An attack on Mary
Thursday, April 16, 2009
By Megan Sweas
Comments (7)
A statue of the Virgin Mary was beheaded in Santa Monica, California over the Easter weekend. Parishioners, ABC news reports, arrived at St. Monica Catholic Church on Easter morning to discover the holy Mother without a head. The head was found at the base of the statue.
Stories about Mary statues going missing or putting GPS locators in Nativity pieces are odd enough, but generally they end OK--such as another California Mary finding its way on to the front lawn of a woman who had been on vacation (see story). This statue can be repaired, but destroying something isn't just a prank.
Debate on at least one blog has risen, however, whether or not this is a case of just vandalism or a hate crime. It is being investigated as a hate crime. Are the police right in this designation?
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Sad story; no matter how the police designate it...
By David Phillips (not verified) on Thursday, April 16, 2009... it's a sacrilege either way
It may well be an act of hate (not just prank vandalism), with the disturbing rise of extremist right wing and nativist groups who hate undocumented immigrants. These groups know most of these immigrants from the south are Catholics.
Let's pray for the person(s) committed this heinous act against the Virgin's image.
Hate
By Jerry (not verified) on Thursday, April 16, 2009Living in the Los Angeles area, I can assure you there is not a plethora of right wing hate groups running around Santa Monica. It more than likely came from hateful people on the left
I agree with you we should pray for the conversion of whoever did it.
vandels attack statue of Mary
By John David (not verified) on Saturday, April 18, 2009The first two comments:
One assumes that it is from a hate group from The Right
Another assumes it if from a hate group on The Left.
Neither one has based their assumption on anything other than a predijudice. Let's think about how we come to bear false witness. This is how it begins. I too will pray for whoever did it and I will also pray that people will distance themselves from preconceived conceptions of anyone or any group and wait until the facts are in before jumping to conclusions. Do you have any idea about the dangers of these assumptions?
Clear thinking
By Jerry (not verified) on Saturday, April 18, 2009It is fashionable to assign a moral equvilence, but I carefully used the term "more likely" I do not know for certain who did it.
I based my estimate based upon my knowledge of Southern California, as I stated, not about hate.
I have just as much disgust as anyone over a KKK type. However, I am also fully knowledgable that in places such a college campuses phony hate crimes have been staged by people on the left because they are so desparate to claim that racism is so bad out there. These phone hate crimes are acts of hate themselves.
This case in Santa Monica is doesn't have the hallmarks of a phone hate crime. However there have been a number of hate crimes on churches recently based upon the protect marriage initiative, Proposition 8.
I maintain that the attitude
By John David (not verified) on Sunday, April 19, 2009I maintain that the attitude and justification you have displayed is the beginging of having a comfort level of bearing false witness. I certainly don't see the use of the words "more likely" as making much of a difference. Even if it ultimately turns out to be a result of some anger from someone on the left, it would not justify your willingness to hastily put blame on one group. I just don't understand why you or the other writer felt confortable making these kind of assumptions. I think they are dangerous and unchristian.
With all of the polarization that both The Church and society is experiencing, we, as christians, should be amoung the first to be willing to do the work of seeing how our attitudes contribute to such a posion atmosphere. I am the first to admit that it is not an easy job to move away from the destruction of predijudce, as it can be very subtle and be dequised as rightiousness. This is an area in which I have often failed and, I am sure, will continue to. But, it is the necessary work for anyone who is honestly commited to the development of a relationship with Christ. Let's be healers. We can't do that if we are so willing to project so quickly any damage of any kind onto the other side.
John David
By Jerry (not verified) on Monday, April 20, 2009I guess I'm not going to satisfy you. More likely is an estimate that the probabiilty is 51% meaning there is a 49% chance the theory could be wrong. Any investigator has to come up with theories for motives and a profile, but should obviously keep an open mind that the most likely scenario may not apply in the case being investigated. That is not about false witness.
Since you appear to be very open minded I hope the next time a hate crime occurs, you should be open minded that it may be an actual hate crime or a may be a phony hate crime to garner publicity.
Thank you for your reply.
By John David (not verified) on Monday, April 20, 2009Thank you for your reply. Yes, I do understand that any investigator would have to come up with theories. And the first writer can use the same argument But theories and assumptions are not the same thing. We can easily call assumptions, theories. And sometimes these assumptions, without our realizing it, can come from our predijudices, which we all, unfortunately have.
With language, we often get tripped up because it is used and heard. I hear "more likely" differently than you. I think that, yes techniqly it can be at 51%. But it can also be at 99%, as well. I do think the conotation would be that it is more than 51%.
I just read in each response a predijudice; one towards the Right and, in yours, towards the left. If I am wrong, I do apologize (full disclosure, I tend to lean towards the left, not always, but generally).
There is just so much polarization between the left and the right today. And, unfortunately, this polarization is often not discouraged by many of our leaders (indeed, it is often encouraged). So often each side is accusing the other side of doing exactly what they are doing (Freud would call it projection, Jesus called it not seeing the plank in ones own eye).
I am aware that there can be some phony hate crimes and that there are those on each side willing to commit them to further their cause. Very, very disturbing.
So, we won't agree. But the discussion has been an interesting one.
Peace of Christ,
John David
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