The sun shone this morning and attendance at church was back up despite the end of March Break. Together we acknowledged the events leading toward the death of Jesus of Nazareth. Pontius Pilate, the representative of the ancient superpower, the Roman Empire, decided that Jesus represented a threat, so Jesus died.
Today, Palm Sunday 2008, the military might of the rising superpower, China, is cracking down on perceived insurgency in Tibet. Buddhist monks have led the way and Chinese soldiers have crushed the protest. There is concern that hundreds have been killed rather than the ten reported by the government of China.
Will Canada and other Western nations make strong statements decrying this heavy-handed and brutal suppression of dissent? The Dalai Lama has called for condemnation of what he terms cultural genocide. Again I wonder why we have abandoned any real protest against human rights violations by China. We seem to have conceded that because China is a source of cheap consumer goods we no longer care about the freedoms we claim to hold dear.
What a reminder that we live in a world where "might makes right" is the way of nations. It is still so important to say that Jesus the Christ offers a different way, not just for ancient times but for this moment.
Today, Palm Sunday 2008, the military might of the rising superpower, China, is cracking down on perceived insurgency in Tibet. Buddhist monks have led the way and Chinese soldiers have crushed the protest. There is concern that hundreds have been killed rather than the ten reported by the government of China.
Will Canada and other Western nations make strong statements decrying this heavy-handed and brutal suppression of dissent? The Dalai Lama has called for condemnation of what he terms cultural genocide. Again I wonder why we have abandoned any real protest against human rights violations by China. We seem to have conceded that because China is a source of cheap consumer goods we no longer care about the freedoms we claim to hold dear.
What a reminder that we live in a world where "might makes right" is the way of nations. It is still so important to say that Jesus the Christ offers a different way, not just for ancient times but for this moment.
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