What St Paul's could learn from Mary, the patron of the Occupy protesters | Marina Warner | Comment is free | The Guardian

Quote:

Giles Fraser, the canon chancellor of St Paul's who resigned yesterday morning, appears to be one of the few people within the Church of England who thinks deeply about how to apply Christian teachings to the real world – not just the protest taking place on its steps but the changing role of faith and belief in general. I was due to meet Fraser on Tuesday. St Paul's has been holding a series of public debates about the Bible in the cathedral, and I had been asked to talk about Mary: "Teenage mother, virgin, prophet" was the provocative rubric. Jane Williams, theologian and wife to the Archbishop, would discuss the Mary of scripture, while I, a lapsed Catholic, would fill in what has happened to her cult more recently. The canon – who had spoken out in favour of the protest when the camp was first set up, and never one to shy away from strong debate – would be chairing. As I began drafting my comments, the increasing presence of the Occupy the London Stock Exchange campers added unexpected urgency. The temple in the City had become a base to castigate the buyers and sellers over the way. There were also historical connections: Mary in modern times appears in visions to the poor, unlettered, downtrodden, to children, women, the overworked and underpaid. At La Salette in 1846, the young visionaries, when asked what the splendid Lady had told them, passed on orders that everyone should keep one day a week holy in her honour: labouring children were invoking a union rep on high to get them a day off. More recently the Virgin Mary has undergone a change which also turns her into a symbolic patron of the Occupy movement. From being the figurehead of the long crusade against communism and the emblem of kings and fascist dictators from Europe to south America, she has evolved into a countercultural peace goddess, closer to voodoo than a traditional Madonna. One of the most striking differences between her cult in the past and the present is that the baby has been sidelined. However much the doctrine commands the faithful to worship God through Mary and not Mary herself, almost every contemporary image I have looked at shows Mary on her own, usually standing on the moon, an apocalyptic figure of power, resplendent, blessings flowing from her hands. The appearances of a such a figure are myriad – from the visions in Paris in 1830, which gave rise to the Miraculous Medal, to the current apparitions at the Coptic Chuch in Zeitoun, Cairo, where a radiant lady hovers over the domes in full view. Just as the Madonna of Mercy spread her cloak to shelter all who turned to her (and even covered up errant nuns' pregnancies), she's now seen as a guardian of sinners and prodigals. A revival of religious practices is under way, not necessarily linked to belief; its advocates denounce churches for their strictures against them. Uses of symbols and rituals, relics, charms and talismans, are efflorescing: the relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux were recently taken on tour, and the reliquary attracted vast crowds. The procession even entered York Minster, where the dean welcomed the relics. Last Friday, when the cathedral shut its doors, I assumed the event would be moved to one of the dozens of other churches or halls around. Or even held on the square. But no, with only just over 24 hours to go, I had an email, huffing about "the increased fire risk and decreased access". Yet aerial views show much more space than in any tube station, cinema or theatre at rush hour: I was in Leicester Square last weekend and it made St Paul's churchyard look like the Empty Quarter. The anti-capitalist peace camp is a communal rite, a plea for sanctuary, a pilgrimage undertaken in conviction and hope, a form of prayer, even conjuration, using masks and performance. The campers are adapting old sacramental processes to secular and political purposes, without necessarily proclaiming allegiance to a creed. They are placing their call on a historic ground, in proximity to the church where free speech has been allowed for centuries. The situation cries out for St Paul's clergy to seize the occasion, fling open the doors and hold more and more debate – not about the Bible or Mary, but about justice, poverty and responsibility. Everyone is watching St Paul's. It's no surprise that Fraser has quit, but it is shameful that he was put in this position. He's shown courage in his stand on civil liberties, economic inequality and sexual tolerance, and he was brought in to lead the cathedral's project to develop ethics for our time. He now finds himself muzzled. Continued silence from those remaining inside St Paul's will speak of complete moral and intellectual failure; it will forfeit the Church of England a role in shaping the national conscience. Set candles and petals floating on the sea to the goddess: you're about as likely to get an answer.

This is, of course, a load of old cobblers. The occupy protesterd couldn't give a tinker's toss about religion and are just using St Paul's because it's a convenient space. However, being a Christian means that you have to believe the best of everyone, even when you know they're actually a bunch of heathen trustafarians with the Om symbol embroidered on their hoodies. Turning the other cheek and all that.

__________________
Standard disclaimer: the disgusting statements contained in this post are the views of the poster, and unless specified do not represent the views of the moderators or the site's owners.

Mary always was a pagan cult. The last remnant of Goddess worship in christianity. And I'm sure a better catholic saint could be found to serve as a more approrpiate patron rather than appealing to her relatively universl charity/pity function. Saint Barbara was the patron of gunners because she was killed by lightning.

Or Saint Fiacre, if you're intending to spend any amount of time sitting on cold paving slabs.

__________________
Standard disclaimer: the disgusting statements contained in this post are the views of the poster, and unless specified do not represent the views of the moderators or the site's owners.

Oh yeah, I wasn't suggesting Barabara as such, just showing how particular the associations could be.

In a sense, most of this is comparable to the old Celtic tradition of "fasting against" someone. Sort of Ghandian, this involved people starving themselves on the doorsteps of whoever they had a beef with. Now the protesters may not be fasting as such, but they are foregoing many normal comforts.

This is interesting: The protesters and the clergy at St Paul’s Cathedral have both got it wrong - Telegraph

It brings up Kipling's The Sons of Martha as an example. I'm not saying that it's necessarily right - the world need visionaries as well as drudges, of course. But it explains nicely how the 53% see themselves. (I remember some parody of If ending with "your arse will feel the boot of everyone" - which is, of course, perfectly true as well.)

__________________
Standard disclaimer: the disgusting statements contained in this post are the views of the poster, and unless specified do not represent the views of the moderators or the site's owners.

Solipsistic, sanctimonious, and short-sighted?

Ugh. This is precisely the sort of Useful Idiot the system relies on. Which in turn is why it has had to come down to protest and occupation.

Your system is going to need its drudges too.

__________________
Standard disclaimer: the disgusting statements contained in this post are the views of the poster, and unless specified do not represent the views of the moderators or the site's owners.

Lucy Mangan: St Paul's ? embrace your new flock | Life and style | The Guardian

Quote:

Really, Church of England, I despair. I throw up my hands and despair. As I write, officials from St Paul's Cathedral are investigating the feasibility of removing the Occupy London Stock Exchange protesters from its environs, after the failure of a polite plea from the dean to move on because they were causing a fire and health and safety risk. What astute Anglican – member of the single most benign organisation in western history – could look out over a sea of the best-behaved civic protesters in even our island's long tradition of same and see a problem instead of a vast, synergetical opportunity? CofE, this is your perfect storm! Out there in Paternoster Square is a group of apolitical, unthreatening, well-meaning but slightly confused, pointing-in-all-directions-at-once, allegedly-democratic-but-as-is-the-nature-of-all-humanity-about-to-undergo-multiple-schisms-over-many-as-yet-unresolved-doctrinal-points people waiting for a charismatic leader to emerge and show them the anti-capitalist way and the light. Ring any cathedral bells yet? These are your people. But you have to go and get them. Kindly unworldliness and a few plates of fish paste sandwiches might have been enough in days of yore, but yore has been over for yonks. At a time when we are governed by the slickest, if Spammiest-faced PR man in the western world and our nightly entertainments are based almost entirely on choosing which dead-eyed wannabe fame whore can be most effectively monetised, you need to start thinking less, "What would Jesus do?" and more, "What would Katie Price do?" Don't emerge bleating about health and safety issues from a monument that even the Blitz couldn't close* like some local government jobsworth, for God's sake (literally, in your case). Such petty risk-aversion looks bad on anyone, but particularly those who purport to believe in an afterlife. And really, when you're dealing with protesters who bring their own portable loos, what's the worst that can happen? Offer martyrdom and a stained-glass window to the first tourist to trip over a guy rope, the office of weekend thurifer to the camp's most proficient spliff roller, and you're golden. You have the buildings, they have the numbers. The synthesis is perfect, and the protesters feel it too, you know. They didn't turn up on your doorstep simply because yours was the first convenient plot of land that wasn't patrolled by private security guards like every other square inch of the Square Mile. They felt a pull on their souls and now they shelter in the lee of the mother church that has called them home. Your main man just scored big by bearding Mugabe in his lair and was cheered to the rafters by some of the most oppressed and imperilled people in the world for the mental succour his actions gave them, so enough with the mewling pleas for departure and seeking of injunctions back home. Embrace your new flock. Toby and Tamsin's occasional unflushed turds notwithstanding, you can do this. Roll up your sleeves, butter some baps, go forth, and don't forget to blog about it. * And don't write to me to say that actually it did, for four days. That will help even less. You're competing for mythic hold over the popular imagination yourselves, remember. Spend more time on learning larger lessons, please, not facts.

__________________
Standard disclaimer: the disgusting statements contained in this post are the views of the poster, and unless specified do not represent the views of the moderators or the site's owners.

Occupy London could be protected by Christian ring of prayer | UK news | The Observer

Quote:

Christian groups have drawn up plans to protect protesters by forming a ring of prayer around the camp outside St Paul's Cathedral, should an attempt be made to forcibly remove them. As the storm of controversy over the handling of the Occupy London Stock Exchange demonstration deepened on Saturday, Christian activists said it was their duty to stand up for peaceful protest in the absence of support from St Paul's. One Christian protester, Tanya Paton, said: "We represent peace, unity and love. A ring of prayer is a wonderful symbol." With senior officials at St Paul's apparently intent on seeking an injunction to break up the protest, the director of the influential religious thinktank Ekklesia, Jonathan Bartley, said the cathedral's handling of the protest had been a "car crash" and predicted more high-profile resignations from the Church of England. The canon chancellor of St Paul's, Dr Giles Fraser, and the Rev Fraser Dyer, who works as a chaplain at the cathedral, have already stepped down over the decision to pursue legal action to break up the camp. Meanwhile, it has emerged that Shami Chakrabarti, director of the human rights group Liberty, is attempting to mediate in the dispute. She said she had contacted the corporation, cathedral and protesters to offer a "neutral space" to sort out the impasse. The corporation had not yet responded, she said, although St Paul's had acknowledged her offer. She said the protesters had been enthusiastic in their desire for dialogue and a peaceful resolution. "It would have been easy to opt for a line of action that would have led to images of police dragging away protesters, but they want to talk." It was claimed last night that a highly critical report into the moral standards of bankers has been suppressed by St Paul's amid fears it would inflame tensions over the protest. The report, based on a survey of 500 City workers who were asked if they thought they were worth their salaries and bonuses, was due to be published last Thursday. But publication of the report, by the St Paul's Institute, has been delayed in apparent acknowledgement that it would give the impression the cathedral was on the side of protesters. Christian groups that have publicly sided with the protesters include one of the oldest Christian charities, the Fellowship of Reconciliation, and the oldest national student organisation, the Student Christian Movement, Christianity Uncut, the Zacchaeus 2000 Trust and the Christian magazine Third Way. In addition, London Catholic Worker, the Society of Sacramental Socialists and Quaker groups have offered their support. A statement by the groups said: "As Christians, we stand alongside people of all religions who are resisting economic injustice with active nonviolence. The global economic system perpetuates the wealth of the few at the expense of the many. It is based on idolatrous subservience to markets. We cannot worship both God and money." Bartley said: "There are some very unhappy people within the Church of England. The protesters seem to articulate many of the issues that the church has paid lip-service to. Many people are disillusioned with the position St Paul's has adopted. To evict rather than offer sanctuary is contrary to what many people think the church is all about. The whole thing has been a car crash." On Saturday afternoon, more than 20 religious figures gathered on the steps of St Paul's to support the occupation, which began two weeks ago. The bishop of London, the Right Rev Richard Chartres, has promised to attend St Paul's in an attempt to persuade activists to leave. But protesters say they have no intention of packing up, many reiterating their intention to stay at the cathedral until Christmas and beyond. A spokesman for Occupy London urged the City of London Corporation to open a dialogue with protesters to avoid a lengthy legal battle that could prove expensive for the taxpayer.

__________________
Standard disclaimer: the disgusting statements contained in this post are the views of the poster, and unless specified do not represent the views of the moderators or the site's owners.