Day 32: Apothewhaty??
I was a little impassioned when I wrote this. You can tell me if I'm being overzealous or simply a zealot.
People's emotions often times get the better of them and I'd be a fool to deny that it can happen to me. You can tell me if I'm blowing this out of proportion. You can tell me to calm down. I will seriously consider it.
You know how I said in my last post that D.C was on my mind? Well, I'm glad I camped out in Shenandoua for the day so I could visit the Capital Building after the Pope's visit.
I should say that, yes, I am thrilled that I got to tour the building, but there was a moment amidst learning of the passionate and awesome history of how the whole structure came together that I found myself in the heart of the Capital feeling sorely disappointed. I even, after departing, stopped my trip through Virginia early so I could have more focused time to write about this concern of mine. And because of it I missed out on Unhappy Hour at the Edgar Allen Poe Museum there in Richmond. That isn't cool.
Here we go. For years I've been somewhat perplexed at why people, especially U.S citizens should think that the Mormon belief that we can ascend to Godhood is strange. I've thought this, because even though I've just barely, for the first time, visited the Capital Building, I've known about the Apotheosis of Washington for quite awhile. The Apotheosis of Washington is the painting in the dome of the rotunda in the Capital done by Constantino Brumidi in 1865.
Now, do you know what that word means? To be sure, The Apotheosis of Washington is depicting our first President, George Washington, being deified, or in other words, it is an illustration of George Washington becoming a God. So, you can imagine my disappointment and slight disbelief when my tour guide, as friendly as she was, hushed her tone for moment and defined to a group of thirty or so people that the word "apotheosis" means "to arise into heaven."
Now, I encourage you to look up the word for yourself if you don't already know that that IS NOT what the word means, but just for the sake of being thorough, here are three definitions from three different online dictionaries for the word, apotheosis: 1.
the elevation or exaltation of a person to the rank of a god.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/apotheosis
1
:elevation to divine status :deification
http://i.word.com/idictionary/apotheosis
The elevation of someone to divine status; deification.
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english apotheosis
Ok. So I get it. If you are Mormon, you might just naturally assume that "arising into heaven" means that you've got your spouse there with you, sealed for time and eternity, and will, through the process of arising become like God. You'll have your own personal apotheosis. But even still I think that a distinction between arising into heaven and being deified is kind of important to make.
If you don't already associate the two as almost the same thing than conveniently omitting the true meaning of the word apotheosis in describing what is happening to Washington grandly misconstrues the original intentions of the painter and those who requested it be done.
It not only misconstrues it, but it seemed to be a blatant attempt to downplay or almost hide, I'd say, the immensity of what the painting is truly illustrating. Not to mention it's simply dishonest. The truly interested party does not learn of what Washington's apotheosis really means and their minds are not impressed with the grandest implications of it.
I'm going to be completely honest right now. There are few things that really and truly make me angry. This is one of those things. Why should that lady not be telling her groups what apotheosis actually is?
I can't say that I don't care what you believe. I do. But that's only because I am unendingly fascinated with why it is that people hold certain beliefs. Be Christian, be an atheist, be Jewish. Believe what you may, but whatever you choose to believe I'd hope you'd have some sort of conviction that passionately arouses your faculties toward a pursuit of truth.
If this is how they've always explained to the public what The Apotheosis of Washington is, than there is no wonder why the average U.S. citizen has been perplexed and in some cases persecuted the church for sustaining a belief that we can become gods. In reality this is no unique belief. People throughout history have held this belief. But it appears that there have always been people trying to downplay this belief as well, if not eradicate it completely.
I cannot relate to the atheist, but to any one who believes in life after death certainly we have commonground enough to extend the drawbridges of theological/philosophical thought processes into genuine discussion.
I find great purpose in learning as much as I can in this life. What do you suppose I should I do in the next? And then what do you suppose might be the consequences of endlessly learning?
Goodnight.