Sackcloth and Ashes in Birmingham

[ysengrin]

The mayor of Birmingham, Alabama decided to do something about their rising crime rates.

He issued an official city proclamation (PDF) calling for a "day of prayer in sackcloth and ashes" and bought some 2,000 sackcloths for distribution. That "day" (the Plan 10/30 summit) occurred last night, and separation of church and state aside, there were a few conceptual problems.

The use of sackcloth and ashes to express humility before the Lord doesn't quite jibe with pulling a sackcloth over your designer suit and dumping the ashes on a nearby table, then jumping straightforward into a revival. One can also point to the seal of the city of Birmingham prominently on the podium of the event.

"I could care less what they write about it or say about it," Mayor Langford said. "Because let there be no misunderstanding, just like Satan is at work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days, God is too."

Via Pharyngula, but the videos are here.

Comments

[silvermane3.livejournal.com]

Except on Sundays when God takes a break. I don't think Satan would work 24/7, he'd be breaking sloth, one of the deadly sins *grins*

[ysengrin.livejournal.com]

Point!

[silvermane3.livejournal.com]

Hee hee yeah I get a point! :)

[jrwolf.livejournal.com]

Bahahaha, OH LARRY

I have to go home to that in 3 weeks. You should check out some of his other shenanigans, like squandering millions on plans to build a dome stadium downtown (It's for the final four!), or perhaps google "VisionLand?" Oooh! Ooooh! How about "Let's get a high speed fucking train for the white people. Goddamn our poverty and crime problems, what we need is some spectacular accumulation. Apparently everything else can be solved by sackcloth and ash.

[cargoweasel.livejournal.com]

I can just imagine being the municipal aide tasked with sourcing that. "That's right. Sackcloth. Yeah, we're gonna need about 2,000. I dunno, burlap or something. Does the Bible say what KIND of sackcloth? I guess if it's potentially useful for a sack of some kind it's fine. Right. Just not plastic or paper. Yeah, we'll pick it up Tuesday. It's for another photo-op. Tony, you're a lifesaver."

[ysengrin.livejournal.com]

Actually, if you're wild about doing it with period accuracy, sackcloth would be made from black goat hair. See also "hair shirt."

[fenrirwolf.livejournal.com]

This a joke, right?

No, seriously, someone from FARK photoshopped the proclamation and that video is an Onion-style fake re-enactment?

Please let it be a joke.

[ysengrin.livejournal.com]

I like all the typos in the proclamation.

[megadog.livejournal.com]

TBH I find the mentality of all religious-types utterly incomprehensible.

The evil post-faith satirist in me wants to somehow get the god-botherers to wear polyester leisure-suits instead of sackcloth....

[greyscar.livejournal.com]

And wearing a sack with a pile of ash is meant to do what? please mister killer don't stab me wear a sack instead. Yeah right :P

[ysengrin.livejournal.com]

It's supposed to be a sign of mourning, or of deep repentance, or of humility. What effect it would have on the crime rate, I don't know.