·Citizens” Antonia YANAKIEVA
S
ome people believe in little green men, and even build spaceports in which to greet them... sometime. There are those who follow the Kabbalah, while others count the stars, there are also those who meditate. There are more than a few in Bulgaria go to fortune-tellers, while their more modern compatriots practice Nagualism. There are surely also a few who look to Christ. Different people, different ideals. This is democracy: to each his or her own faith. It is another matter entirely, and probably the most true of all, that if there was no God, we would have to invent one (s’il n’existait pas Dieu, il foudrait l’inventer). The subject of religion is a difficult, many-layered one, but one thing is for sure: faith cannot be offensive. Europe has not been only Christian for some time now; this was made official by the lack of reference to God in the European Constitution. In this country, a mixture continues to exist of a post-socialist mentality, garnished with a few chunks of patriarchical morality, plus a whole brew of the pagan and the Christian, built up over the centuries. The unification principle continues to reign supreme, especially whenever encountering any ·otherness”. Not only is it not accepted, after some attempts at being understood, it is rejected outright. Some moan about the gays, many grumble about the Roma, and the so-called ·cults” are also not let off easy. There is also no lack of instigators, and the Skat television network has a whole reserve of ·troops”. For ages, this station has been playing the part of the village gossip and scandal-monger. On the issue that is burning for all residents of the seaside city of Burgas - that of whether Jehovah’s Witnesses have any place in their city - the network did not fail to live up to its image. The opening of the religious organization’s new office building reopened the issue of ·citizens” vs. ·witnesses”. Whatever the missionaries may say about the purpose of the building, it is clear to everyone that they aren’t going to play bridge there. Indisputably, there are grounds to suspect that the building will be used as a house of worship. If we think rationally, rather than hysterically, there is a good side to this: the citizens and the authorities will always be able to exercise lawful public ·supervision”. It would hardly make matters better if the oh-so-dangerous Jehovites, as the media has resoundingly pronounced them, were to fall into illegality. With or without a building, these people will continue to exist, and not just because the law gives them
vs.·Witnesses” the right to do so. Agitation, protests, public calls to action and societal displeasure against the cult’s plans all existed three years ago. At that time it was discovered that all of the documentation was in order, and the construction could not be halted. It is evident that the true reason underlying the concrete excuse for the dispute’s heating up again is fear. Nobody can claim that the threat is imaginary, ·cult” sounds frightening, but fright breeds aggression. Fomenting paranoia and psychosis is no less dangerous. And when the populace is labile, there is fertile feeding ground for some kinds of parasites. Once again the Skat network read the events as the devil would read the Gospel. Its broadcasts devoted to the subject provided fodder for hysterical outbursts. The citizens of Burgas received ·cult” advice: that they should post an announcement on the doors of their homes to the effect that they are ·off limits to Jehovites”. The signs we put up are our own business, but if that’s the way it’s going to be, why not put a ·Beware of Dog” sign on the front door with a photo of a family member under it. If we begin to have a deluge of placards, there will be no room left on our doors, especially if we follow Skat’s logic. They would even find enemies in your bed. Such behavior is infantile and primitive. There is a new trial model of person, who we could call a ·Skatman” (homo skatus). He simply waits for such calls, in order to adhere to them. Skatman spits, hates, curses, drinks his rakia, follows politics, why he even votes, you might say, in coordination with the authorities from the small screen. And so, he unintentionally falls within the purview of the negative connotations of the word ·sectarian” (meaning cult follower). In actuality, this type is also like a naive resident of Ancient Greece, waiting for a Deus ex Machina to descend at the end of the performance and solve the problem the right way. One thing is sure; they have no chance of comprehending this exhortation by the Buddha: ·Do not follow anyone, follow only yourself.” But leaving Skat aside, since as they say, it is only to the fools that everything is clear, let us return to the protestors. Their main arguments against the building are that there are children’s day-care centers, schools and a university in the area. It is interesting to ponder what these upstanding citizens would prefer: a lawful house of worship or an unlawful brothel. Certain wicket tongues have branded (doubtless not without reason) a certain building in the area as being one where anyone in need of sex services is welcome. It is fairly clear that the true cause for the citizens’ fears is not the in the buildings or what is around them.