I fear I am entering something that might not end which I don’t even want to begin, so I will try to be brief in my response to you, Kornblatt, so as to discourage dialogue.
Put simply, there is little that can be said about your own motivations or religious knowledge, as neither are at issue. But it bears repeating that for the sake of those who use the incense with the understanding reflected in the Maronite prayer I posted, the question should not involve what is permitted, but what is acceptable (and, frankly, decent). For instance, before I was baptized into Orthodoxy I was a Roman Catholic, but I do not ask my Latin friends to design for me a zucchetto so that I may modify it with flashing lights or something, in order to still have the experience/sensory connection of wearing one but in a secular, non-religious context. Why? That would be ridiculous, and deeply disrespectful even if I didn’t mean it to be.
Granted, that’s an exaggerated hypothetical to make a point, but that point stands as is: Do not play with the faith of others just because you like the smell of Maronite incense. What is permissible absolutely does not matter. All things are lawful, but not all things edify.
Dzheremi: Dialogue is what brings us together, as long as we maintain our composure and work toward a common goal: mutual understanding. Dialogue is not, and has never been, a bad word or process.
I’m glad you mentioned that you recognized that the flashing lights was hyperbolic. I do not at all intend to PLAY with the faith of others, rather, I prefer to learn through experience. Knowledge is quite edifying, as long as it is done with the innocence of a child learning something for the first time (which would be me, with respect to the specifics of incense) and with the true goal being understanding, not looking for chinks in one’s honor or beliefs. I don’t believe Catholics, especially Maronites (again, I am most familiar with the Maronite church) display chinks or lapses in their beliefs, and I would not look for them. I have too much respect for you. I apologize if the way in which I asked my original question led anyone to believe that it was my intent to adulterate, play, or make light of anyone else’s rituals. I want to learn more and grow from that knowledge.
Unless one of our other posters knows more than I and I welcome the (name removed by moderator)ut - but I don’t think there is any such thing as a particularly “Maronite” blend of incense. Every parish I have attended uses different incense. Here we change the incense every single day.
Thank you for the polite addition to our conversation. I’m not playing with Maronite orders or censers, and, honestly, Maronite specifically (for those of you suggesting that I seem to have a chip or predilection for things Maronite), because it is part of my own family history. We, as mortals, do not have the right to attempt to determine the religious motives of others who seek knowledge and deeper understanding.
I’ll leave you all with this final though (as it is starting to get late): all Semitic people trace their roots to common ancestors. We are blood. We are family, oftentimes with differences of opinion on certain matters, but family nonetheless. When I travel throughout the Middle East (have done so several times around the entire region, not just Israel / Palestine), I see brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, not religious fanatics or enemies of any persuasion.
I expect to be given credit for my own knowledge and my tolerance and attempts to understand everyone’s traditions and sacred components of their worship. That is why I work hard to speak my broken Hebrew in Israel, and my best use of the many Arabic dialects spoken throughout the region, from Palestine to Egypt to Jordan to Lebanon to Syria to Iraq.
If any of the readers of this thread have taken offense with anything I have said, I apologize. It is my duty to seek your forgiveness if I have disturbed you. I hope your moral codes permit you to dialogue with me and forgive any unintentional offense I may have caused you. I am deeply curious, highly-educated in matters or religion and language, and want nothing more than to learn. Aren’t we also commanded to study the Bible ad its many legitimate interpretations (be they from any religious tradition or significant individual, from the sitting Pope and previous Popes, to St. Maron and the other church-canonized saints, to Orthodox Christian Patriarchs, to Jewish scholars) as often as possible?
This is academic and emotional for me. I don’t wan to be aggressive or challenging toward anyone. Who among you would deny knowledge to someone. That is not the way our combined cultures work. Learning is stressed so incredibly heavily, right after belief itself.
I wish you all a good weekend, and most importantly, peace. Peace throughout the Middle East, and around the globe. Peace between individuals, groups, and nations. May we be lucky enough to see this in our lifetimes. If we disagree, that doesn’t mean we can’t make peace. Look at how often religious leaders disagree, themselves. There is no hatred or animosity there. Only opportunities for learning and growth. I suggest we learn a lesson from our own religious leaders and talk and share. It is only through common and shared growth that we can encourage and persuade our brethren to enact peace. Not only do I talk the talk, but I walk the walk. Who will join me in learning and sharing, where each person both shares and learns?
