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December 27, 2007
The Big Theological Issue
The Council of Chalcedon and monophysitism? No. The real issue is the placement of ladders.
Seven people were injured on Thursday when Greek Orthodox and Armenian priests came to blows in a dispute over how to clean the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.Following the Christmas celebrations, Greek Orthodox priests set up ladders to clean the walls and ceilings of their part of the church, which is built over the site where Jesus Christ is believed to have been born.
But the ladders encroached on space controlled by Armenian priests, according to photographers who said angry words ensued and blows quickly followed.
For a quarter of an hour bearded and robed priests laid into each other with fists, brooms and iron rods while the photographers who had come to take pictures of the annual cleaning ceremony recorded the whole event. [From Breitbart.com where you can find more and a picture]
Among the injured were two unarmed Palestinian police officers who tried to break up the melee.
Like many issues that present themselves in the context of religious differences, this is the result of a turf war. In fact, this is explicitly part of a long lasting turf war within the Church of the Nativity. But this event is a miniature version of many such disputes that often result in violence. Religion doesn't cause this violence; it magnifies it.
Posted by Duane Smith at December 27, 2007 12:36 PM | Read more on Religion |
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