Anyone who knows me knows that I strive to be a Christian in the Biblical sense; that is, everything I believe should be proven to be true in the Bible.
Everything in the Bible is true, anything to the contrary notwithstanding; any question pertaining to doctrine can be supported or denied by Scripture, with each verse supporting the last, as there are, contrary to popular opinion, no contradictions in Scripture.
That said, I will try to explain my position on the oh, so popular celebration of Patrick's Day.
The full name of this event is called "Saint" Patrick's Day, but since the Catholic Church illegitimately claims Christianity, and Patrick was a Catholic bishop, I can't bring myself to calling the man a saint.
I absolutely love Irish music; the rhythm, the lyrics, and the tempo of the reels all appeal to my musical DNA. The same is true of Messianic Jewish music, but that's another post.
Other than the poor, misled Catholic sheeple who are herded off to Mass every March 17th, I don't know of anyone who cares about celebrating a dead Catholic priest. I think the whole draw of the thing is the beer and the music. As I think it's pointless to drink beer, I am drawn solely to the music at events all over the countryside and on television on Patrick's Day.
The muted tenor of uilleann pipes and the airy shrillness of Irish whistles playing the tunes of the Emerald Isle draw people of all descents. So does Guinness, but as I said, this has nothing to do with what I'm talking about.
So, what's a body to do, a Christian body, when you really don't want to celebrate Patrick, a dead Catholic priest, but you can't help but enjoy the rampant celebration of some decent music for a change?
Go ahead and listen to the sweet melodies of Ireland, watch the parade on TV, as parades are fun to watch, but do you really care about Patrick? Is Patrick worth celebrating?
I don't celebrate Patrick's Day. I make it a point to wear an un-green color. And why should I celebrate the guy? He only misled masses of people into a false, cult-like religion.
Have a Happy Irish Music Extravaganza Enjoyment Day, but, by all means, forget the dead Catholic guy, okay?
6 comments:
As you say, it's not the man they are celebrating. I tend to think that it is a modern day version of some sort of pagan spring celebration. The green I believe represents the return of spring.
Great point!
And you absoulutely must have corned beef and cabbage...mmmmmmm....yummy!
Elm, thanks for the comment!
Many "holidays" that Americans celebrate were brought into being by the Catholics via pagan observances falling on the same day.
That helps keep the capital rolling in by appealing to a larger audience.
Bigger congregations equal more filthy lucre!
Supposedly, the green represents Catholicism, but you're probably right that it originally signified spring.
FD, thank you!
This has been on my mind for awhile, but I only now got around to blogging it. :)
Jude, thanks for commenting!
I love corned beef and cabbage, but I haven't had any in forever.
Though it's more Jewish than Irish, the flavor and tenderness of corned beef, as well as the cabbage and potatoes, when properly vinegered, have ALWAYS been a favorite of mine.
You know, after being in a certain church for 10 years, one thing I learned was that green is the Catholic color, and orange is Protestant.
It's a really big deal in Ireland, and if you're a group that wears orange as its color, you are thought of as Protestant or anti-Catholic.
So, if you want to go anti-Catholic-green, wear orange! :)
Rebecca
(I also LOVE Irish music!)
Actually, Patrick was not a Catholic, he was a Celtic Christian, which is why he is not canonized as a true Saint in the Catholic church.
I'll have to do a post about him!
God Bless,
~Mike
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