A Christmas theological musing Ive been thinking about the three kings in the Christmas story, who were actually referred to as wise men, and magi from the east. Through the millennia wars have and are being fought, and although territory and politics are the true motives, many have died from rousing speeches made by men speaking of the “true religion” the one true god with us and them narratives, eg chosen ones against the pagans, or infidels etc. I am sure everyone has encountered the smug self assurance of the faithful and their chosen religion, and their complete conviction that they have the answer and the rest are in darkness. It’s human nature to seek a feeling of superiority and security, and religion can tick those boxes . So here is a question for the next person attempting to convert you at your doorstep. What religion were the magi? They probably won’t know the answer, but here it is.. The magi came from Persia, and followed the Zoroastrian faith. They also had a monotheistic concept but recognized other divine powers. Their prime worship was of fire and also of water. Interestingly the Sama Veda, one of the oldest Hindu scriptures addresses much of it prayer to “Agni’ who is fire (and also the root of the word ignite) and no scholastic research is need to back up the fact that the Vedic religions stressed bodily immersion in water… usually in sacred rivers. This raises a point in my mind…. If a group of men were guided by astrology (star of Bethlehem) and divine revelation (dreams) from the divine source of Jesus Christ, then the eastern religions are sanctioned by this inclusion at the very beginning of the gospel. It is also worth noting that Mecca originally housed many deity statues which were broken by the prophet, but he spared the statue of Jesus. There is also a chapter in the Koran where Abraham, who’s father was a maker of idols broke all the statues except the one of the supreme being (the prophets 55-65) “so that they may return to him” I wonder what the remaining statue looked like? (George Harrison would have said Krishna) And the question is raised: if the supreme God has a form is it a scriptural injunction to encourage worshiping a statue of the correct being? Like the string which threads pearls, the three wise men connect faiths from different cultures, and also authorize the arts of astronomy and astrology. If astrology was sorcery, and faiths another than your own were “pagan” then the wise men would never have had the sanctions of the God claimed exclusively by the middle east and Christendom. We would have sent a Rabbi from Jerusalem. But he (or she) did not. I think that is an important message. A Christian can read the horoscope in the paper guilt free, and a Muslim can freely acknowledge a statue of Visnu. The Hindus already acknowledge the rest of the religious seekers, we just need to have a chat to them about the caste system… Merry Christmas!
Posted on: Wed, 26 Nov 2014 02:30:35 +0000
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