London - 18 Feb 06

18 Feb 06, Saturday

I didn’t manage to write the rest of the weekdays. I don’t really know why.

For class on Wednesday we visited a local Hindu temple. I was in an accepting and welcoming mood until our guide gave us a universalism lecture on how there is only one God, and all the religions of the world reach the same God but in different ways. This is very easy to say. It is also very easy to believe because it makes any religion convenient. This belief eradicates all arguments about the rights or wrongs of any religious practice. If you believe this you don’t have to face tough questions like, “Well, what happens to non-Christians and people of other religions when they die?” This question is certainly a tough one to face for any Christian, but I like it still because it leads to discussion. I would rather the question be there, even though I am not prepared to give an answer.

The guide mentioned holy days of prayer. “The Christian day of prayer is Sunday, but not any more. Now they go shopping.” I should have stood up and walked out of the room. I am fine with him if he believes this, but where and why does he think that fits into a welcome speech to a Hindu temple in which he can present that as fact. I could have screamed so loud. When you promote your opinions of other religions as fact you, more often than not, abandon the principles of your religion, and certainly risk offending those in your presence.

The Eye was on Wednesday. It was a good time, not boring or too long. I wish it lasted longer than a half hour. The views of London, specifically Westminster and the City, are too much to take in for how long you are in the pods on the top half of the wheel.

And yesterday, Cambridge, a very beautiful place, but for visiting for a few hours there isn’t a ton to do. I visited King’s College Chapel, and a museum where a few weeks earlier a patron had fallen down the stairs and taken a couple of vases from the Ming Dynasty with him to the floor. Oops. I couldn’t imagine going to Cambridge. So prestigious. So much in the name. Bob gave the tour and didn’t fail to impress with his limitless knowledge of the UK.

Kate is in Longmont this weekend. I am jealous. It is comforting to know that she is in my house and for me, the very place of ease and comfort.

I’ll actually have to do some studying tomorrow before I go to the 3:15 evensong at St. Paul’s. I might even venture over to Leicester Square and get a look at the crowd for the BAFTAs.

Finally, I ran today. It was sunny this morning and the run felt great. There are some significant hills around here that are great for running and I was able to push myself today, even after taking so much time off. Anyway, I wasn’t as bad a runner today as I thought I was going to be. Running will now be a twice a week activity. I missed it, but now it is back, not as much as I want, but a decent amount.

There is a lot to respond to here. First, the visit to the Hindu temple. I guess one of the reasons the guides universalism comment bothered me so much was because I felt like he was just saying that to be polite. I know he and I believe different things. I don’t need to be patronized by him because he might be afraid of insulting my beliefs. Give it to me straight, what do Hindus believe?

I am glad I didn’t get up and walk out of the room when he made fun of Christians. He had this little smirk after he said that, but it was a serious smirk like, you know what I am talking about? Well, I don’t know what you are talking about. I do know that most of us here aren’t Hindu, in fact most of us are Christians, and we have come to learn about your faith and you can’t talk to us about your faith without insulting another faith. It was hard to swallow. I got all bothered for a while.

The London Eye is the biggest ferris wheel in the world. Technically, it is a observation wheel because you are enclosed in some pods. The London Eye stands on the south side of the Thames at a diagonal across the river from Parliament. When you are at the top you are 443 feet above the Thames. It is pretty insane. It opened in 1999, and at first was a temporary attraction, but it has become permanent. It is officially a more popular tourist attraction than the Eiffel Tower.

Cambridge was quick. I took a lot of pictures. I saw a church where George Washington’s uncle is buried. I saw a church tower that stood before the Norman invasion of England in 1066. I saw where King Henry VIII studied. I saw Isaac Newton’s old dorm room. Did you know that ole’ Newton was curious about his eye one day after his years at Cambridge so he stuck a needle in between his eye and eye socket? He poked around in there and wrote about it afterwards.

The BAFTA ceremony is the UK’s Oscar ceremony. I could have gone down there and spotted a lot of celebrities but it was a rainy weekend in London. The red carpet had half an inch of standing water on it.

Hah, I can’t believe I thought I was going to run twice a week after that run. I didn’t run again over there.

*Pictures taken by me of the Mathematical Bridge in Cambridge and of the Houses of Parliament from the London Eye.