Jesus's white privilege global image & but.. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything for God, who is among you, is a jealous God And God will burn you, and he will destroy your religious arse from the face of the land.
To the best of my knowledge and according to what is verifiable in both the Old and New Testaments of the Christian Bible, the crafting of images or idol worship is explicitly forbidden. This suggests that the external representation of the biblical God might not be sanctioned by the divine entity for various reasons, which I won't delve into here. However, if my suspicion holds true, then disregarding this commandment could be a grave transgression.
I can understand why Muslims vehemently oppose any attempt to depict their Prophet. In serious discussions, such depictions can detract from the intended message.
Even as an artist, I find it disheartening when the substantive contributions of artists to humanity are overlooked, overshadowed by their celebrity status. It seems their raison d'être becomes somewhat obsolete, or at least less impactful. Thus, I can comprehend why some religious adherents prefer to focus on the message rather than the messenger.
Now, considering the biblical passages strongly urging us to abstain from idol worship in lieu of worshipping God, the concept of fashioning the image of a Caucasian, blonde, blue-eyed figure—commonly referred to as the "white man"—affixing him to a cross, and designating him as a representative or son of God, or even as God himself in extreme cases, seems questionable, to say the least.
From Cape to Cairo, from Mecca to Medina, this depiction of a Nordic or Caucasian figure predominates. There may be slight variations in Communist China, but the underlying point remains consistent. Is there a possibility that anyone who has directly prayed to this image, or visualised it while contemplating the biblical God, is actually committing a grave sin?
If so, then why do we find this image adorning staffs in the Vatican, within churches globally, and elsewhere?
here are a few references from the Old Testament where the prohibition against worshipping idols or other gods is mentioned:
Exodus 20:3-5 (The Ten Commandments): "You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God..."
Deuteronomy 5:7-9 (The Ten Commandments reiterated): "You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God..."
Deuteronomy 6:14-15: "Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land."
Deuteronomy 7:25-26: "The images of their gods you are to burn in the fire. Do not covet the silver and gold on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it, for it is detestable to the Lord your God. Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction. Regard it as vile and utterly detest it, for it is set apart for destruction."
These passages emphasise the exclusivity of worshipping/ focusing on the biblical God and the prohibition against making or worshipping idols do they not?
In the Christian bible's New Testament : there are passages that emphasise the exclusive worship of God and caution against anything that might lead to idolatry.
Here are a few examples:
1 Corinthians 10:14: "Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry."
1 John 5:21: "Dear children, keep yourselves from idols."
Acts 15:20: "Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood."
ETC
Globally, what's going on? Could this all be a manifestation of white privilege? Consider this: the earliest known depictions of Jesus, [ not even Nordic or Aryan Caucasian ] considering the location - Italy, date back to the late second or early third century, primarily found in the catacombs of Rome. These representations often symbolically depicted Jesus rather than aiming for realism.
The rumour, or theory that Leonardo da Vinci painted Cesare Borgia as Jesus is largely speculative as far as i'm concerned, weak, concrete evidence supporting this claim is scarce, leaving it contentious within art historical circles.
So: if both the Old and New Testaments warn against using images, labelling it as idolatry, does that not implicate everyone involved in this practice as idolaters or adulterers?
And yet, despite the potential spiritual ramifications of disregarding God and worshipping graven idols or pictures instead of the biblical God, these depictions persist, I ask Is this not evidence of the powerful grip of white supremacy on our planet?
Consider a city in Brazil where an image depicting this figure, clad all in white, is visible from space.
To those who are white privilege club card carrying members, even if you're unaware or in denial, the bible say's,
You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything for God, who is among you, is a jealous God And God will burn you, and he will destroy your religious a*s from the face of the land.
Read the bible, please do, Thanks.
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