Because of the difficulty in explaining the concept of Guy Fawkes Day to an American, Tina has generally accepted that the Fifth of November is England's "Burn a Catholic Day" and I am quite happy with that.In actual fact, the words of the original Guy Fawkes poem seem to contain a verse that pretty much suggests that. But, mind you, with a Catholic plotting to blow up the Houses of Parliament the general population must have felt about Catholics the way the general population feel about Muslims these days.
It's just a pity that so many Catholics were persecuted back in those days for merely being part of the same religion as Signor Fawkes. Just as many Muslims feel they're being persecuted these days for being part of the same religion as the July 11th Suicide bombers.
Tina asked me the other day whether I still believe in God - and I do, despite my hypothosis on divinity leading me to believe that the creator of the universe was in fact Mr Ritz (this is the Holy Lampshade discussion I will have to fill you in on later.)
But I will tell you this. If we all decided to give up our religions, whatever they may be, and people stopped doing things 'in the name of God' then we'd either have a much more peaceful world, or people who did bad things would no longer have a good cause to hide behind.
As R.K. Millholland recently quoted at Something Positive - Don't Confuse the Faith with the Supposed Faithful.
I stole this poem from my friend Jo's webpage. Sorry, Jo!
Remember, remember the fifth of November,
The gunpowder, treason and plot,
I see of no reason why gunpowder treason,
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, 'twas his intent
To blow up the King and the Parliament.
Three score barrels of powder below,
Poor old England to overthrow:
By God's providence he was catch'd
With a dark lantern and burning match.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, make the bells ring.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King!
Hip hip hoorah!
A penny loaf to feed the Pope.
A farthing o' cheese to choke him.
A pint of beer to rinse it down.
A fagot of sticks to burn him.
Burn him in a tub of tar.
Burn him like a blazing star.
Burn his body from his head.
Then we'll say ol' Pope is dead.
Hip hip hoorah! Hip hip hoorah!
1 comment:
On review over the net, th esecond part of the poem is not neccessarily connected to the original. A kind of historical restructuring there. But then I do wonder why it is that the English accually seem to celebrate more in favor of Guy Fawkes then to condemn him. And as to your consideration that the world would be better off without religious zealotism, i would have to agree of a portion. The other portion I should let you know, have you been on the ragged end of an Atheistic Zealotism? I didn't think so. I would offer that this over-the-edge fanaticism is not excclusive to the religious. It pretty much pervades all sections of humanistic thinking. I offer the affects of Socialism in Russia. How many died when faced with atheism swore to remove all religious thought. Err all, Genocide of a single group of thought, incites the same condition it set out to remove.
Post a Comment