More from "Sacred Wounds" in Let the Bones Dance by Marcia W. Mount Shoop.
The profane violates, abuses, or vulgarizes with intense irreverence for the purpose for which something has been set apart. To profane is to do violence through an utter disregard for the very nature of that which is sacred. Often the word is used, however, to label those who are rejected or marginalized. This word, "profane," has been used to degrade and diminish everyone from lepers and prostitutes to women who speak in church and those who love people of their same gender. A more accurate example of the profane is when a bomb goes off in the middle of a mosque in Iraq or Pakistan during a time of prayer for Muslims. This act desecrates with a profanity that we can all recognize as a violation of the sacred intention of that space.
Many thoughts were flying through my mind during the reading of this piece. Some would involve more space and time than is available here. Ask me sometime. Could it be that some of the 'work' of religious organizations can be considered quite profane. That is, it takes what has been considered sacred and uses that position in a way that oppresses and violates and disregards the least among us. You might think I'm beginning to write about clergy abuse within the church (priests/pastors taking advantage of minors). But no - instead, my thoughts wander to the many ways the church and other faiths completely disregard certain people. Another way is through the operation of the religious institution that have squeezed life from the people in order to build an empire of sorts - that can be anything from the grand structure of the Roman church to the temples built for the egos of some very wealthy pastors of very big self-promoting churches. There is much to discuss here.< /div> Connection: What is sacred in your eyes? What calls you toward the living Reign of God and the fullness of life there? When is that violated - why? Here we see ourselves in you, O God of New Life. Continue to make us a holy people who long to bless the life of those around us so that all will be held up as your beloved even when the world rejects them and us. Amen. |
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