29 April 2011

Apocalypse FAIL -or: imposing our agenda on scripture

Matt Stone, istm, has got it right and does us a favour by finding this visual 'statement' that so badly misses the point of the apocalyptic imagery and actually subverts the Bible's message.
Apocalypse FAIL - Glocal Christianity: "Where we expect to see a sword coming from the mouth of the Messiah, symbolizing the power of the word of God, we now find a sword in his hand, symbolizing power of a more earthly kind. Where we expect to see a white robe dipped in blood, symbolizing his sacrificial love and servant kingship, we now see a smart and sanitized red robe. Where we expect to see many crowns, relativising the Imperial claims of Caesar, we now see a more conventional, single crown. Where we expect to see writing on his robe and thigh, encapsulating the symbolic significance of these visions, there is none. Where we expect to see eyes blazing with fire, we see something far less amazing. Where we expect to see heaven cracking open, emphasizing the visionary flavour of such images, we instead see clouds and clouds alone, minimizing the mystery.
What we have here is a domesticated Jesus, who mimics the entrapments of empire rather than radically subverting them"

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