Ghastly Ghosts and Bone Crushers

Perhaps I should edit the title of my blog as this is the second non-book inspired post, but oral history dominated earlier human societies so oral history should not be dismissed. Last Monday, All Hallows Day, I walked the shadows of Tampa's business buildings and stood on the banks of the Hillsborough River looking for a distraction. The distraction happened to be a planned attendance on a ghost tour... I've lived in Tampa for most of my life and know very little of its history so this seemed a fun way to learn some of the lore in my hometown. 


I don't attend events without prior research because like a good student I enjoy testing the expertise of my information sources. My mind's decayed state in post-graduation life was too lazy to feel its usual curiosity. The rationale went like this: how could a local ghost tour in downtown Tampa really be provocative? Of course, showing up unprepared followed with a nasty surprise.

The tour began with the usual antidotes. Some funny and sad stories were expected such as the ghost of an old Tailor who now protects the bookstore where his shop used to be. The Tailor ghost chased a criminal with a pair of shears and carved up the criminal significantly. A ghost of a young female teen runaway who died in the old Redlight District waits for her mother to see her. A ghost of a workaholic film editor haunts one of the old theaters and turns projectors on. A ghost of a pirate scout wanders the river bank looking for a good landing site. Ghost ships sail in and out of the Bay. Typical lore of a city and spooky history lesson for an evening jaunt.

Then we arrived at Gaslight Park in the center of downtown Tampa. Here was the place where I learned about the Tocobaga Indians. The short version goes like this: the Tocobaga tribes resided in the region known today as Tampa Bay. The tribe was completely wiped out by European diseases introduced by Spanish traders. Like many Indian tribes, the Tocobaga used burial mounds as a resting place for their dead. Because shells are so plentiful along the Gulf Coast, generations were separated by layers of shells. When the next wave of European settlers arrived in Tampa the area was uninhabited and dotted with as many as 15,000 burial mounds.

As the newest European settlers cultivated the land and established a city, they wanted to build roads. They began to level the thousands of mounds and discovered a wealth of "materials" to use in road construction. Shells and the bones on the Tocobaga Indians were crushed to make the first foundation for brick paved streets. The construction of the University of Tampa (formally the grandest hotel built by a wealthy businessman) alone used 1200 burial mounds to set its foundations. We cannot say how many bodies resided in each mound because they were all destroyed.

I stare down at the concrete supporting my feet. To know the literal bones of humans were ground into small pieces to support "progress" nauseated me. Later I went home to research the story to corroborate the guide's information, but short of digging up old records at the downtown library I could not find credible supporting evidence. I do know and have seen documents supporting a similar kind of attitude of European settlers in this region disturbing Indian burial mounds for the sake of real estate development. If the European settlers, like many other documented cases from early colonial period, viewed Indians as sub-human, then it is not much of a stretch to suppose workers crushed human skulls, rib cages, legs, etc for gravel.

Further reflection accepted the initial shock and horror of the possibility and examined our present economic state as Euro-American society. Conservative news networks dismiss the Occupy Movement as "anti-capitalist naivete" or similar condemning socialist hinted terms. The Occupy protesters (the non-violent ones, I should add...) are precisely those balancing voices who make us stop and ask 'whose bones are we crushing to pave our road to wealth?' Even if you think the Occupy Protesters are off mark with reality, we all should reflect together why even the perception of Wall Street dominating the political and economic powers disturbs so many people in our nation. Why should we fear a nation operate like Wall Street?

The place for humanity on Wall Street is precisely the problem. Attempts to remove Wall Street Occupiers is a visual depiction of why Wall Street repulses so many middle class- working class individuals. Wall Street philosophy eliminates the bother of morality and kinship as far as the SEC will allow. The Bear and the Bull run rampant in the street and obliterate lives in a single breath. The "forces" of the market cannot be judged by humans and we (the majority of Americans) should be happy some (Wall Street brokers) are keen enough to manipulate the market for profit. Profit generates jobs so please go home and be happy. Do you really want the government to try to do what we do? Let the few rule the many with economic thrusts and strategies. After all, we wear the $2,000 suits and you shop at Walmart. Trust us and bail us out when we screw up. You might even get a lower interest rate if you do!

My mind's eye sees the European settler desecrating graves and crushing an Indian bone for a path carriages can ride easier. It takes quite a bit of force to crush newer bones and I assume some men turned faces of skulls away as they used shovels to crack them. Our present economic and political troubles echo the unapologetic, violent disrespect exercised against Indian nations. Like many historic empires, the wealthy trod on the poor and use all manner of persuasion or fear to ensure dissenting voices remain few. The slavery of debt still haunts our human community and effectively subdues many into silence.

After several gut wrenching research papers on the evils done by my Euro-American ancestors, I wish more Americans of European heritage reflected on the horrors we inherited. Some things have changed thankfully, but injustice exists in every generation and in every community.  Hope promises the coming of age generation can redeem the evils of the previous generation. It's an endless cycle of hope, disappointment, cynicism, and hope renewed. The hope I have transcends merely my own actions. I do hope to avoid bone crushing for personal comforts. I also hope to stop the shovel of a neighboring bone crusher and help her see the humanity of the remains she was willing to trample.

God ...of War and Genocide

This afternoon I watched the recent movie Thor depict the coming of age tale of the Norse mythic hero. Thor, son of Odin, is known as the God of War. The movie depicts the handsome, arrogant, and violent immortal from another realm who is sent to Earth to learn a lesson of humility. A beautiful, smart, and spunky mortal scientist "softens" Thor and restrains Thor's thirst for the blood of a historic enemy race. It is Thor's adoptive brother from motives of self-loathing and parental affirmation seeks the genocide of the same enemy race. Thor sacrifices his chance to return to Earth to retrieve his mortal love and prevents the genocide. The movie outlines the selfish blood thirsty god of war to a wiser, pensive future king. But the audience knows Thor will not forsake his hammer when 'there is no other way.'

The above is an unremarkable summary of a well told cinematic story. My point of interest occurred at the moment when Thor's brother commenced with destruction of the 'enemy' race. One of the persons with whom I watched the movie commented, 'I don't really see why Thor is upset his brother is killing them. He doesn't really need to give up his only way to Earth.' The unexpected comment shocked me. I replied, 'I think the point is Thor learned the value of life during his powerless stay on Earth. His character evolved to see annihilation of an entire race is wrong.' My companion pointed out genocide has biblical precedent at God's command.

Yes, indeed the Bible orders genocide. The historical reality of such orders is circumspect, but the ideological influence on human history in the West has been significant. My conversation unfortunately is not unique and our American psyches have long accepted war as a perpetual if not necessary part of our economy. The more radical anti-violent teachings of Jesus are overlooked to accommodate a violent status quo. Would I or you stop genocide of our enemy if it eliminated a serious threat to our safety? I challenge Hollywood's romantic depiction of Thor. Further to this point, I found a poem entitled The Challenge of Thor by Henry Longfellow.

...Force rules the world still/Has ruled it and shall rule it/Meekness is weakness/Strength is triumphant/Over the whole earth/Still it is Thor's day!

Thou art a God too/ O Galilean!/And thus single-handed/Unto the combat/Gauntlet or Gospel/Here I defy thee!

Longfellow certainly captures a darker side of Thor--even in this snippet of a longer poem. The legacy of Thor is power and violence. Yet, we in contemporary vision want this character to practice compassion through a lesson of love. We soften the stormy legend. We profit from a humanized version of an angry god. Many probably remember Mel Gibson's passion narrative of Jesus. I remember as a younger high school student the atrocious violence...and the blood. So much blood and human cruelty. Longfellow's poem retrieved the memory and Gibson's movie seems to support the Thor according to Longfellow, 'Still it is Thor's day!' We remember violence and strength above the Gospel of love. I like many others have yet to find a way to defy Thor's day and the continued praise of violent legacies.

 

 

The Golden Bull

The photo on the left appeared in my Facebook Newsfeed as a "recommendation" by several of my divinity school friends. It appropriately cautions Christians who inhabit Capitalist worldviews. Believers in Capitalism cannot but reflect at possible judgment of the Hebrews worshiping a golden calf in the book of Exodus. To those who are familiar with the exploits of Israel's Egypt escape in Exodus, then you will catch the irony of the comparison. (The reader should note: The calf idol according to the biblical narrative was constructed not in Canaan but in the Sinai Peninsula while waiting for Moses. The incident was the reason for 40 years of wandering harsh wilderness.) The Bull and the Bear determine the range of happiness for our economies--personal, national, and international. The Bull is our good luck charm to ensure "AA" and even "AAA" ratings, steady profit margins, as well as increasing jobs availability. I cannot belittle ideas of economic security. I like most people in the world am a slave to debt, international politics, and the caprice of economic markets. The Bull means an easier future for me and many others.

However, the prosperous Bull marked the beginning of theological/moral troubles for the Hebrews. This event marked the beginning of a curse on an entire generation and a weighty load for an emerging generation to carry forward. YHWH guided the Hebrews to safety outside of Egyptian slavery, through a parted Reed Sea, and yet, insecurity in Moses' long meeting with YHWH up the mountain moved the Hebrews to re-establish security and purpose. The Hebrews could now see and hope for stability in the good luck of the Calf--created from the wealth of the people. New purpose and security replaced anxiety of an unknown future.

Is the Bull in Capitalism very different from the image of security the Calf represented to the Hebrews? Wall Street financial  markets are "melted down," or created, from the wealth of our society and supposedly governed by principles managed by educated advisors/brokers. Education can blind as well as illuminate the world. The myth of the Bull symbolizes the dual edges of illumination and blindness. If I find security in news of the Bull running through Wall Street, then do I see the moral compromise of amassing wealth at the exploitation of thousands--even millions--of people in my own country and around the world? In my pursuit of economic security I may blindly seek the Bull and yet only find I have been led deeper into the wilderness away from a path of justice and God-seeking.

Postmodernism and Toleration

The trademark of "postmodern" critiques and insights is metaphor of glasses. Or lens, etc. Our individual and community views are each drastically different because of personal and collective histories. I "see" the world radically different from even my next door neighbor because of personal relationships, regional affiliations, religious identity, gender identity, social identity...etc. Postmodernism is right to critique, especially those in the West, those who have controlled most of the power and influence in human community. A Western Sociologist who has stamped a label like "religion" on a way of living and perspective in Asia may be considered abusive to an ancient tradition whose political power dwarfs the influence of the West. Yes, in the USA, we should question our methods of inquiry against a history of imperialism and colonialism.

Certain critiques against "toleration of the other" use the postmodern insight to demonstrate how "toleration" has led to economic, religious, and political disadvantage. I also dislike the word "tolerate" because it hints at passivity or apathy toward global (not to mention diversity within local) neighbors. There are traditions I cannot accept because of endorsements of violence, abuse, greed, and selfishness. For dramatic effect, I cannot accept tribal traditions of human sacrifice or religious dogma that calls for genocide. I will not tolerate injustice to creation: including human life and our environment.

However, I vigilantly seek to honor differences in perspective. I trust the creative God to have planted mustard seeds in the diversity of human culture. Because I honor the love, grace, mystery, and breadth of God I have known in Christianity, I will not simply "tolerate" my religiously different neighbor. I will love her. To love her, I must affirm her, and to affirm her I must know her. To know her, I must seek her out. Yet, I do know her before meeting her, in a way. We are both human. Our shared humanity is the first connection we have and in my humanity I desire the ability to flourish. I must trust her, as a fellow creature, to also desire flourishing. In our desires to flourish, we have a common place to address more demanding issues of our national and international stages.

The Postmodernist wisely cautions against over-generalization and unacknowledged biases. The skeptics of Postmodernism remind us we are not completely alien to one another. Here, in the space where I hoped to work out a decent approach to defining religion, I have succumbed to the individual bias of postmodern theory and have deconstructed with no hint of new theory construction. My theory of religion includes the ancient, the mystical, the political, the economic, the faithful, the now, the social....and the Divine/Ultimate Reality. Because all these dimensions, and more, are part of the human experience. Religion does not remain static...as much as we prefer to think so. If a wisdom teaching or salvific narrative were static and universally understood, then there would be no teachers---no need to record histories of interpretation. "Religion" or tradition requires human participants who are continually transformed by history, culture, and interpersonal relationships. Without humanity, tradition or religion does not exist. Tradition is not an always embodied as an organization, but is usually ingrained as a dimension of human experiences.