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The universal shock waves following President Kennedy's assassination are seen to duplicate the original social repercussions felt after the murder of Christ and the hypothesized murder of Moses. Freud was not the only original thinker to speculate on Moses-murder as being responsible for the ageless guilt of the Jews. To read the book of Exodus is to wonder how Moses, in spite of his undenied genius, could have possibly escaped an untimely and violent death in view of the iron-fisted ruthlessness with which he put the many thousands of non-believers to death. Following the murders, we may see the following pattern of similar mass reaction:
Universal shock and profound mourning; everything stops.
Mass guilt; everyone eulogizes the slain leader; his virtues are magnified and his vices nullified.
The need to resurrect the fallen leader, to pay penance, make restitution, to make him immortal and thereby negate or deny the fatal deed; hence the use of special mourning prayers and rituals, the building of altars, temples, and the use of religious symbols like the Holy Cross. Instead of ancient altars, today we substitute the contemporary eternal flame, the hasty naming of airports, buildings, the setting up of foundations and libraries, all bearing John F. Kennedy's name.