Shakespeare: To See or not to See

William Shakespeare
Public Domain

The difficulty of writing Hamlet was nothing compared to the difficulty of being Catholic in Elizabethan England.  Therefore, people are still trying to figure out whether or not Shakespeare was actually Catholic.

Although Shakespeare's parents were practicing Roman Catholics during the reign of Queen Mary I (who espoused Catholicism), they may not have been during the reign of her successor, Elizabeth I.  That's because Elizabeth I's anti-Catholicism was literally quite deadly.

Elizabeth's spies had already tortured, killed, drawn and quartered Robert Southwell, a Jesuit priest and poet whom Shakespeare had admired.  If Shakespeare were a practicing Catholic, these events could have surely encouraged him to keep his religion a closely-guarded secret.

Elizabeth ordered all citizens to attend Church of England (Anglican) Protestant services - keeping track of those who did, and closer track of those who didn't.  The latter were identified as recusants.  Shakespeare's father was identified as such, as was Shakespeare's daughter.  Plus, there is no record of Shakespeare himself ever having registered as a member of the Anglican Church.

In 1613 Shakespeare purchased Blackfriars Gatehouse.  Its tunnels were said to have been a hiding place for London's Catholics.  There was also talk that he had befriended Edmund Campion (a Counter-Reformation leader), and that his father's will included a copy of Campion's Catholic materials.  An Anglican minister had even written literary notes affirming that Shakespeare had "dyed a Papyst" (one loyal to the Pope).

Some of Shakespeare's memorable characters were Catholic, such as Friar Laurence (Romeo and Juliet), Friar Francis (Much Ado About Nothing), Hamlet's purgatorial ghost (?), Thomas More and others.  The question remains: Was Shakespeare also?

Resources

https://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2008/04/25/april-25-2008-was-shakespeare-catholic/5519/#:~:text=His%20works%20suggest%20that%20he,by%20the%20Church%20of%20England.

https://www.folger.edu/blogs/shakespeare-and-beyond/hamlet-ghost-catholic-protestant/

Forget Nazareth: Jesus of Japan

Road Sign in Shingo, Aomori
Photo by calebincatania

Although only 1.5% of Japan's population is Christian, a legend persists that Jesus once lived there.

As the story goes, an itinerant shepherd turned garlic farmer settled in a mountain hamlet of northern Japan approximately 2,000 years ago.  He allegedly lived to be 106 after falling in love and fathering three children.  Some call him Daitenku Taro - others call him Jesus Christ.

Smithsonian Magazine reports that this Japanese hamlet, Shingo, now advertises itself as "Christ's Hometown."  Never mind that the village church has been repurposed into a tourist attraction, the annual Christ Festival is still going strong.

So how did Jesus of Nazareth happen to end up in the hills of Japan?  Local folklore has an answer for that.  It is said that Jesus did not die on the cross, but rather his "kid brother, Isukiri" did.  It is also said that Jesus was over in Japan during those twelve "lost years" that many have wondered about.

It therefore makes perfect sense (assuming you believe the rest of this tale) that Jesus would seek refuge in the "promised land" of Japan after being persecuted in Jerusalem.

Resources

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/The-Little-Known-Legend-of-Jesus-in-Japan-183833821.html?c=y&page=1

Church growth: Better trumps bigger

Village Church in South Sudan
Photo by Ernst Ulz

Many churches embark upon "growth" campaigns without clearly identifying just what that growth means to them.

In an article for The Huff Post Religion Blog, Derek Penwell points out that church growth is not just a numbers game, but also a maturity gain.  However, maturity is much harder to nail down than either membership or financial statistics.

Penwell discusses the usual claims about how many new members have joined the church this year, and then compares them with this other (all too rare) type of assessment: "We've had to grapple with some pretty tough issues lately.  Some have even left our church because of it.  However, those who remained have experienced a deepening of their faith commitment."

He emphasizes that growth is not necessarily about "bigness."  Nor is it necessarily about anything that can be easily seen or quantified.  Just as we (hopefully) don't judge all children, frogs, or stones in the same manner - neither should we assume that all church growth should be about outward expansion.

Resources

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/derek-penwell/church-growth_b_3782813.html?utm_hp_ref=religion

Yogic tale: Alexander the Great Slave

Alexander Mosaic, Pompeii
Public Domain

It is well known that Alexander the Great had been hoping to conquer far more of the Indian subcontinent than he actually did.

H. E. Marshall explained that after Alexander fought many bitter battles within the Punjab region, he was "eager to reach the holy river Ganges and conquer the people there."  His men, however, were just as eager to bid adieu to India's elephants and climatic extremes.  They therefore begged the king to go no farther, and he very reluctantly agreed.

Alexander allegedly remained fascinated by stories he had heard about yogis.  IndiaDivine.org tells us that when he was about to leave the subcontinent, Alexander "remembered that his people had asked him to bring to them an Indian yogi" in order to receive blessings.

After meeting such a yogi, Alexander asked him to come to Greece.  After the yogi politely declined, the king was enraged.  No one had ever dared to refuse such a "majestic" request.  He then bellowed, "I am the great king Alexander.  If you will not listen to me, I shall kill you - cut you into pieces!"

The yogi replied: You cannot kill me!  You can only kill my body...  You say you are a king.  May I tell you who you are?  You are a slave of my slave!  He then told Alexander:  Anger is my slave...  You are a slave of anger, and therefore a slave of my slave!

Resources

http://www.indiadivine.org/audarya/hinduism-forum/272183-alexander-great-yogi.html

http://hinduism.about.com/od/history/a/alexander.htm