Friday, December 10, 2010

file under: who wants to bet me

breaking: 2,000 year old holy thorn tree cut down & destroyed in anti christian act. likely culprits, muslims

10 Dec

UK: 2,000-Year-Old Holy Thorn Tree of Glastonbury is Cut Down, Linked Back to Origins of Christianity…

Before:

After:

Islamists?

(Daily Mail)- Standing proudly on the side of an English hill, its religious roots go back 2,000 years. But a single night of vandalism has left an ancient site of pilgrimage in splinters.

The Holy Thorn Tree of Glastonbury has been chopped down in what is being seen by some as a deliberately anti-Christian act.

A feature of the skyline surrounding the Somerset town, the tree has been visited by thousands retracing the steps said to have been taken by Joseph of Arimathea, who some say was Jesus’ great uncle.

According to legend, Saint Joseph travelled to the spot after Christ was crucified, taking with him the Holy Grail of Arthurian folklore.

…Yesterday residents of Glastonbury wept as they surveyed the damage done to the tree on Wednesday night. Katherine Gorbing, curator of the town’s abbey, said: ‘The mindless vandals who have hacked down this tree have struck at the heart of Christianity.

‘It is the most significant of all the trees planted here and can be linked back to the origins of Christianity.

I will be following this through the investigation, if it turns out to be misunderstanders of ropma I beleive they will try to bury that news.

3 comments:

American Rose said...

This is so sad. I cannot believe it was not being watched and protected. It will come back. Looks like they weren't able to cut enough of it down to kill it.

revereridesagain said...

There's a more extensive story at dailymail.co.uk which notes that the land the thorn tree stands on is owned by one Edward James, who has been arrested in connection with an investigation into failed currency exchange from Crown Currency, of which he is a director. Apparently they tanked owing a whole lot of money and there is speculation the attack on the tree might be related to that.

Pretty pathetic to take it out on a little tree.

Apparently the last bunch that chopped it was Cromwell's Roundheads, out to whack anything that wasn't puritan.

Really sad. Glastonbury is such an old, important site to many people.

Ray Boyd said...

@revereridesagain

I think you may be right about the motive. As for the tree it hasn't been destroyed - it's just been pruned.