Some people in the Philippines still nail themselves to crosses and beat themselves as part of a sick good Friday ritual. These people are fanatics and bring a bad name to the church. This article highlights a 15-year old boy who took part in the ritual. Some will admire his actions calling them an act of selfless faith and strong desire to honor God. This kid was 15 years old! A 15 year old engaging in that sort of activity in the name of his religion suggests an oppressive cultural captivity. Something tells me there are better ways to honor God than gory debasement of the body.
In this day and age, religious extremism is associated with Islam. The difference with their version of extremism is that the torture and violence are concentrated externally rather than internally. That is, they kill and torture others and not themselves. I'd be interested to know what the Catholic Church thinks about this business of self-crucifixion. The Church argues that the body is a temple of God and is something he has dominion over. I wonder if this is as great of an offense to God as the extreme acts of radical Islam. Whatever the answer is, trying to live a virtuous life is good enough for me.
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2 comments:
I agree. Jesus was crucified so we wouldn't have to be. Certainly self-denial is part of the Christian life as we give of ourselves for others, but self-mutilation is NOT the same thing. The body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and should be treated with respect.
It couldn't have been his mom who encouraged him to do that.
Joe,
Look at it here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7305522.stm
"Health officials in the Philippines have issued a warning to people taking part in Easter crucifixion rituals.
They have urged them to get tetanus vaccinations before they flagellate themselves and are nailed to crosses, and to practise good hygiene."
It sounds like this is an annual occurrence in the Philippines.
I have a Filipino Catholic friend who tells me that Filipinos are well-known for taking penances way too far. "I just told you to lay off the women; you didn't have to castrate yourself!" he jokes regularly.
You're right that this is kind of ridiculous--the article I linked to above says that the Vatican frowns on the practice. The body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and we ought to take care of our bodies because they don't belong to us.
But on the other hand, I think it's important to notice that these people are doing penance--how many regular Westerners do penance? How many fast and abstain as the church instructs? How many go to confession?
While this Filipino practice is extreme, at least the Filipinos are keenly aware that they are sinners and that they don't deserve every good thing.
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