Sacred Images for Polish young people

A new exhibition in Plymouth explores through photographs the things that young migrants from Poland consider to be sacred or spiritual. Fourteen Polish people in their 20s were each given a digital camera and asked to take photos of what represents something sacred to them. They were then interviewed about the photos.

Some of the photos are what you might expect – photos of Catholic church buildings, statues of Mary (there are a number in Plymouth that I had never noticed) or other things obviously associated with religion. Other photos, however, were more surprising, such as a mobile phone with showing an incoming Skype message or a photo of friends on a picnic. One person simply took ten photos of his wife.

These things, although not obviously spiritual, offer a connection to their families and the traditions that have been left behind. For some, finding equivalent outlets offer the support and connection to home. So, a picnic with friends, for example, is not the same as a traditional family meal but it suffices as a substitute. Practising their religion here is also different. Catholicism is a way of life in Poland and is done almost without thinking because it is so steeped in the culture. In the UK, where religion is no longer as embedded in people’s habits, church is a conscious choice. For them, it reminds them of what it means to be Polish.

The exhibition, entitled “Why Religion Matters To Young Polish Migrants”,  runs in Plymouth Catholic Cathedral from 21st November for two weeks.

I’ll post up some photos when I can.

Amos, greed and the economy

In this short piece from the London Institute of Contemprary Christianity, Margaret Killingray relates the prophecy of Amos the the present day. The West may have been sitting around in relative peace and comfort whilst there has been violence all around (Amos 1), but perhaps the global credit crunch is a natural manifestation of people’s greed. As usual however, it is not the most greedy that are paying the biggest price…

Israel and Judah were called to be beacons of God’s light and love in a world of violence and greed. They failed and judgement followed. Their calling is now ours, Christians, children of light, his church, in a world of violence and greed. There are many battlegrounds for us. In a time of economic hardship, crippling debt and uncertain futures, maybe we should model a simpler lifestyle and from our church communities provide networks of support. In a world of violence, we should maintain our giving to those charities which seek to help the poor, encourage fair trade, mop up after wars, and rebuild shattered communities.

And Amos’ calling to speak out a word of warning to those who are responsible for violence and greed is ours as well. And like Amos we speak primarily to our own people, our own nation and ourselves.

TNT Photos

Photos from our last TNT weekend away taken by me, Simon, and Rachel.

 

You can’t help who you fall in love with

BBC News are carrying an article about a former prison officer, Kelly-Anne McDade, who has just been sentenced to jail time for two things. She had a sexual relationship with a male inmate, resulting in her getting pregnant, and she also smuggled in mobile phones for use by inmates.

I’m not going to probe deeply into the case, but what struck me was the excuse/defense that her solicitor was trying to put forward.

Richard Germain, defending McDade, told the court: “There is no doubt it was an inappropriate relationship, but Ms McDade would say ‘You can’t help who you fall in love with’.”

via BBC NEWS | England | Beds/Bucks/Herts | Inmate-sex prison officer jailed.

This is a myth. You can help who you fall in love with. Perhaps you can’t help who you find attractive, but love is a completely different thing. Love is not an uncontrollable emotion.  Once the impulses of attraction come along, we choose whether to act on them. We choose whether to show love to someone else. There certainly are feelings associated with love, but these feelings themselves are not love. They are merely associated with it. Over all, love is a choice.

If we are attracted to somebody, it doesn’t mean we have to love them. For example, if a married man is attracted to another woman (this itself is not a crime) but he must choose what to do with that attraction. Hopefully he will put in boundaries to remove or reduce the temptation, for the benefit of his marriage. He may avoid that woman and make sure he is never alone with her. Or if he has to meet her and part of his job or something, he could always meet in a public place. He could also confide and be accountable to someone else. There are many ways to reduce the temptation that would inevitably destroy his marriage, and avoid the attraction turning into something else. Each little step is a choice.

We can help who we fall in love with and it is the result of hundreds of little choices.

Update 12/01/12: There is now a more detailed post on the subject here.

The Berlin Wall

We used to live in a flat beneath a German man and his wife. One day he was telling us that as a student in East Berlin, he had a quiet night out with friends. He went to the cinema to watch a movie, came back to one of their flats for a few drinks, then they all fell asleep. He woke up the next morning to hear on the news that the Wall had come down. He’d been in Berlin the whole time and missed it.