Happy-clappy and very, very scary. Amen
What is it about religions that they seem to be obsessed with sex and women? Muslim fundamentalists hurl gay men off rooftops. American preachers who say that the people who were murdered in a gay club in Orlando deserved it. In Maynooth, seminarians now have to eat supervised by a senior cleric, to ensure they keep their hands to themselves.
And then there is the woman ‘problem’. I see a Spanish Archbishop is blaming women for domestic violence. They ask for a divorce so the macho thing is to hit them. Some logic. And there is no shortage of ‘born agains’ going on about how it is important in a marriage for the wife to submit to her husband. I cannot imagine the notion of a woman submitting to me, either sexually or in deciding what restaurant to go to.
It was with interest that I went to hear a South African preacher, Angus Buchan, in Kilkenny ten days ago. There had been much fuss about this man and his view that homosexuality can be ‘cured’ by prayer, and how he has a happy marriage with a submissive wife.
About thirteen-hundred people turned up to hear him and there were about forty people outside protesting his presence in our city. I spoke to people from all over the country who were committed Christians. Many had heard him before. They seemed sensible. No one thought homosexuality could be cured by prayer. The women had no doubts that they were equal, though I did suspect they would be more tolerant of being told what to do than the women whose company I enjoy. They seemed happy. One engineer told me his life was a total mess until he found Jesus.
A band played religious pop songs and people got happy and clappy. There were people of all ages there. This was nothing like the elderly who dominate mainstream churches. Some wore that beatific smile. The main act, Mr Buchan, took to the stage. He knew how to work a crowd. Soon they were chorusing “Amen” on cue. They had their hands in the air and Jesus was on direct dial.
He talked about God, Jesus and the devil as if he was talking to six-year-olds in Sunday school. His description of the judgment after death where Jesus had the casting vote was like the X Factor without the tense music, and laughable. It was all childish claptrap and these sensible people lapped it up.
They seemed like nice people. The star steered away from his controversial topics. But had he gone that direction, how many would have followed? It scared the living daylights out of me.