On a fall evening in November, a single, solitary figure stole surreptitiously into the underbelly of Britain's Parliament building. His goal- the complete destruction via an explosion of House of Lords, at which King James I was scheduled to appear. He loathed the protestant monarch, and although his motivation was primarily religious, he has become a symbol for those who endorse religious liberty.
During the Elizabethan era, there was great upheaval over the subject of religion. Whereas England had been loyally Catholic until the reign of Henry VIII, the Anglican Church had replaced it as equally tyrannical. As the Catholics had slaughtered Lutherans in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Protestants returned tit for tat to the Catholics in England, including Mary, Queen of Scots, who was James I of England's mother. Fawkes might have seen James' religion as a repudiation of his mother and as a betrayal to the commandment to honor his parents. What was clear to the conspirators however was that James intended to have even harsher anti-Catholic laws than his predecessors.
Why do I care about Guy Fawkes? I lived in Great Britain for about two years when I was many years younger, and I remember the festivities of the time. Moreso, however, for me Fawkes represents the struggle that eventually brought my ancestors from England to the Americas. The Anglican Protestants continued to oppress other ideas, as vehemently as the Catholics had before them during the English Civil War, and the Huguenots, Puritans, Pilgrims, and many others like them eventually fled England for religious liberty in the New World.
This summer, I was unfriended by a close and dear friend because of my religious beliefs. For much of my life, I have been ostracized when not mocked or persecuted because my Faith differs from that of my fellows. Fawkes for me symbolizes the concept that Truth and Freedom are more than words; they are perspectives. My ancestors, living and dead, have fought and bled for the freedom to worship the Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience. As our government and some of our citizens campaign to restrict Christianity in any form or name, I remember Fawkes, who feared more egregious anti-Catholic sentiment, verily established by the State.
Tonight, I will burn a small marshmallow effigy of Fawkes, an ephemeral torch to the memory of a man who saw any restriction on or establishment of any Faith as the greatest offense to faith.
During the Elizabethan era, there was great upheaval over the subject of religion. Whereas England had been loyally Catholic until the reign of Henry VIII, the Anglican Church had replaced it as equally tyrannical. As the Catholics had slaughtered Lutherans in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Protestants returned tit for tat to the Catholics in England, including Mary, Queen of Scots, who was James I of England's mother. Fawkes might have seen James' religion as a repudiation of his mother and as a betrayal to the commandment to honor his parents. What was clear to the conspirators however was that James intended to have even harsher anti-Catholic laws than his predecessors.
Why do I care about Guy Fawkes? I lived in Great Britain for about two years when I was many years younger, and I remember the festivities of the time. Moreso, however, for me Fawkes represents the struggle that eventually brought my ancestors from England to the Americas. The Anglican Protestants continued to oppress other ideas, as vehemently as the Catholics had before them during the English Civil War, and the Huguenots, Puritans, Pilgrims, and many others like them eventually fled England for religious liberty in the New World.
This summer, I was unfriended by a close and dear friend because of my religious beliefs. For much of my life, I have been ostracized when not mocked or persecuted because my Faith differs from that of my fellows. Fawkes for me symbolizes the concept that Truth and Freedom are more than words; they are perspectives. My ancestors, living and dead, have fought and bled for the freedom to worship the Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience. As our government and some of our citizens campaign to restrict Christianity in any form or name, I remember Fawkes, who feared more egregious anti-Catholic sentiment, verily established by the State.
Tonight, I will burn a small marshmallow effigy of Fawkes, an ephemeral torch to the memory of a man who saw any restriction on or establishment of any Faith as the greatest offense to faith.
Remember, remember, the Fifth of November, the Gunpowder, Treason, and Plot.
I know of no Reason why the Gunpowder Treason should ever be Forgot.
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