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By John T. Crestwell, Jr.
March 23, 2008
Most you know that the concept of rebirth has ancient roots that can
be traced way back when indigenous peoples took their young into
deep, dark caves where they heard stories and learned traditions.
They were to come out from the dark to the light-from unknown to
known.
Joseph Campbell used to tell the story of how the mothers would
pretend to cry when the men in the village came to get the boys for
their inward journey. This was their coming-of-age, emersion
experience. They were to leave as boys and come back as men. Before
this experience, the young men clung to their mothers and played in
the village. However, after this rebirth experience they were no
longer with their moms; they hunted with the men in the tribe from
then on.
This is Easter, the celebration of rebirth, resurrection and new
life. It may be seen as an exclusive Christian holiday but really
the meaning of Easter takes us way back to our human beginnings.
Today, I've decided that instead of giving you the same story that
most of you know, I will give you some similar but different Easter
tidbits. Then my hope is to take these tidbits and apply them to a
current story and see if we can leave here feeling like we were fed
well by the message this morning.
My Easter tidbits There was a (small g) Roman god who, like Jesus,
had 12-figures associated with him, he was born of a pure rock,
participated in a blood sacrifice, was worshipped on Sunday - and
said to be born on the 25th of December which was decreed by the
emperor Aurelian, and then de-decreed by the Emperor Constantine
when he declared Jesus' birth to be December 25th.
I'm talking about the god Mithras and the mystery religion of
Mithraism, a religion whose growth occurred in the first century of
the Common Era (C.E.) when the cult of Mithras began spreading
through the Roman Empire, but its roots are, back to Persia (which
is now Iran) to the ancient religion of Zoroastrianism.
Zoroastrianism had a god called Mithra who was sometimes referred to
as the son of Ahura Mazda (son of God), and Ahura Mazda was the
high-god in Zoroastrianism. Mithra helped Ahura Mazda battle with
Ahriman (the deceiver) who later becomes Satan in Christian texts.
Mithra, who became Mithras in the Roman version of this religion,
was also a helper or "sun (s.u.n.) of god", on the side of good
against evil, and he slew the evil bull in the cave. It is said that
life was preserved from this blood sacrifice of the bull. Thus the
bull or ram or sheep became a major symbol in this religion,
representing rebirth and resurrection. Mithras evolved to be
identified with light and was also called Sol Invictus, the
Unconquered Sun or unconquerable light. This title would eventually
become popular in the Roman military and among Roman Emperors.
As an example, The Emperor Constantine, some years later after
Mithraism was replaced by Christianity, decreed in 321 "dies Solis"
the day of the sun, "Sun-Day" as the Roman day of rest. You can
clearly see how worshiping on Sun-Day comes into play here.
Now, because of the secretive nature of Mithraism and many mystery
religions of the Greco-Roman world, little has been left for us to
study. But, what we do know is that the followers of the cult of
Mithras were elite socially and/or were military-oriented. This was
the politician's religion. It was the government's religion until it
was replaced by Constantinian Christianity in the 300s CE.
The teachings of Mithraism were very similar to other mystery
religions. The goal was for the initiate to deepen their faith and
comprehension of the mysteries in life in order to understand the
inner-workings of life better. The practitioner's task was to look
behind the stories and rituals to get to the real message that only
the initiate could find.
One of the rituals in Mithraism involved a tradition of slaying a
bull or ram or sheep and washing in its blood for purity, and then
consuming/eating its flesh-as a symbol of salvation and eternal
life. Here these words from Alfred Reynolds who wrote the book Jesus
versus Christianity:
"The adherents of Mithras believed that by eating the bull's flesh
and drinking its blood they would be born again, just as life itself
has been created anew from the blood of the bull. Participation in
this rite would give not only physical strength but lead to the
immortality of the soul and to eternal light."
Certainly, you can hear similarities with the Christian tradition of
the dying and resurrected "Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of
the world." Religion is syncretistic (there are many shared beliefs)
but that's not the point I'm trying to make this morning.
Clearly, we now have two stories, one about early humankind where
the indigenous take their young into a cave, telling them stories
and passing on traditions with the expectation that when they leave
the cave the young ones will see life differently; they will be made
new; they will be reborn into the tribe as men.
Then we have another story, a story about a god-man who represents
spring, light, and renewal. And his followers practiced rituals that
helped them find their inner light and salvation. The rituals and
practices are different in both accounts but the goal is virtually
the same - TO BE REBORN. I could tell the story of Osiris and Isis,
Jesus and John, Eleusis, Dionysus, or Mithras and the theme is the
same - BE REBORN!
But be reborn to what? Is this time of year asking us to accept
change? Is it asking us to stop and stare? Is this time of year and
these ancient ideas directing us to understand that what goes around
comes around? Or perhaps there is something more-something that
speaks to me so personally this morning. Perhaps, just perhaps these
stories and rituals are asking us to do a deep self-evaluation,
perhaps they are asking us to go within; perhaps they are saying
that we have to kill our ego in order to be reborn to the divine
within us? We are in the midst of growth and change all around, but
the change starts at home. Amen.
You know, as I came here today it was still a bit cold. We still
need our coats until the weather breaks. It still feels like winter.
There is something about the winter, something in the cold,
leafless, desolateness, that reminds us of the promise of spring-the
opportunities in rebirth-the possibilities in resurrection.
For as much as we look forward to the new life, the new
celebrations, the new experiences, the new opportunities and
developments, we still must grapple with those things that make us a
bit uncomfortable. So that's where we are, right back in front of
that mirror because rebirth starts at home when we kill our ego and
ask ourselves, "SELF what do I need to do to start anew?" "What cave
do I need to go in to so that I can see the light?" "What bull do I
need to slay in my life so that I can be resurrected?" And that's
where it begins with the death of ego and the birth of
enlightenment!
Our country right now needs to go within... I have gotten so
frustrated watching the news and how sensationalized it is. They
only care about covering gossip, sex, scandals and celebrity
faupaw's, and they rarely share stories about how people are
changing lives. They say that doesn't sell. They are not guided by
what will edify humanity, but rather by what will give them the best
ratings because if you have the highest ratings you get to charge
the most advertising dollars and if you can do that--well everybody
keep their job!
So I am sure many of you have heard about the Obama controversy. His
very famous preacher, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright of the Trinity United
Church of Christ, said some very controversial things that were
racially motivated and this has many wondering whether or not Obama
can represent every race's differences instead of just the Black
race. Many are also calling Rev. Wright's comments racist. At first
I was going to stay quiet but I just don't think I can.
It is extremely hard for me to listen to the conservative
commentators who were saying that if you merely reverse the language
and take out the word Black and put the word White, that you would
say that this sounds like the KKK or some other White hate group.
They have a point. I'm going to address this in just a second.
However, what frustrates me is that these conservatives are
incessant about this issue and particularly whether or not Obama is
secretly a Black nationalist. They don't say this but they are
implying it. And this rhetoric is being exacerbated, and I believe
that it is being done purposely.
I want to be clear. I take this personal because Obama is African
American. He represents something that many of us thought would
never happen in our lifetime-and it still might not happen in our
lifetime. But for me, when he is vilified I can't help but take it
personal.
Let me get to my point. I take this personal because if you listen
to Rev. Wright and you understand the Black Church, historically,
then you will have a better understanding of this level of anger and
frustration.
This Black theology was born in a time when Africans in America were
being told they were nothing. These Africans took European
Christianity and merged it with their African religions and created
a new message of freedom, hope, and love that included them being
seen as worthy of worth and dignity. It was also an antagonistic
theology. When Wright's church's slogan says that, "We are
unashamedly Black" he his counteracting hundreds of years of
slavery, poverty, mis-education, and the like, within communities
where people's self-esteem, collectively, has been beaten down. When
the system tells you-you are a nothing, second-class, then something
radical and just as powerful must be manifest to counteract this
negative. Thus you have a statement like "We are unashamedly black."
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