This week marks the
third anniversary of this weekly blog, which has had 100,000 visitors, not
counting over 400 free weekly subscribers and followers. There are nearly 160 posts
archived in the right rail of the blog site. Donations for 2013 totaled
$1000. Posts have appeared on other blog
sites and e-newsletters, including Believe Out Loud, Progressive Christianity,
and The Huffington Post. Thanks, all!
I
have thought of the devil as a metaphorical character rather than an actual
being as far back as high school, despite my fundamentalist upbringing. My
explanation to those who disagreed was that my unbelief was the worst insult I
could heap on the devil if “he” did exist!
But
I am taken with Hildegard of Bingen’s notion that Satan can’t sing, because he
opposes all harmony. Editor Barbara Newman explains that Hildegard’s morality
plays predate commonly known morality plays by 150 years. One of them, Ordo Virtutum, is entirely sung except
for Satan’s monologues, because Hildegard didn’t think the devil could carry a
tune!
Opposed
to all harmony, Satan could never join a choir or quartet, band or orchestra. He
could never play well with others, so he could never join a team or a cause or
a community or a theater troupe. He couldn’t dance or weave or paint or
write—because all require some kind of harmonizing.
But
he could join the conflicts in Washington, the Middle East, and dysfunctional churches.
He could be racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, anti-Semitic, misogynistic,
elitist, bigoted, hierarchical, autocratic, intransigent, uncooperative,
greedy, misanthropic, and more. So many bad things, so little time!
Satan
is too often a role model for us. No wonder so many people believe in him.
Visit the first two posts of this blog:
Other posts referencing Hildegard of Bingen:
Progressive Christian
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