Hill of Crosses

I had never heard of the Hill of Crosses which is to be found in Lithuania, until seeing it on TV recently. It's origins are vague, perhaps pagan, but the most recent turn in its history came in the middle of the 20th century when the country was under Soviet governance. The site had been a place of Catholic pilgrimage and so the Soviets bulldozed it all in order to convert the locals to atheism. The locals decided to mark the place with crosses as a protest of faith and of national identity. For years it was a battleground without weapons, being cleared and claimed in equal measure. Lithuania is now independent but the hill continues to draw pilgrims who continue to place crosses.

Please check out more extraordinary pictures here and a fuller description is on Wikipedia here. If you are quick you can catch the TV programme, Episode 8 of Around the world in 80 faiths, on BBC iPlayer here.

It struck me again, just how reductionist Atheism, indeed all forms of totalitarianism, can be. And how resilient the human spirit can be. For some, this is the evolutionary drive of survival. For me, it is the human spirit at work - the soul fighting for room to exist. To me, faith is bringing my soul into line with the Creator of the soul. Sometimes I get carried along with His flow; sometimes it buffets me against a few rocks; sometimes I decide to flow against it; sometimes I chill out and float in the deep. Sometimes it is at being at One with God, sometimes it is we are at sixes and sevens.

Ultimately, I find it the most satisfying thing in life.