Maundy Thursday saw the Pope washing feet of a few people

We are now into Holy week, Maundy Thursday saw the Pope washing feet of a few people [including a few bemused migrants] Our Queen as stopped doing this many years ago and gives out specially minted money instead.

We stripped the alter in our Church after having a service which symbolises the betrayal of Jesus, by his trusted disciples, to the legal Authorities?  Leaving their leader to face the consequence on his own.

Good Friday will be a quiet day with a simple mass and a talk about the show trial and execution of Jesus.

We call it Good Friday, which is something I have never understood, how we can call an unjust trial and an even worse barbaric killing good, yet we do.

At least we can look forward to Easter Sunday, with its symbolism of the resurrection of Jesus. Plus there will be services over the coming weeks leading up to the Ascension of Jesus and with it the meeting of the resurrected Jesus with his disciples. 

How a group of frightened men who had lost their leader gained courage to face persecution and even death for their beliefs. Finally we come to Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit comes down and enters the followers of Jesus giving them courage to do what is asked of them.

But the one thing Christians tend to overlook, or maybe not, is just how the Authorities can manipulate the people [mob] to do their bidding. Also how to this day the people can be manipulated by propaganda.

Also the first large scale political control of the mass of people was religion. Next came political parties that more or less started to fill a void that religion did not. But the principle was the same a group of people who wanted to be in charge and set the rules that others must abide by.

Comments

Also the first large scale political control of the mass of people was religion

Ive heard such words used, but I am not sure.

The prophets and messengers that were sent offten had to truggle against abuse of authority, from the time of atleast the prophets Ibrahim (as) Musa (as) and Isa (as), they wre going against established large scale control of people.

"For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens 'as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone'" - David Cameron, UK Prime Minister. 13 May 2015.

The prophets and messengers that were sent offten had to truggle against abuse of authority, from the time of atleast the prophets Ibrahim (as) Musa (as) and Isa (as), they wre going against established large scale control of people.

The above is correct.

The Jewish authorites would not acept any dissent to their religious system of rule. Mixture of religious and civil law. Hence JC had to go, but as the Sanhedrin could not kill people lawfully and they were allowed to rule under Roman jurisdiction, they had to get the Romans to do the deed.

The Christian religion was either tolerated as a Jewish sect? Or indeed persecuted by the Romans, But later on these self same Romans under Emperor Constantine took Christianity onboard as a way of unifying the Roman Empire.

At that time the  Empire had split into two parts Easter and Western. As the Romans had been fighting amongst themselves, they had problems with the Persian Empire. So Constantine saw the use of the Christian faith as useful to unite both parts into one to help defend the empire against the Persians. This act allowed the Christian faith to spread thoughout the Roman Empire. In fact up to Constantines use of the Christion faith [for his own reasons] Christianity had been going nowhere.

Suprisingly Constantine only became a Christian [baptised] just before he died.

Mohammed was the founder of the religion of Islam, yes he was met with opposition in Arabia. But it was only after his death did Islam move from being a mainly a Arabian based religion. To a religion that was spread by the followers [and Companions] outside of Arabia. These followers where quite happy to let people do their own thing [no compulsion] so long as they paid a religious tax. This was no hardship because they [the ordinary people had had to pay a similar tax to the Romans. Whilst many of the landowners had left with the Romans, it meant there was lots of land to take over.

In fact it was profitable to let the native population do their own thing so long as they paid the religious taxes. So long as the spread of Islam went on there was a good living to be made. It was only when Islam stopped its spreading [no more booty to be had] Plus the fact that some of the local population converted to avoid the religious tax [cut in revenues] On top of this was who was going to succeed in being the leader of Islam.

The civil war between different leaders within Islam. [the Sunni v Shiate] being the most obvious one. Thes leaders had to take more control [policy] and the followers [ordinary people] had to be led [coerced] to do the leaders bidding. As the religious and military leaders was one and the same they needed support of the ordinary people assist them in their aims.

I am not saying that Islam is unique in this. In the Holy Roman Empire. Popes and Bishops were both religious leaders and military leaders [had armies] They would set policy/rules and again the ordinary people would have to obey.

Has people over the years have been less gullible [lost faith in self imposed leadership] then religion as a means of maintaining power and controling the masses changes and politic ideology became the new controling media.

I have never lost ny faith in Jesus, but i sometimes doubt the people who are in authority in the Christian Church who represent him.

I don't know if Muslims feel a similar way of their religious authority or leaders who speak on behalf of Islam?

 

The following is some of the sources of my information. You might find it interesting, Plus for a western source it is fairly even handed.

You can either read just the section on Islam, or start at the beginning [as you wish] but the more one learns, the more one realises how much their is still to learn.

HIST 210: The Early Middle Ages, 284–1000

HIST 210: The Early Middle Ages, 284–1000

Interesting lectures for learning European History in General. But if you look at lessons 14 onwards it mainly deals with Islam.

The thing is if you don’t read about world history, we tend to repeat the same mistakes again.

The following is a good link to all of Yales Lectures