Kumbaya

So I go to an interfaith gathering at St. Francis Methodist Church this evening and it is fantastic – food, music, lots of compassionate, touchy-feely types, and diversity – Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Bahai’i, Zorastrians, Buddhists. It was great. Everyone sitting down together and breaking bread.

So we sing a few Jewish prayers and then the Methodists launch into their Jesus songs – The Saints Go Marching In, etc. Actually, I totally got into the Bob Dylan song Blowin In The Wind. And then it was Arabic dancing! Four woman dancing to Arabic music played from a CD. Great fun.

But then the young man who introduced the dancers launched into a very poetic but unplanned and unexpected sharing of his pain – He was a Palestinian. After a few minutes, someone turned off his microphone, but he continued to speak. The Methodist minister had to ask the young man to stop. It was very awkward.

So the musicians launched right into the next Jesus song, and I kid you not, it was:

I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy
Down in my heart (Where?)
Down in my heart (Where?)
Down in my heart
I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy
Down in my heart (Where?)
Down in my heart to stay
And I'm so happy
So very happy
I've got the love of Jesus in my heart (down in my heart)
And I'm so happy
So very happy
I've got the love of Jesus in my heart

Oh my God. The irony.

So I went to the young man, greeted him Salaam Alaykum, and told him that I didn’t know what to say or what to do, but that I had heard him. He thanked me and we shook hands.

And then I drove home, feeling quite depressed.

Wikipedia says Kumbaya has come to mean "a blandly pious and naively optimistic view of the world and human nature."