expressionless said:
>>I’m interested in the implications of this. For example, a good many Charismatic Churches have recently taken on the practise of identificational repentance - the idea that they are able to atone for the sins of their country (either in current or historical events) by their actions and prayers. <<
I think there are a couple of different issues that need to be teased out.
What is sin? Can a "country" sin? Who/What did the country sin against? If the actions of the country were taken in earnest on behalf of its collective God (as in the case of the Crusades), did the people acting for their country sin? I have a suspicion that the ancestors and/or Deities that were "sinned" against might not be too impressed with a bunch of middle-class folk praying for them. Especially when their prayers would be directed in the context of their spiritual practice - the same spiritual practice that caused the suffering in the first place.
I hope I'm making some kind of sense here. 
I'm not sure if the idea behind the praying for repentance is any less arrogant than the impulse to wipe out a group of people in the name of a God and/or country. There are some things that you can't fix. The idea that you can pray for something and then the "sin" will just vanish seems to be a rather neat way of salving one's conscience (if it needs salving in the first place of course).
>>And how culpable are we in the crimes of our ancestors? <<
Ah, now this is an interesting question. There are a couple of answers to this question, and I'm not sure which one is particularly right or wrong. I do know that - within a shamanic context - you can inherit diseases, traumas, entities, etc. from your ancestors, so this is useful question to ask. I think it is possible for a family member's past actions to inflict some kind of debt for future generations - to be exacted in different ways. Family curses, for example, do exist (well, in my experience anyway). There's no easy answer to this question because it totally depends on the individual and hir feelings on the subject, and hir ancestors' involvement in such deeds.
I have found that there are entities that I would describe as being Archetypal Racial Ancestors, and you might get better luck from asking Them directly.
Did the Romans pray for repentance for the Druids, who they practically wiped out in Britain? Did our pre-Christian ancestors think about this as they slew and massacred those who got in their way? It seems to be a Judeo-Christian concept. This doesn't make it wrong, but perhaps these questions have more relevance if you work within that religious framework.
I also think that it's easier to sit down and pray for repentance than it is to actually do something tangible or real about it. Such as donating money to Indigenous peoples, or even volunteering for help in one of their socio-political campaigns (most Indigenous people continue to be oppressed by current Governments).
>>Is it possible for a Church (representing a tiny part of a country’s demographic) to perform actions on behalf of a whole country? This is the kind of thing that should be down to a nation’s leaders, surely (or at least done with their authority)?<<
Of course it's possible. Churches have done things in the name of their followers - usually without consultation - for a very long time, and continue to do so. It's particularly bad when it's a Theocracy, or if the Religious and Government leaders are bosom buddies (as was/is the case for a lot of Western history). I guess it depends on how close you identify with the Church (as institution) rather than with the Spirituality that underlies it.
Some good questions to ponder… |
