pious literature and prayers, especially at funerals and memorial services.  There is something soothing, something reassuring, something magic about rivers.  Witness the following opening prayer at a recent (April 30, 2013) paraliturgical tribute to a saintly nun at Sydney's Mater Hospital :

"Compassionate God,

living water, river of mercy, source of life,

in whom we live and move and have our being,

who quenches our thirst, refreshes our weariness,

bathes and washes and cleanses our wounds,

be for us always a fountain of life,

and for all the world a river of hope,

springing up in the midst of the deserts of despair."

The metaphor works.  God is also a river and source of life for His people.  It would be blasphemous, or at least bad taste, to compare Him with Quinn's character, who could not have been farther from the devout participants' minds.  Their faith is expressed in phrases like "fountain of life" and "river of hope".  One must respect their efforts to find the right words to elicit the emotions they feel.  Even if they are meaningless.  In the context of Christian faith and in the community of believers, the words make sense.  They added beauty and dignity to the celebration of the life-long dedication of Sister JM, never to be forgotten, honored by the memorial Mercy Garden.

Belief in God has inspired people to give their whole lives to His service and that of their brothers and sisters, children like them of God their Father.  It has also inspired masterpieces of art, architecture, music and literature which in enshrining their faith have enriched the lives even of those who do not share it.

The above is intended not only to express respect for believers, but to reassure them.  Our mantra must not be misunderstood.  In pleading for the destruction of religion, I am in no way suggesting that we should destroy its artifacts and artistic treasures.  Only insane fanatics commit such crimes.  Sometimes the criminals are themselves believers, like the Taliban.  French anti-royalist, anti-clerical revolutionaries were often just as bad.  Today we can be iconoclast without literally destroying the icons.

                                                                   DELENDA   RELIGIO