aaaaaarrrgggggghhhhhhh!!!!!!!!
and its holiday season which makes it even more difficult.
but last wednesday night, at soul space, we couldn't open the front door of the church as there was something wrong with the lock. the only way in was through the back door via a slightly treacherous track around the graveyard in the dark and light drizzly rain. i was going to call it off, as it felt completely wrong to be locked in a church without having the front door open so that anyone else could come in. but then a young mum with her baby boy came, and she was so disappointed that she couldn't have her hour of peace and space in church - i just couldn't say no to her.
and our delightful, atheist friend, lawrence was there too. he sent me an email this morning, part of which i put here:
Congratulations on last night’s Soul Space. I saw a man who had already “walked that other mile” the Man in Black sings about, and who was also abhorred at the idea of a closed church - but who managed somehow (with whatever inner feelings you had) to respond to a cry of pain and need from a mother with child.
I hope you got something yourself from the experience. I personally loved what you described as the “weird experience of being locked up in a church”. I felt we were reliving the beginning of Acts 2 which to me paints a picture of the followers being all huddled together in a (locked) building - feeling afraid, inferior and inadequate. So for me, last night was history and symbolism and reality and poetry. And I loved you for mentioning us all by name, along with yourself, at the closing prayer.
lawrence, and good people like him, help to keep inspriation smouldering in me.
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3 comments:
I have been struggling for five days to use your window to “Cyberspace” to talk of my own time of “inspiration” - and subsequent darkness.
The inspiration came from being part of the march on Saturday regarding the current situation in Lebanon and Palestine. The vast majority of people on the march were simply individuals or small groups of people like myself. People who did not know what the solution was to the complex problems in these two lands. All we could do was to make the simple statement:
“What is happening is wrong - almost half the people being killed in Lebanon are children.”
But then came the darkness - but I felt if I struggled long enough I would hopefully be able to find some words to write in cyberspace - not knowing if anyone would read my words, but at least I would have the feeling that I had done my best to communicate my struggle - a struggle I am sure many other people are currently going through.
However, I have to communicate before I am ready to do so, for today 24 people are being questioned by police, including one person from Forest Road in Walthamstow, and numerous homes and businesses have been searched. There is widespread talk of a plot to explode a number of aeroplanes over American cities.
I attended the Magrib prayer time at our local Mansfield Road Mosque tonight. The attendance was three times the normal attendance, and most people stayed on to continue praying after the formal ten minute prayer session. I would describe the mood as sombre. As always I was warmly welcomed, and I shook hands with many people, with the peace greeting of “Salam”. And how many of those Muslims tomorrow are going to feel threatened, are going to feel everyone is looking at them with suspicion, when all they want to do is experience and live the truth and beauty and peace of Islam.
We in the western world use our massive political and economic and military strength at a safe distance - and children die, and have been dying, for years. One thing that inspires me is that only an infinitesimal tiny number of Muslims resort to the Biblical tenet from Exodus “An eye for an eye…. ”, a philosophy about which the Hindu Mahatma Ghandi remarked would soon result in the whole world becoming eyeless and toothless. And we must also remember that only sixty years ago, in the land of Bach and Beethoven, millions of people were being systematically slaughtered in concentration camps,
Some of the Muslims at the Mansfield Road Mosque tonight were no doubt remembering, as I was, the 250 strong police raid in Forest Gate on 2 June of this year, when two brothers were arrested, one of whom was shot in the process. Both brothers were released seven days later without charge, with a subsequent apology from the Metropolitan Police for the “hurt” caused. Action does have to be taken to prevent aeroplanes exploding over American cities. However, we must not jump to conclusions regarding the 24 people currently being questioned, or all the houses and business which were searched overnight. We can easily turn innocent peaceful people into supporters of violence.
I spent some time on the Saturday’s four hour march from Speakers Corner to Parliament Square with a group called “Jews for Justice for Palestinians”. The vast majority of the people on the march on Saturday were non Muslims, and rightly so, for the search for justice and peace for ALL has to be the concern of ALL. I hope that tomorrow in Walthamstow non Muslim and Muslim will greet each other. For this entire week there has been the extraordinary photographic exhibition in our Town Square of “The Thousand faces of Walthamstow”. From 7.00 pm tomorrow tonight Hal, the photographer responsible, has invited everyone along to party in the Square. Let us all go along for Salam-Shalom-Peace…… and a bit of joy.
Tony,
Im a long time reader, but a first time poster.
Don't give up on this blog! It is excellent. It's a continous source of inspiration and thought provocation which this agnostic would personally be sad to see disappear.
As I'm sure you're aware, one doesn't have to wheel out ingenious revelation after ingenious revelation each week to affect others (religious or not).
Your're doing a fantastic job with this blog, and I hope it sticks around for a long time to come.
Giles.
P.S.
To Laurence,
You sound like a fascinating person, although if I'm honest unlike any atheist I've ever personally met. I've often enjoyed your follow up posts to Tony's blog, so please keep up the good work too!
well said.
dont give up on the blog.
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