Idiocy

I am taking a break from my non-existent studying to write about the Escape Chapel Party at CHIJmes, because it is an extreme example of the increasing religious stupidity in the world.

I haven't been around Singapore much lately, however, it is rather unappealing to return to such dreary news. There was Welsh club, Escape, who has booked the deconsecrated chapel of the former Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus school premises, now called CHIJmes, a 'lifestyle' destination, whatever that means. Together with a marketing agency has set up a party set to take place on Good Friday and Holy Saturday. The part is called the Escape Chapel Party. The marketing for the event was posters of girls in modified habits, or I should say slutified habits. Very immodest, very demeaning.

You can read the more than appropriate outcry from Catholics in this article.

However, what was absolutely appalling to me was the depth of degradation that director of the creative agency descended to in order to save his company some face for desecration of sacred objects or objects associated with sacred things. Here are some of the things that he said, from the above article. [My comments]

Responding to Yahoo! Singapore’s queries, director at Creative Insurgence Aaghir Yadav said the party was actually intended to occur earlier this year, over the Chinese New Year weekend, but was postponed to the next public holiday weekend, which happened to be Good Friday.

“The overlap with Easter weekend was not intended to be offensive. We have since been in touch with the Archbishop’s office to explain our position and have apologised for offending anyone unintentionally,” he said.

He added the main concept of the party was to help UK-based club brand Escape gauge the viability of setting up a franchise club here.

He also maintained that the party has no theme, but is instead focussed on the music of the Welsh label, [The party is on GOOD FRIDAY, and you advertised with girls in habits. Are not trying to imply the theme with your advertising?] saying that the fact that it would be held in a chapel led them to follow the theme in some of its promotional material.[Riiight.]

“We would like to clarify that the images contained no religious symbolism,” Yadav added [They were girls dressed in habits. The habit has only one kind of symbolism, it is the wedding dress of the bride of Christ. It was created to be so.], saying he realised that his image of two of his friends in nun-inspired Cosplay costumes had “unintentionally upset['upset' is an understatement.] some people”, hence the decision to remove it.

“This also applied to teasers that said nuns will be at the party — we meant the secularised, costume version that contains no religious symbolism[This has got to be the icing on the cake. How far down the beaten path do you have to go to think that an object created specifically and solely for religious use, and is still in use today for that purpose, could become secularised and have no religious meaning at all?]. However, in light of these sensitivities we will not be doing this as well,” he said.

That said, this brings the question to mind how is it possible that anyone could even get that idea in the first place? It could be a possibility that they've never seen real nuns before or religious sisters, or even religious for that matter. Of course, granted that's very likely possibility given that there are only 210,000 Catholics in the 5.2 million people country. There is another factor, that you scarcely see the religious themselves walk around in their proper garb! You can forget about collars too. How often do you see a priest in his office in a collar.

The Catholic community in Singapore has long been slowly losing its Catholic identity. In a country where one isn't being persecuted for being Christian or Catholic, it would be very safe to walk around in clerical garb. How wonderful it would be to see Franciscans in their habits in Orchard road having lunch, or even some the nuns or priests walking around in their habits and cassocks. It would surely raise the pride of being Catholic and the Catholic identity. Not to mention emphasis the ontocological sacramental character of the ordained.

Read more here.

Likewise, I think that any lay person who is given the privilege to minister to the priest during Mass should be cassocked at the very least. I have seen some people during the 7am morning mass swag down the Church like they owned it.