Passion Plays are… an acquired taste
July 19th, 2008I am not sure how many non-Muslims know this, but Islam teaches us that our beloved Prophet and Messenger of God, Jesus, peace be upon him, was not crucified. I grew up in a religion that taught that his body was crucified but his soul didn’t die, so the question of ‘what happened to Jesus’ is one that occasionally meanders through my mind. Particularly when reading about things like the WYD Passion Play. Islam, of course, has its own passion plays around the martyrdom of the Prophet’s grandson, peace be upon them, and self-flagellation is common to Catholicism and Shi`i Islam.
Still, I find the concept rather peculiar. Partly because depicting a prophet (either through drawings or by an actor) has traditionally been frowned upon in Islam, and also because having grown up neither as Christian, nor Shi`i Muslim, it’s not really a part of my religious culture. I’m from a much, more sober religious background.
A Melburnian Muslim convert blogs religion, academia and life in general.
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The way the story of Jesus Christ has been played out has changed throughout the years, as with how it is taught. Sad to say it has often been used to blame the Jews for the death of Christ (http:blogs.pioneerlocal.com/religion). I’ve found that curious because the death on the cross was necessary for the resurrection at the heart of the Christian faith.
Hi Brett,
I agree, it seems almost like the psychological problem M. Scott Peck refers to as “character defect” (as opposed to being psychotic or neurotic). In this case an individual blames others for everything.
The reason why it reminds me of this, is because the tenet of Christianity is that human beings are prone to sin by design, hence the need for the substitutionary atonement, and to blame others (in this case the Jews) for everyone’s humanity seems like a group character defect.