Hyping Holiness

Just back at the Manor, all refreshed from my (all too) short stay in Marseilles in the company of the Compte de Rienville. In catching up with what had been going on by reviewing various newspapers, I was stunned to come across the following.

 It appears that subway posters have entered the field of mythology -- er, sorry -- religion. Thus we read of one such poster, approved by the Toronto Transportation Commission (TTC) which goes as follows: "There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is his Prophet." What disturbs here is that the poster originally included links to fundamentalist Islamists that were hell bent on the total destruction of non-Muslims, as well as any Muslims who, summoning their intelligence, made a decision to leave the religion entirely. After an outcry, these links were taken down, but still....

Not to be outdone, Christians have just submitted their own poster for approval. It states, "The way to the Father is through the Son, Jesus Christ." So much for Allah, although the tenor of the poster is the same; that is, there is only one road to salvation, all others being evil cul de sacs.

Where, I wondered, will this all end? I have since learned that the Hindus will be formulating their own poster. This will then encourage Sikhs to do the same thing, and might even spread as far as Judaism. In the latter case, I have the ideal example. I see a picture with Mount Sinai as backdrop, and a bearded Charlton Heston-like figure pointing at the viewer and shouting, "MOSES WANTS YOU!"

I then toyed with the idea of submitting my own poster stressing the benefits of resuming worship of the Olympian Gods. Adherents would be taught by Zeus how to handle a few of the smaller thunderbolts, Thor would give instructions on the proper use of his hammer, and Hades' advice would be invaluable in the area of home heating. I mean, what's not to like?

Mind you,  atheists were the first to use the poster as a means of communication, and I'm sure readers will r4ecall their simple message, to wit: "There probably is no God, so get on with it and enjoy life." Or words to that effect, stark in their simplicity and good sense.

And it is always wise to conclude on a sensible note.