Tolerance of the Insane
A giant blow up King, a public park, a religious group of three or four fanatics (in their 60s) – “Do it on church land” I thought, “get out of “our” park” I thought. “If your numbers are dropping ITS FOR A REASON.”
When i first saw the blow up statue in the park outside the council chambers I was outraged. What was this religious group doing promoting themselves when our little town has 8 churches and their surrounding land on which to promote their cause. I had heard that it was Seventh Day Adventists doing their pitch and i thought, the reason they are not setting up their blow up king icon on their land is cos it’s out of town and no will see it there.
But then it got worse…sadder and more fanatical, like a diminished political group…The D.L.P, the Communist Party of Queensland, the Australian Democrats, all huddled round a blazing manifesto to keep warm, talking up the future…..others scurrying past.
This group had no church building. They only had their giant blow up statue of King Nebachadnezzer. Now you don’t need to do a lot of research to find out that our good king was mad, vindictive and vain.
He had a dream…he wanted it interpreted and no one could…he threatened his court that he would kill them if they couldn’t interpret his dream and along came Danial who interpreted the dreams. That’s the basis of the story. That is also the basis of this religious sect – that the interpretation was not only accurate and prophetic, but that this small part of the old testament is literally accurate. That where it talks about events in the future it is a prediction of our impending doom. This little sad group of homeless followers of a 3000 year old interpretation of some tyrannical monarch setting up their giant inflatable blow-up King Nebachadezzer promoting their faith, promoting their “seminar” at the community center at night where all the prophecy will be revealed. Why we are having earthquakes, how the world will end, when the world will end, all this and more if you come along to their talk next Friday night. It’s all laid down in the interpretations of the dream 3000 years ago and it’s coming true soon.
I look at this little group of followers, with their giant blow up icon they take from town to town sending fear of the impending doom to those listening and I am no longer outraged that they have used the public park. It is just another group of mad, gullible and harmless messengers of prophetic doom. I say “go in peace.” A blow up King is no worse than a jumping castle. Keep old mad vindictive King Nebachadezzer’s dream alive.
The Turkey's Nest 