Growing up in the midwest I always felt that I lived in a very religious nation. People around me would talk of the US as being a Christian nation. This, of course, was my childhood understanding however. As I grew up I developed a very different view of the US and realized that people were not very devout about their religious beliefs. So when I first arrived in Cairo and I heard the Call to Prayer being issued from a loudspeaker at the mosque five times a day so that all Muslims could join in the prayers, I was immediately astonished. I have taken classes on Islam and heard about the daily prayers, but it is different to actually hear them and to see people stopping to kneel down where they are to pray. Seeing and hearing this brought to life what I had read in textbooks and heard in lectures. When we flew into Luxor the following week and were waiting in the airport to get our baggage, I noticed a man, tucked off in a corner and kneeling on his prayer mat while he prayed. I was amazed at how devoted he was that he would stop right there in the midst of the hussle and bussle of the airport in order to recite his prayers. I'm astonished at how he was able to tune out all these distractions.
Prayer has always been an interesting topic in my opinion. I've always been interested in when, why and how people pray because I think there is a great variety in the answers. I have a friend who once told me that she preferred to pray silently to herself in the presence of other people - that she had no problems allowing the noises around her to become a distant background as she focused on her interaction with God in that present moment. I have to admit I was inspired by this and tried it several times but found that I could not remove myself from the distractions - I still needed a quiet, secluded place where I could focus myself and drift away from the worries and chaos of the world.
So you can imagine my shock when the Muslim prayers could be heard clear as day throughout the city of Cairo, five times a day, and Muslims would stop to pray (sometimes on the side of the road) while the distractions of the day continued to go on around them. I don't even know how to explain how much I admire this - I wish I could say I had this discipline and devotion.
I was curious how Coptic Christians reacted to the daily Muslim prayers that they too could hear and in a discussion with an intern from CEOSS (Coptic Evangelical .......I can't remember the rest right now), she told me that you just get used to them and don't even realize they are going on. This really surprised me since they are so loud - it would be like attending a sporting event and being able to tune out the announcer. Maybe if I lived in Egypt I too would get used to them and tune them out, but I hope that I would not. I'd prefer to leave this place remembering the faith, devotion, and discipline I found here in the Muslim people - attributes I respect and admire in people, and hope that I can gain some semblance of in my own life.
-Stephanie
Thursday, January 10, 2008
mummification
So I have to be honset: I'm not much of a blogger. In fact, I don't think I've ever done it before, so bear with me as I try to type out my jumbled, often nonsensical thoughts.
Yesterday, we all went to the valley of the kings and the valley of the queens, which are the tombs in which the ancient kings and queens of Egypt were buried. Clearly. Anyway, they werent much to look at from the outside, intentionally actually, because these tombs were supposed to be hidden in the desert mountains so as to stave off grave robbers.
I didn't really know what to expect [I suppose cracking the spine on my guidebook would be helpful], but I kind of pictured the tombs to not be nearly as ornate and well preserved as they are. The valley of the kings was more impressive than the valley of the queens, with larger, more colorful and ornately decorated rooms and hallways.
While I was going through them, I began to think about the mummification process and all that goes into preservation of the body after death, and how this is not such a far distance from the way the body is treated these days. The mummifcation process is a rather long, intensive process that requires the draining of blood, taking out all the organs but the heart [which is taken out and reinsterted], and fill up the body with salt. These days, we have plastic surgery, which is kind of the same thing--parts of the body are taken away, saline solution is put in, fat is drained out, and this is all in an attempt to create a more perfect body and [I assume] a more perfect life after surgery. LIkewise, the mummification/entombing process is done in order to preserve the body after this life because it was thought that the afterlife would be more perfect than this one.
Now I have to admit there are some glaring differences between the two-most notably the religious aspect. Ancient egyptians were mummified as part of their religious beliefs, while plastic surgery, in all its various forms, is not. Or at least I hope it's not. But that still doesn't change the fact that we, as humans, view our bodies as malleable, able to be re/created in to something that we once were not. And that people will spend significant sums of money and time to make the body, the life [even afterlife] better.
But is it really better?
Yesterday, we all went to the valley of the kings and the valley of the queens, which are the tombs in which the ancient kings and queens of Egypt were buried. Clearly. Anyway, they werent much to look at from the outside, intentionally actually, because these tombs were supposed to be hidden in the desert mountains so as to stave off grave robbers.
I didn't really know what to expect [I suppose cracking the spine on my guidebook would be helpful], but I kind of pictured the tombs to not be nearly as ornate and well preserved as they are. The valley of the kings was more impressive than the valley of the queens, with larger, more colorful and ornately decorated rooms and hallways.
While I was going through them, I began to think about the mummification process and all that goes into preservation of the body after death, and how this is not such a far distance from the way the body is treated these days. The mummifcation process is a rather long, intensive process that requires the draining of blood, taking out all the organs but the heart [which is taken out and reinsterted], and fill up the body with salt. These days, we have plastic surgery, which is kind of the same thing--parts of the body are taken away, saline solution is put in, fat is drained out, and this is all in an attempt to create a more perfect body and [I assume] a more perfect life after surgery. LIkewise, the mummification/entombing process is done in order to preserve the body after this life because it was thought that the afterlife would be more perfect than this one.
Now I have to admit there are some glaring differences between the two-most notably the religious aspect. Ancient egyptians were mummified as part of their religious beliefs, while plastic surgery, in all its various forms, is not. Or at least I hope it's not. But that still doesn't change the fact that we, as humans, view our bodies as malleable, able to be re/created in to something that we once were not. And that people will spend significant sums of money and time to make the body, the life [even afterlife] better.
But is it really better?
Undergraduate Dinner in Luxor
Last night we had the opportunity for the six undergrads and Rev. Auman to meet
for dinner and talk about what this pilgrimage has meant to us. We decided to
go to a restaurant near our hotel in Luxor, and upon entering, I became very
excited when seeing one of the waiters. He was wearing a long black jallibyah
and a red fez cap on his head. It was pretty rad. We scourged the menu for
some remembrance of home, and three of us decided to go ahead and get "Giant
Iced Tea"in honor of W-S. It was pretty good Tea. While the food eventually
came and we ate with delight, we began to talk about Egypt and how our
experiences over the last two weeks have beenquite unique. We each spoke about
our favorite excursion, and while some enjoyed going inside the pyramid others
enjoyed the collosus Karanak Pillars. Our convesation then shifted to Wake
Forest, and how what we have seen in Egypt reflects the vast diversity which
exists in our world, a diversity which does not exist in the Wake "bubble". We
thought about what it would take to enrichen the Wake experaince without losing
what makes Wake "Wake." We also pondered the dynamic of being in a Muslim
country, one which is progressive, academic, and relativley open. Given the
portrayal of Muslims and Islam in the U.S., we eventually came to see that in
the end, people are people, and no matter their faith or sacred text, there are
common threads we all share. By stripping away labels and stereotypes, we are
able to find that humanity is a more powerful bond than a religion or race.
for dinner and talk about what this pilgrimage has meant to us. We decided to
go to a restaurant near our hotel in Luxor, and upon entering, I became very
excited when seeing one of the waiters. He was wearing a long black jallibyah
and a red fez cap on his head. It was pretty rad. We scourged the menu for
some remembrance of home, and three of us decided to go ahead and get "Giant
Iced Tea"in honor of W-S. It was pretty good Tea. While the food eventually
came and we ate with delight, we began to talk about Egypt and how our
experiences over the last two weeks have beenquite unique. We each spoke about
our favorite excursion, and while some enjoyed going inside the pyramid others
enjoyed the collosus Karanak Pillars. Our convesation then shifted to Wake
Forest, and how what we have seen in Egypt reflects the vast diversity which
exists in our world, a diversity which does not exist in the Wake "bubble". We
thought about what it would take to enrichen the Wake experaince without losing
what makes Wake "Wake." We also pondered the dynamic of being in a Muslim
country, one which is progressive, academic, and relativley open. Given the
portrayal of Muslims and Islam in the U.S., we eventually came to see that in
the end, people are people, and no matter their faith or sacred text, there are
common threads we all share. By stripping away labels and stereotypes, we are
able to find that humanity is a more powerful bond than a religion or race.
Peeking Over the Walls
Imagine walking into every episode of the History Channel, Discovery Channel, and every National Geographic you've every read about Egypt, that would be an introduction to what we've seen and experienced. Everywhere we go we get a glimpse of the past and future of Egypt. What struck me one afternoon as Ron and I were relaxing by the pool was that sitting at our level we could have been relaxing by the pool at any spot in the world. It was when I stood up and looked over the walls that I saw the culture of Luxor; nearly every rooftop is unfinished, there are satellite dishes, and shelters that resemble our nativity creches on many, many of the buildings. The poverty and simplicty of life around us is startling. This simple reminder impacts everything I see now. I'm aware that in every situation from gazing at ancient monuments to spending time with friends I'm peeking over the walls.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
More general thoughts...
So many times while in Egypt, we have seen the old and new sandwiched together: a neon sign of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the entrance to St. Sergius church, where the holy family supposedly hid while in exile in Egypt; our guide Amr pointing out places to eat in Luxor, saying "If you look through the columns of the temple, you can see the McDonald's sign."; the ancient monuments of Memphis amidst shops and homes of a modern day working town. It really speaks to the layers of history that this country has, but does it in any way dilute the power or integrity of any one layer?
While at Karnak Temple, we saw a statue of a scarab beetle, thought to be a sacred and symbolic creator because it is hermaphroditic and can create out of itself. This made me think of our own creation myth. God creates out of God's self and needs nothing else, yet surprisingly (or maybe not so surprisingly) makes human beings male and female. In doing so, God makes us intrinsically relational, not just to God, but to each other.
When Alexander dispelled the Persians from Egypt, he legitimized his rule by creating a story that he was from the semen of the god Amun-Ra (which we saw a vivid depiction of). It struck me that the manipulation and perversion of religions or belief systems to legitimate the power of the state has been going on for millenia. From Alexander, all the way to modern political candidates espousing their "family values" or "Christian beliefs" to get more votes, this is an age old fact. To me, this speaks all the more strongly to the importance of the radical separation of church and state, for the sake and integrity of both.
On the way to Dendara Temple, we rode in a convoy of other tour buses and vans with a police escort. I never felt unsafe, yet I was quite unsettled. As we drove through these small country towns, surrounded by cane fields filled with workers, and donkey carts being driving along the canals, everyone stared at us as we passed. Traffic was stopped to let us go through. We completely disrupted the daily life of these people, just so we could go see another ancient Temple. While I loved what we saw at the temple itself, the trip there and back was slightly disconcerting.
The story of the gods Osiris, Seth, and Horus is an interesting tale, but I cannot spell it out here. What I can say is that in avenging his father Osiris, Horus chases Seth around the country, finally stabbing him 14 times but not killing him. Horus is the representation of good, while Seth is the representation of evil. Thus, evil cannot be eliminated, yet whenever the two are depicted, Horus is always over or above Seth. I thought about the hope that Christians have that ultimately good will overcome evil, that God will restore all things at the eschaton. Yet we cannot deny the existence of evil, for it is everpresent with us. We recognize its reality, yet we hope for the healing and fulfillment that is to come.
The line that has stuck with me most this trip came from our tour guide Amr. Many folks have already mentioned the dialogue between Amr and Father Cedroc (which apparently none ofus know how to spell, myself included). After this, on the bus, Amr told us that too many people are too dogmatic in their beliefs and views. He said that there are "Only question marks, no comments." Indeed, this trip has left me with many more questions than it has answers.
-Dover
While at Karnak Temple, we saw a statue of a scarab beetle, thought to be a sacred and symbolic creator because it is hermaphroditic and can create out of itself. This made me think of our own creation myth. God creates out of God's self and needs nothing else, yet surprisingly (or maybe not so surprisingly) makes human beings male and female. In doing so, God makes us intrinsically relational, not just to God, but to each other.
When Alexander dispelled the Persians from Egypt, he legitimized his rule by creating a story that he was from the semen of the god Amun-Ra (which we saw a vivid depiction of). It struck me that the manipulation and perversion of religions or belief systems to legitimate the power of the state has been going on for millenia. From Alexander, all the way to modern political candidates espousing their "family values" or "Christian beliefs" to get more votes, this is an age old fact. To me, this speaks all the more strongly to the importance of the radical separation of church and state, for the sake and integrity of both.
On the way to Dendara Temple, we rode in a convoy of other tour buses and vans with a police escort. I never felt unsafe, yet I was quite unsettled. As we drove through these small country towns, surrounded by cane fields filled with workers, and donkey carts being driving along the canals, everyone stared at us as we passed. Traffic was stopped to let us go through. We completely disrupted the daily life of these people, just so we could go see another ancient Temple. While I loved what we saw at the temple itself, the trip there and back was slightly disconcerting.
The story of the gods Osiris, Seth, and Horus is an interesting tale, but I cannot spell it out here. What I can say is that in avenging his father Osiris, Horus chases Seth around the country, finally stabbing him 14 times but not killing him. Horus is the representation of good, while Seth is the representation of evil. Thus, evil cannot be eliminated, yet whenever the two are depicted, Horus is always over or above Seth. I thought about the hope that Christians have that ultimately good will overcome evil, that God will restore all things at the eschaton. Yet we cannot deny the existence of evil, for it is everpresent with us. We recognize its reality, yet we hope for the healing and fulfillment that is to come.
The line that has stuck with me most this trip came from our tour guide Amr. Many folks have already mentioned the dialogue between Amr and Father Cedroc (which apparently none ofus know how to spell, myself included). After this, on the bus, Amr told us that too many people are too dogmatic in their beliefs and views. He said that there are "Only question marks, no comments." Indeed, this trip has left me with many more questions than it has answers.
-Dover
Decision '08, Amr, and the Dream of God
The first time I ever met Joe Phelps, the pastor of Highland Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, he raised his glass after his wife requested he make a toast. Whether premeditated or extemporaneous, Joe stated with the sincerity of a non clutching her rosary, "To the dream of God for this world." This simple statement implies a great deal, theologically speaking (which I will gladly speak as it's my job as a divinity student). To say that God has a dream, and to hold one's heart and glass up as a witness to that dream, is to believe that God has an intended outcome, a hope, for this world. This does not mean that God has set all outcomes in motion nor does it mean that God sits idly by the creation watching matters unfold like a gambler at a roulette wheel. For us to bear witness to the dream of God we willingly participate in God's activity in, with, and through the creation. The matter of divergence seems to be then what on earth (as it is in heaven) is the dream of God?
With this in mind, I asked our tour guide Amr what he thinks of the American elections and if he knows much about them. He said he has heard of some of the candidates and he asked us what many of them stand for. We talked about healthcare, poverty, peace, terrorism, education, etc and we expressed our various hopes for the new president. "Of course, everyone hopes for such things," said Amr. After this I asked him about the Muslim Brotherhood, a political party in Egypt with some growing influence. They believe that Islam provides the way for government and society to be organized and should be followed strictly. Interestingly enough though, our fearless leader explained to us how when matters of healthcare and education for all are raised in the Parliament, the only ones to oppose are the MB. The Muslims we have met and talked to speak of peace and charity for all peoples and that there must be peaceful dialogue among the religions. But who gets the news coverage? Ultra-Conservative Fundamentalist Muslims who are the ones who oppose education, healthcare, and tolerance towards all faiths? Terrorists and hate-mongers?
When we went to the Coptic Monastery, Father Sedrack (Spelling?) got into a discussion with Amr about Islam and the current state of Egypt. What was fascinating to me seemed to be that this discussion could have just as easily been in America and about American Christianity. The heated rhetoric, the Christian opposition to healthcare and education and all the way to ultra-conservative groups like the Restorationists who believe that the Bible should be absolutely followed as a blueprint for structuring our society. The similarities to the worldview of the MB and the Religious-Right are bone chilling and perplexing. But, what of the rest of us?
Islam is the combination of three consonants: SLM. Hebrew and Arabic are closely connected and if you insert the vowels in Hebrew, one gets ShaLoM. In Arabic, one gets SaLaaM. To add "mu" implies a person, so a muSLiM is one who is at peace through submission to God. The rhetoric of news media, televangelists, and many arm-chair religious historians tells us that Islam seeks world domination. Ironically, does fundamentalist Christianity not seek the same thing? For the Muslims who I call friends, brothers, or sisters, there is a likemindness about how the world is. We all join with Amr in saying, "Of course everyone hopes for such things." We desire justice, mercy, and humility before God. We all hope for peace. We spend such much time fearing the other when in reality, there is no other: we are all human. We all share the earth as our common home and God as our common parent. To be a Christian is to be something different from a Muslim; this is true. We are not all the same. But the diversity which exists among us is good and a reflection of the vast array of difference found naturally in the creation. To assume assimilation is to do violence to God's intended diversity. So, in 2008, where do we stand? We must choose to stand in solidarity with those who wish to dream the dreams of God-dreams of hope and love. To hope for healthcare and education for all regardless of social standing, tax bracket, or gender is to believe that with God we can make this world a better place.
Amr told us that with the internet more people can start reading and learning about freedom, religion, and politics so perhaps with this new knowledge and wisdom people will choose to love and learn, rather than hate and fight. This might sound like pipe dreams to many, but it seems that many Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Ba'hai, and so many more are seeking, hoping, and longing for this dream to be realized. I suppose I do, too. Maybe this is the dream we have been looking for. In any case, here's to the dream of God for this world. Not for America. Not for Egypt. Not for England. Not for Indonesia. For this world. Amen.
-Kevin
With this in mind, I asked our tour guide Amr what he thinks of the American elections and if he knows much about them. He said he has heard of some of the candidates and he asked us what many of them stand for. We talked about healthcare, poverty, peace, terrorism, education, etc and we expressed our various hopes for the new president. "Of course, everyone hopes for such things," said Amr. After this I asked him about the Muslim Brotherhood, a political party in Egypt with some growing influence. They believe that Islam provides the way for government and society to be organized and should be followed strictly. Interestingly enough though, our fearless leader explained to us how when matters of healthcare and education for all are raised in the Parliament, the only ones to oppose are the MB. The Muslims we have met and talked to speak of peace and charity for all peoples and that there must be peaceful dialogue among the religions. But who gets the news coverage? Ultra-Conservative Fundamentalist Muslims who are the ones who oppose education, healthcare, and tolerance towards all faiths? Terrorists and hate-mongers?
When we went to the Coptic Monastery, Father Sedrack (Spelling?) got into a discussion with Amr about Islam and the current state of Egypt. What was fascinating to me seemed to be that this discussion could have just as easily been in America and about American Christianity. The heated rhetoric, the Christian opposition to healthcare and education and all the way to ultra-conservative groups like the Restorationists who believe that the Bible should be absolutely followed as a blueprint for structuring our society. The similarities to the worldview of the MB and the Religious-Right are bone chilling and perplexing. But, what of the rest of us?
Islam is the combination of three consonants: SLM. Hebrew and Arabic are closely connected and if you insert the vowels in Hebrew, one gets ShaLoM. In Arabic, one gets SaLaaM. To add "mu" implies a person, so a muSLiM is one who is at peace through submission to God. The rhetoric of news media, televangelists, and many arm-chair religious historians tells us that Islam seeks world domination. Ironically, does fundamentalist Christianity not seek the same thing? For the Muslims who I call friends, brothers, or sisters, there is a likemindness about how the world is. We all join with Amr in saying, "Of course everyone hopes for such things." We desire justice, mercy, and humility before God. We all hope for peace. We spend such much time fearing the other when in reality, there is no other: we are all human. We all share the earth as our common home and God as our common parent. To be a Christian is to be something different from a Muslim; this is true. We are not all the same. But the diversity which exists among us is good and a reflection of the vast array of difference found naturally in the creation. To assume assimilation is to do violence to God's intended diversity. So, in 2008, where do we stand? We must choose to stand in solidarity with those who wish to dream the dreams of God-dreams of hope and love. To hope for healthcare and education for all regardless of social standing, tax bracket, or gender is to believe that with God we can make this world a better place.
Amr told us that with the internet more people can start reading and learning about freedom, religion, and politics so perhaps with this new knowledge and wisdom people will choose to love and learn, rather than hate and fight. This might sound like pipe dreams to many, but it seems that many Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Ba'hai, and so many more are seeking, hoping, and longing for this dream to be realized. I suppose I do, too. Maybe this is the dream we have been looking for. In any case, here's to the dream of God for this world. Not for America. Not for Egypt. Not for England. Not for Indonesia. For this world. Amen.
-Kevin
General thoughts from the trip...
A little girl no more than 6 stopped me in the street pointing to here mouth and bare feet and then holding out her hand. I thought that it was a scam so I did not give her any money, but it was very unsettling. Then today I saw the same girl a few blocks away from where she was yesterday, doing the same thing to other tourists. People are obviously willing to put their children on the street to make money, but as tourists what does this say about the luxuries that we enjoy while we are here? We get off the airplane and drive through some small town during their market, completely disrupting it, on the way to our hotel in our fume spewing tour bus, passing apartment buildings that would be condemned in the US, with shacks on their roofs. And today, we took a little tram that was pouring out smoke to take us to the gate of the VAlley of the Kings, when we could have walked that distance in 10 mins. Yet we walked through some side streets on our way to lunch, and we had a mother and her children sitting on their front stoop wave at us and say "Hello!" I'm not sure what to make of all of it.
Table fellowship has been a running theme on this trip. Often we eat together in the large group, and there is always good conversation and good social dynamics. Today's lunch was just another example, and everything is served "family style," so we enact our fellowship as a family of 27. It really does speak volumes that undergrads and graduate students, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and Bahai can sit around a table and share a simple meal, proclaiming reconciliation and wholeness to a fragmented world.
In Luxor, monuments and artifacts are so common that people can come across them in simply digging a foundation for a new house. How fair is it to undercompensate these people, or turn off their running water to protect the supposed monuments under their houses. Which should take precedent...the preservation of ancient monuments and history, or the people's land and houses? I want to scream that the people should come first, but also find myself second guessing that reaction when standing in a temple or next to an obelisk that may have been destroyed or ruined had such measures not been taken.
The ancients really knew how to create a sense of awe. The built structures and created spaces that are historical and amazing to us, but were something more to them--sacred. Even though these were products of a long dead religious system, they are sacred spaces built in the belief/faith of something greater. So what does it take to make a space or a place sacred? I find myself taking a moment to pause and reflect/pray when standing and looking over Hatshepsut's Temple in the red mountains near Luxor, in the same way that many people here pause to pray 5 times a day when the call to prayer sounds across the city, in the same way that I would stop a moment when standing in St. Peter's Basilica. Space is sacred because God speaks to us there, not because it was intended for Christian, Muslim, or Egyptian use.
Dover
Table fellowship has been a running theme on this trip. Often we eat together in the large group, and there is always good conversation and good social dynamics. Today's lunch was just another example, and everything is served "family style," so we enact our fellowship as a family of 27. It really does speak volumes that undergrads and graduate students, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and Bahai can sit around a table and share a simple meal, proclaiming reconciliation and wholeness to a fragmented world.
In Luxor, monuments and artifacts are so common that people can come across them in simply digging a foundation for a new house. How fair is it to undercompensate these people, or turn off their running water to protect the supposed monuments under their houses. Which should take precedent...the preservation of ancient monuments and history, or the people's land and houses? I want to scream that the people should come first, but also find myself second guessing that reaction when standing in a temple or next to an obelisk that may have been destroyed or ruined had such measures not been taken.
The ancients really knew how to create a sense of awe. The built structures and created spaces that are historical and amazing to us, but were something more to them--sacred. Even though these were products of a long dead religious system, they are sacred spaces built in the belief/faith of something greater. So what does it take to make a space or a place sacred? I find myself taking a moment to pause and reflect/pray when standing and looking over Hatshepsut's Temple in the red mountains near Luxor, in the same way that many people here pause to pray 5 times a day when the call to prayer sounds across the city, in the same way that I would stop a moment when standing in St. Peter's Basilica. Space is sacred because God speaks to us there, not because it was intended for Christian, Muslim, or Egyptian use.
Dover
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