Okay, Linda and I getting ready for Christmas, decorating and cooking and all sorts of merrie olde activities, listening to some of my favourite music: old-time Christmas carols. You know, the religious ones that have stood the test of centuries. The next track on the playlist is from Handel’s Messiah. And it impinges into my consciousness that I am hearing, repeated, over and over like a mantra, “King of kings, and Lord of lords.” And when that’s over, it’s, “And He shall reign for ever and ever.”
WTF?
And I’m going, “Who is this megalomaniac we’re worshipping?” Nobody mentioned in the New Testament, that’s for sure. Whether you consider Jesus of Nazareth a hero, a saint, a revered teacher, a philosopher, a deity or a hippy freako peacenik, none of the early writings gives us the impression he wanted to rule anybody. No, I’m afraid it’s another example of the old joke about God creating Man in his own image, and then Man returning the compliment.
Check the Date
Yep, written in 1741, just when Imperialist Europeans were about to expand their already-copious holdings in the Americas to the point where they owned the whole globe. Arguments about whether indigenous people had souls had been settled to the satisfaction of the church and the trading companies, which involved converting the whole world to a Christian market economy. complete with Protestant work ethic in the masses.
But what sort of Christianity? A very hierarchical, racist and profit-oriented one.
We hear all sorts of talk about systemic racism these days, and people are just starting to realize how deep those principles are embedded in our society. I’m afraid we have a streak of systemic colonial capitalism that is just as profound.
And when it comes to religious music, which is some of the most beautiful art that Europeans have ever produced, we run into the same problem as we have with the statues of famous people who had skeletons in their closets. You can’t separate the good from the bad and decide to laud one while you ignore the other. Nor can you legislate morality. The only solution I can see is to teach people the right attitudes and let these works die a natural death.
The Old Nursery Rhymes
I was brought up in an era when the “Eenie, meanie, miney moe” choices did not involve taking a tiger by the toe, but something else that rhymed. That old version has faded from our society, not because of government legislation or the political correctness Nazis, but simply because people’s sensibilities are bothered by it.
Likewise, I hope there will come a time when “speaking peace unto the heathen” is no longer a great recommendation for a leader, and calling someone “Lord of Hosts,” “King of Glory”, and “mighty in battle” is no longer appropriate accompaniment for a celebration of peace and good will. Then the “Messiah” will become a historical oddity, a relic of a bygone era, studied for academic and sociological purposes only. Maybe then we’ll get peace on earth.
Much though I detest modern Christmas pap, I’d far rather listen to “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.” Of course, I suppose that’s systemically ageist.