Take It All Away!

-
Over the weekend I came across yet another controversy regarding Christmas decorations which was rather unusual. The controversy concerned a woman who used Christmas lights to decorate her home, only the lights were arranged in the outline of a certain crude hand gesture. While I disagree with that particular arrangement, I find myself taking her point. Consider for a moment those who are offended at traditional decorations (to use an over-generalization to include biblical forms or otherwise)--what’s the big deal? I believe this woman turned the whole thing over on its’ head by being blatantly offensive.

Biblical imagery is slowly disappearing from public view and the outcry is heard the loudest during the Christmas season. The truth is that removal of biblical imagery is impossible. The world as we know it would not exist--but what would happen if it were possible? 
Let’s wake in the twilight zone where biblical imagery does not exist:

There is no such thing as Michelangelo's David. The Sistine Chapel does not exist. Bach, Handel, even Mozart would have written--what? Even the piece affectionately known as “that Halloween Organ music” does not exist. Halloween does not happen exist because there are no saints, nothing hallowed. No devil.

Don't look for William Faulker's “Absolom! Absolom!” in the library. Moby Dick would roam the seas unmolested by an Ahab or an Ishmael.The Hunchback has no sanctuary. Neither does The Daredevil. Every book that contains even a mere quote must be re-written: "The Old Man and the Sea" has a boat with no mast, "Les Miserables" would be just that. No "Apocalypse Now."

 The vocabulary of curse words is fracking small.
A savior is unheard of, so the Matrix shuts down. Kal-El died on Krypton. The Engineers have no argument against the crew of the Prometheus. The Galactica has no journey.

Football games never culminate in David and Goliath-like battles.

No "good samaritans" help those in need. Charity has a new name.

No one hears Johnny Cash cry and Rush has a new introduction to 2112. James Taylor sings no New Hymn, but John Lennon would have to imagine a "heaven." Marilyn Manson and Iron Maiden are nice bands.

Islam has no root without biblical imagery. Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses and countless cults would not exist. Satanism would be of no regard. Atheists would have to find a new name and something else to do.

 Take a moment to view this video by HumanLight and ask what they, too, would need to change (for example, could they properly refer to the "proverbial candle in the dark?":



What would the world be like with all biblical imagery removed? Arthur C. Clarke came very close, by Ford.

 Since we can't do away with it, what should we be doing to "clean it up" and make certain the imagery is correctly understood?

Popular posts from this blog

The Island-Fish

-
Image
  “O ye passengers, whom may God preserve! come up quickly in to the ship, hasten to embark, and leave your merchandise, and flee with your lives, and save yourselves from destruction; for this apparent island, upon which ye are, is not really an island, but it is a great fish that hath become stationary in the midst of the sea, and the sand hath accumulated upon it, so that it hath become like an island, and trees have grown upon it since times of old; and when ye lighted the fire upon it, the fish felt the heat, and put itself in motion, and now it will descend with you into the sea, and ye will all be drowned: then seek for yourselves escape before destruction, and leave the merchandise.—The passengers, therefore, hearing the words of the master of the ship, hastened to go up into the vessel, leaving the merchandise, and their other goods, and their copper cooking-pots, and their fire-pots; and some reached the ship, and others reached it not. The island had moved, and descended...
Read more

“And so, about this tomb of mine . . . “

-
Image
  “VANITY, saith the preacher, vanity!  Draw round my bed: is Anselm keeping back?  Nephews—sons mine … ah God, I know not! Well—  She, men would have to be your mother once,  Old Gandolf envied me, so fair she was!  What’s done is done, and she is dead beside,  Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since,  And as she died so must we die ourselves,  And thence ye may perceive the world’s a dream.  Life, how and what is it?  As here I lie In this state-chamber, dying by degrees,  Hours and long hours in the dead night,  I ask “Do I live, am I dead?”  Peace, peace seems all.  Saint Praxed’s ever was the church for peace;  And so, about this tomb of mine.  I fought With tooth and nail to save my niche, ye know:  —Old Gandolf cozened me, despite my care;  Shrewd was that snatch from out the corner  South He graced his carrion with,  God curse the same!  Yet still my niche is not so cramped...
Read more