Thirty years ago, I was hired as the 1/4-time chaplain at Albright College, a United Methodist college in Reading, PA. One of my tasks was to organize the Baccalaureate service for the night before graduation. The service is probably familiar to many since a lot of public school districts have them as well. As I researched the service, I considered the diversity of our campus and worked very hard to make sure that it was inclusive of as many religions as possible. The service was a huge success, but many of the more conservative Christians protested. Why? Because it wasn’t an exclusively Christian service. So – I tried to explain.
The word literally means “berry (bacca) crown (laureate)”. The first known use of the word is from 1649; it was a medieval term that meant “a knight lacking retainers” or “young clerk”. It eventually was used to signify the bestowing of a college degree. The term was then taken to mean a worship service/sermon at or before graduation. The wreath often depicted on Caesar or Napolean also fits the definition. Not Christian. Not even religious. Still, no matter how much I tried to explain this to people, too many of them allowed their ignorance to be on display for all to see. It was not a pretty sight.
As I watched the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, I saw the weird sight of a variety of people sitting at a long table during the fashion show. I had no idea what it signified, but at no time during the event did I think it had anything to do with the Last Supper. I also didn’t think it was meant to depict the Feast of Dionysus. I figured, this is being done by the French, and they often do weirdly unusual things. C’est la Vie! Then, the ignorance of too many people was voiced in self-righteous indignation – how dare they mock Jesus! The bishop of a Catholic diocese near me wrote a scathing letter about this crime against God, which was printed in the local paper, and uneducated people everywhere called for boycotts (anyone remember “American” Fries?) Once more, instead of taking a breath and thinking, people of faith had hissy fits. Like toddlers throwing themselves to the floor, they were inconsolable. Like is often the case, they think God is so fragile and weak that they have to raise their voices, fists, (and, too often, weapons) to defend God’s honor. Life is too short for this level of foolishness.
As I often, unfortunately, need to say to those who are not of my faith, please don’t judge us all by this kind of behavior. Many of us are not like this. We don’t get offended if you make a funny joke about God. We won’t make rules to make you do our bidding. We aren’t all like this. And if you are the kind of Christian who gets your shorts in a bunch any time you think God’s honor is being besmirched – please stop. Your behavior isn’t just immature – you are literally turning people away from God. Luckily for all of us, ignorance has a cure – education. Let’s try that, shall we?
Prayer – Holy God, soothe our fears and ignorance, and give us the courage to learn and grow up. Amen.