RELIGION AND LIFE

Labor Day Resolution

Once again Labor Day feting time has arrived and Eastern Parkway in the people’s republic of Brooklyn will be the stumping ground for some three million people. Those people will unite to party, to spend money and to feed their nostalgia of carnival in the Caribbean. On one hand, the Labor Day celebration seems to be a one-day ‘quick fix’ solution to relieve the year of stress that poor people (who are over 99% black) have endured all year long. On the other hand, the Labor Day fete is a convincing and overwhelming indication of the energy and potential of the poor/black community. There are several questions that should be examined against the backdrop of the Labor Day event. Some of those questions include the following:

THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE (conclusion)

Our last discussion touched on the nature of Jesus’ mission and the extent to which many of his followers did not understand it. We also discussed the accusations brought against him by the Pharisees and hinted at the real motive behind it. This time we will elaborate on it, as well as discuss the people’s choice of Barabbas. The real motive behind the Pharisees’ accusations was to have Jesus crucified. And, from their points of view, they were justified. I could hear you asking, how can he justify the action of the Pharisees? Of course, I cannot. However, let’s examine some pertinent information about them. They were one of the 3 prominent Jewish religious sects in Jesus’ lifetime. The others were the Sadducees and the Essences. Our knowledge of their origins is not definitive, and derives from 3 sources - the works of Flavius Josephus, the early rabbinical writings (200 ACE and later), the canonical Gospels, and the Dead Sea scrolls.