The world is a very strange place...

[tree_and_leaf]

Police in Baden are looking for the unknown criminal who exploded a portaloo, sending shards of plastic flying 40m. General bafflement has ensued.

Also, either my subconscious is a strange place, or God has an odd sense of humour (actually, thinking about it, I'm putting my money on 'both of the above!') - last night I was praying with 'Sacred Space'†, and the passage from the Bible was Luke 6 36-38, ... give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back. And what my mind suggested to me, other than an image of grains of wheat, was a song. "Now cheer up my lads, it's to glory we steer/ and to add something more to this wonderful year/ heart of oak are our ships/ heart of oak are our men/ we've thumped them before and we'll thump them again."

Church Militant or not, this strikes me as a slightly strange response, though alarmingly I find it also sort of makes sense...


† An excellent site guiding you through contemplative prayer, run by the Irish Jesuits.

Comments

[lucullean.livejournal.com]

This is a really fabulous post ;) I actually can't make sense of it, but the song you reference makes me think of Susan Cooper's _The Dark is Rising_, which is about Arthur and therefore has some Christian undertones of its own.

[tree_and_leaf]

I dunno - I have a tendency to gloom and self-doubt (especially the latter) and 'Hearts of Oak' is a good, encouraging up-and-at-'em song. But it amuses me that my subconscious is apparently capable of finding spiritual encouragement in a somewhat jingoistic song about fighting the Napoleonic navy... It probably proves I've been reading too much Patrick O'Brian.

From what I know of TDIR, it's pretty pagan, but I suppose you can't entirely dechristianize Arthur.

[sacred-sarcasm.livejournal.com]

It's interesting - there's something very Anglican about the religion in TDIR, I always think. Lots of hymn-singing and Christmassing (especially in TDIR, not the rest of the cycle), but not quite clear what the dogma is! IIRC there's a scene where a church is being assailed by the Dark, adn the church has some protection and an of itself, but the Old Ones make the vicar stand down and they deal with it.

[tree_and_leaf]

Hm. I always thought the TDIR universe was explicitly dualistic, but I don't know the books that well, having curiously missed them as a child (astonishing, really, as they're very much the sort of thing that would have appealed - and still does, come to that).

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

It's sad to see that the demise of Voldemort has not led to an end of Muggle-baiting among our European brethren.

[Also, I think this post demonstrates why you should not have a religion filter :-) ]

[tree_and_leaf]

It is, isn't it? I suppose that, not having had such a terrible lesson up so close as to where such prejudice leads, then low-level hateful activities persist more easily.

Also, I think this post demonstrates why you should not have a religion filter :-)

You might be right, at that ;)

[sangerin.livejournal.com]

unknown criminal who exploded a portaloo,

And I have no rational explanation for the fact that, the first two times I read this, I read "portaloo" as "potato".

If I had a "bzuh?" or similar icon, I would use it.

[tree_and_leaf]

I exploded a potato once. Though it was due to an accident in the microwave, rather than a wish to embark on a career of terrorism.

Personally, I think the Muggle-baiting theory is the only vaguely plausble explanation.

[sacred-sarcasm.livejournal.com]

Argh! So did I!

Clearly tree_and_leaf has now edited it or something. ;)

[dolorous-ett.livejournal.com]

Blowing up Portaloos? Is nothing sacred?

*fights impulse to sully yr journal with "short, sharp shower of..." jokes*

[tree_and_leaf]

Evidently not. And sully away, although given the shards of plastic, I think 'sharp' may be far too appropriate, though luckily no-one was in the vicinity at the time....

[el-staplador.livejournal.com]

'Police say they have nothing to go on...'

*hides*

[tree_and_leaf]

*groans*

Very good, in an awful sort of way!