Choc Horror?

A sculpture of Jesus Christ - made out of chocolate, has been pulled from an exhibition in New York.

The decision was made after various religious groups (spearheaded by the Catholic League), piled the pressure on The Manhattan Lab Gallery.

I am a Christian, but I'm not going to blindly criticise a work of art without trying to understand what the artist was getting at first.

The points that seem to cause the most offence are the nudity of the Christ figure, the artistic medium used to represent him... and the fact that the public had been invited to eat the work when it was scheduled to be displayed.

Before I go on, I want to remind you that I was one of the people who was upset by The Jerry Springer musical - my reasons were different from most of the zealots... if you want to know my reasons, ask me. However, I feel it is only fair that you know that I had a position on that as it might view this article in a different context.

There are a couple of things that Christians should consider before preparing to cast stones. Firstly, when Jesus was actually crucified, he in all probability was completely naked - for it was part of the punishment of crucifixion: the physical agony of being mortally wounded and hung on a scaffold to die... coupled with the humiliation of being on public display, stripped of all clothing. Most crucifixes probably have loincloths, to stop people from being distracted from the deep meaning of Christ's sacrifice. Although, having said that... I have heard some suspicious people theorise that by putting a loincloth on Jesus, the Church is actually trying cover up his Jewish heritage. Personally I think Christ's Jewish heritage is something to celebrate.

Now, on to the medium being used - chocolate. Chocolate is a luxury food, it is sweet and sensual... not to mention it is comforting on a very bad day. True, it can be argued that it's desirability as a food can allude to sexuality... but I don't think that is what the artist was trying to convey. You could take it on a number of levels... it rather depends on what ideas the artist himself was trying to explore and get across. Chocolate, being a "feel good food" might imply that the artist was saying that followers of religion only worship because it makes them feel better.

What it makes me think about, is the fact that in western Christianity, we have a tradition of stuffing ourselves silly with chocolate eggs on Easter Sunday and celebrating the symbolism of new life. I have been told that the image of eggs and bunny rabbits actually comes from a mythological pagan goddess, who fell from the sky in an egg and possessed the ability to shape shift (usually into a rabbit). It would be easy for me as a Christian to point my finger at the artist's work and say it is inappropriate, that it belittles what Jesus did.

It is also easy for us to tuck into chocolate on Resurrection Sunday (what the Church calls Easter), thank Jesus for what he did and get on with our merry lives without giving him a second thought.

If your father, your mother, brother, sister, spouse or friend lay down their life for you... do you really think it would be appropriate to remember there actions by eating junk food on the anniversary? I am not saying it is sinful to eat chocolate, I am saying it is important that if we really have this belief... we should have some form of conviction that goes beyond some kind of seasonal gimmick.

If we point the finger at this artist's work, we only serve to highlight the hypocrisy in a non-biblical tradition associated with the Church. To condemn this work of art is also to condemn the triviality with which we sometimes treat our own beliefs.

One of my favourite sculptures (admittedly I have never seen it, but I love the concept), is Mark Wallinger's Ecce Homo:

Here, Jesus is portrayed in such a manner as to liken him to his own race... in a way that is relevant to their more contemporary sufferings. He stands stripped to his underwear with the crown of thorns adorning his head. However, his head is shaved... and he bears a tattooed number not unlike those found on the arms of Auschwitz survivors. A very bold and poignant statement on the artist's part, worthy of commendation. Astonishingly this piece of work also came under fire from a London councillor who felt the use of white marble was racist! What an imbecile the man must have been!

We should not be so quick to assume everything is evil. We should look for the good in people's work... and then if we find none, be honest and frank about it based on informed opinion.

I am ashamed at the fundamentalists who have spouted off without thinking... and I am not one of them.

The Inner Dark

Amongst the films I am most looking forward to this year, one of the firm favourites has got to be Spider-Man 3.

I'm looking forward to it because it is going to cover the "black suit/Venom" storyline. Essentially the story of Venom has always been to me, a tale about recognising and fighting your own dark side. We all have a dark side, something deep within that urges us to do selfish things that hurt or neglect others. I don't know what you choose to call it, but I call it sin. I wonder if anyone reading these words, is concerned over attitudes they see in themselves that they know are wrong... but feel helpless to deal with?

This particular Spider-Man storyline serves as an excellent parable of how the sinful nature infects us and affects our lives and the lives of others. In the story, Spider-Man comes into contact with an alien symbiont that bonds with him and boosts his powers. However, what Peter Parker does not realise is that this being that he has made a Faustian bargain with, eats away at his soul... making him more aggressive and dangerous and isolating him emotionally from those he loves most of all.

As a Christian, I believe that sin entered the world... and our lives in much the same way:

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. - Genesis 3:6-7

Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." - Genesis 3:13

and:

But each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created - James 1:14-18

The Bible also teaches us that sin crouches at our door and desires to have us... but we must master it. Peter Parker, upon realising what this alien creature is transforming him into, is also faced with this daunting challenge. Either to reject the darkness, or be consumed by it.

In the comics and film, the symbiont is vulnerable to intense sound. Our sinful "symbiont" is vulnerable to one sound... the voice of the God who calls out to us in love.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." John 3:16-17

We have to choose to accept that voice, to accept the offer of grace and forgiveness that comes through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, if we wish to remove our inner demon's from the throne of our hearts.

The central theme of Spider-Man is that "with great power, must come great responsibility". We have been given the most precious power of all... free will. You can choose to embrace your inner darkness, explore the apparent freedoms it gives you... or you can choose to recognise that darkness for what it is, repent of it and ask God to get rid of it.

Of course Spider-Man's choice to reject the symbiont isn't the end of the story... and it isn't for us either. You see, once you cast out the darkness from your heart... it doesn't like being rejected... and will always try to get back in through any chink in our armour - any upset, any character flaw.

We have to learn to grow closer to Jesus and take on his character if we are to effectively combat sin, for the Bible says of Jesus:

For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. - Hebrews 2:17-18

Go and watch Spider-Man 3, it will probably be a cracking film... but if anything I have said here has made you recognise something about yourself that needs sorting out, I implore you to address it. If you know you need to get right with God, pray with somebody you trust. If that door doesn't appear open to you.... then I am always here and what is said to me, will remain confidential and sacrosanct.

"It's a Fair Cop Guv!"

Well, finally did it...

I got myself booked in for an appointment at Specsavers next Tuesday at 11am. It'll be interesting to see how my eyes have fared since I last got them checked. Am I heading for a future where I take on a new sophisticated, more intellectual image? If that is what happens, and I do require glasses, you can bet I'll record any change in how people perceive me right here. Onwards to adventure!

On a slightly similar note, I wonder how many of you "zone out" like me? I have a really strong tendency to lose my focus, blur my vision, switch off and just go off into outer space. This happens regularly and I can often feel it happening. Is it normal for this to happen so often... and where the heck do I go when that happens?

I also had the opportunity to hit the road again today. I had to chauffeur a couple of directors to and from a meeting at my office. It was good to be back behind the wheel once more, even if it was only a brief voyage without much misadventure.

God bless

N

The Eyes Have It.

It's been ages since I last had my eyesight checked.

To be fair though, the last time I showed up to arrange an appointment... the opticians sent me away on the basis that my dad didn't need glasses till he was in his mid to late 30's. Not very scientific, is it? That my friends is the trouble with living in a small town. Everybody older than you knows you, or at least likes to think they know you simply because they have watched you grow up from a distance. They still call me Nicholas - they don't know me as Nick, because they've never bothered to get to know me properly. You, who read all about me here... can call me Nick.

Recent events in the town, should teach these people to know better than to make assumptions about people on the basis of what they have seen from a distance ... but they don't learn, they never learn.

Anyway, I work with VDU's and heck I'm also on here often enough, so I really should get my eyes tested regularly... and my colleagues are concerned about me but the truth is I can't make my mind up where to go. If I go to my hometown optician, they have my long term records... but they are a private practice and may not have an extensive amount of equipment, not forgetting of course that they also sent me away on the basis of my parentage.

I could go to either Specsavers or Vision Express in Stratford, where I work.... but I always try and stay loyal to the people I'm already associated with. That is my nature.

I remember as a child, I had a rather uncaring, even Aryan attitude towards the idea of wearing glasses. I used to be terrified of eye check ups as a kid because I felt if I ended up wearing spectacles I'd be in some way inferior... and I felt inferior enough back then. As I've grown up, I've naturally shed that judgemental and silly attitude. Heck if I wore glasses, some people might actually make the mistake of considering me an intelligent life form.

So the questions:

1. Where should I go?
2. What would I look like wearing glasses?
3. What sort should I go for if I need them?

I think if I do need glasses I should get some oblong, minimal depth, frameless ones. I don't think oval will work with my head and I certainly don't want octagonal wired Gestapo glasses!

Unfettered Joy!

I've been thinking a lot about opportunities, threats, strengths and weaknesses lately and have come to the conclusion that some important changes are going on in me as a person.

In just merrily bumbling along in life, hoping for all the things I wanted... I very rarely looked over my shoulder and contemplated on what I already had. Always with my eyes fixed on the road ahead... I neglected many times to just consider where I was.

For one reason or another I've been thinking about my status in life - 32 and single... but you know what?

SO what!

I'm finally starting to appreciate the freedoms being single affords me... and yeah, maybe I want to settle down... but the Lord gave me these freedoms for a purpose and I'm not ready to surrender them just yet - because I haven't really used them or explored them as I know I can. Nor have I just let my hair down and relaxed around people as I know I want to. In private, I need to start flexing my spiritual muscles and train for what is ahead of me. In public, I need to learn to play.... to just have fun as I am... and not get encumbered by serious relationships that at the present time I don't really have time for.

I was thinking of a quote from a Spider-Man comic this afternoon:

Are you the man who dreamed of being a spider? Or the spider who dreamed of being a man? Are you the one... or are you the other?"

In fact the quote is actually in turn, based on one from the Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi:

One night, Zhuangzi dreamed of being a butterfly — a happy butterfly, showing off and doing things as he pleased, unaware of being Zhuangzi. Suddenly he awoke, drowsily, Zhuangzi again. And he could not tell whether it was Zhuangzi who had dreamt the butterfly or the butterfly dreaming Zhuangzi. But there must be some difference between them! This is called 'the transformation of things'.

Now looking upon those ideas literally, they seem silly. However i had a revelation today. there comes a time in a Christian's walk when he must decide for himself:

Are you the man of God who dreams of being a man with a normal everyday life... or are you the man with an everyday life, who dreams of being a man of God?

I thought I was the latter... but more and more I'm confronted with the realisation that I am the former. That isn't to say that Christianity requires the total rejection of all the things we desire in life... but it does require that they be laid on the altar as a willing sacrifice.

There is the old Star Wars philosophical joke: As a boy you want to be Luke Skywalker.... as a man you want to be Han Solo (boys want to do fancy Jedi tricks and have a light saber, men want to get the girl).

I've always wondered why you couldn't have the light saber and the girl. Maybe you can... and maybe one day I will; but for now, if I can serve God better with a "saber and Jedi powers", than I can running off with princesses, then I can do without. If I have to be a monk rather than a scoundrel then so be it. I'll happily take Gas Meter girl for a coffee if she should happen upon my complimentary email... but it ain't the end of the world if nothing comes of it. Yeah I want to bounce my own kids on my knees one day... but that is the bonus... not the sole purpose of my existence.

The Unknown Bride

Sorry to have been away so long, I've been away in Abergele, Wales; representing my company at the launch of a new very sheltered housing development - Tannery Court/Cwrt Barcdy. I impressed a few locals with my layman's knowledge of Emrys Ap Iwan (we held the launch at the school bearing his name).

I try to keep my writings on Myspace, separate from my blog here (to maintain the accurate impression that they are separate entities). I usually only enter dreams on Myspace, however because of the strength and nature of the last dream I experienced, I thought on this occasion I would replicate it here:

I dreamed I was getting married at my parents church in Alcester... it seemed to be an arranged marriage. I have never met the woman before me, yet I seemed to have little choice about the situation (although logically one would think I would have, seeing as I was dressed for the occasion).

This woman was blonde and fairly tall, her hair extended to about midway down the length of the back. Most significantly, I could tell she was emotional and genuinely seemed to need me... the wedding was important and she was sure she could be a good wife if I gave her a chance, though I knew her not. She had some kind of spinal problem as she seemed to stoop a lot.

I remember coming away from the centre of the church to discuss this in the lady chapel (where the choir gets changed at St. Nick's). On the way in I saw Mrs Stally, widow of the first vicar I knew at St. Nick's and mother of an old childhood friend. On the way out I saw Steve Burch... our last vicar at Great Alne... and I was just walking over to go and ask him what he made of it all... when rather annoyingly I woke up. I could have done with some sage advice about that and a real life issue that is bothering me... although I'm not sure whether the advice of an imagined friend is the same as a real one.

The feelings I most remember are that I was incredibly tempted to go through with the ceremony because I had great compassion for the woman. I felt uneasy being plunged into the ultimate commitment with a complete stranger... and I felt that heroic part of me that tends to be the gallant knight wanting to say yes and hang the consequences... because a lady was in need. The other part of me was saying that hang on you've been at the whim of ladies in need all your life and it has led you to danger... is this wise?

I felt that I should say yes... that this woman was different... and that all the rottenness of the past had happened to dissuade me from making the correct decision.

Oh and the other night in my dreams I saw the moon shining a silvery blue. It was huge and you could make out the pock marks of all the craters... it seemed a lot nearer to Earth than it should have been. It was night in my hometown and there was trouble in town.

Any people with the spiritual gift of interpreting dreams would at this point be very welcome and in fact strongly desired... as my life seems to be heading on a one way trip into the surreal at present.

God bless

N

I've Been Sprung By Spring!

OK so it doesn't officially arrive until Tuesday 20th March... but I'm convinced that the new season is well under way. The flowers are out, the birds are singing, the bees are buzzing... and I've just been overwhelmingly smitten for the first time this year like a bolt from the blue. Those kind of hits don't happen in winter... it has that special kind of freshness to it... like the cool and clean bite that air has in the morning on a brand new day.

It happened just before lunch, the front doorbell rang and a colleague answered the door, letting the visitor in. It turned out to be someone who had come to read the building's electricity and gas... what is more she was from the female of the species!

She was amazing... raven haired and with a facial piercing... (not normally my type). There was something familiar about her, she reminded me of a good friend I have. It was a culmination of these things that struck me like lightning.

I'll probably never see her again... if you happen to know a girl fitting that description who was reading gas and electric in the Stratford-upon-Avon area today... let her know please.

All I can say is it was a good job she was only checking the buildings gas and electric because my digestive system and neural pathways were going hyper!

I'd love to have gone for a coffee with her, just to see if she was as nice a person as she came across. I guess I'll never know now... SIGH!

Why oh why do I have all these internal directives that I subject myself to?

Note to self... be impulsive for once, find a nice girl, have a friendly chat and just chill out. Stop taking yourself too seriously you pilchard!

The Fanatical Atheist Strikes Again

As Monty Python would say - "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!"

However, as time wears on it seems that we can increasingly expect Richard Dawkins.

Intolerant, obdurate, contemptuous, dogmatic and fanatical... words and charges that many people lay at the door of the religious minded. I now nail those very same charges firmly on the door of Dawkins.

His latest target is the comic Peter Kay... Peter Kay? For pities sake! This isn't even (by his own admission) some great theologian, this is just a guy who in his humour, pretty much represents the man on the street. I'm sure this is no coincidence... but both men have books nominated for the Galaxy British Book Awards. If ridicule of Kay's work as an act of sabotage is the real motivation behind Dawkin's attack, then his strategy is knavish, underhand and unprofessional... and will, if there is any justice, be taken into account by those deciding who receives the accolade.

Kay, in his autobiography "The Sound of Laughter" writes:

"I believe in a God of some kind, in some sort of higher being. Personally I find it very comforting."

Dawkins quoted this very excerpt and scoffed waspishly:

"How can you take seriously someone who likes to believe
something because he finds it 'comforting'?"

It's a little bit of a jump - an unscientific assumption on Dawkin's part, because Kay didn't necessarily say that comfort was the motivation for his belief... but that a byproduct of his belief was comfort. I'll put it into a scientific allegory for those who might find simple truths hard to understand... helium is a safe theoretical byproduct of the fusion process.... but it is not fusion itself.

Dawkins argues that we find everything that is true on the basis of hard evidence... but that isn't strictly true. Do we take lovers or make friends on the basis of hard empirical evidence that the people we meet are good for us?

We do not.

We begin these relationships on the basis of impulse, emotion and experience... we may recognise the feeling and act upon it... but we aren't doing so purely because neural interactions and chemicals in our bloodstream tell us we should. Sometimes our bodies betray us... someone who is physically attractive can be poisonous to us on a deeper level. Our choices are not necessarily made on the basis of what the hard evidence of our physiology is telling us.

I don't have a problem with atheists or atheism, if people wish to believe or disbelieve in anything... that is their right and priveledge. What I absolutely object to, is the notion that any one group - theist or atheist, has the right to object to public expression of another groups point of view. Richard Dawkins often epitomizes this very attitude.

Dawkins is becoming increasingly militant as he ages... is it possible that somewhere deep in the closet of his subconscious - locked away where his ego can merrily ignore it, he is not comfortable with the position he has taken? Is he in fact denial? If he is, then perhaps the only way his conscious can handle this discomfort is by vocalising his aggression towards religion even louder... as time begins to run out?

As for Peter Kay... I'll leave you with a pearl of wisdom he once impressed me with:

"Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is fruit, wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad."

A Grave Mistake

So, the director James Cameron has suddenly decided to jump on the Dan Brown bandwagon and unearthed the biggest scandal in history.

I don't think so.

This story is old hat... I had my panic attack over this back in 1996, when BBC's Heart of the Matter first broke the story. I did a little investigation work back then as I'll admit in those days I was a little insecure about such things.

Back then, Joan Bakewell used audio recitals from gnostic gospels set to eerie music, asserting that the life of Jesus was not what we might have believed.... and then used the very same archaeological site to back that claim up.

The major hole in Bakewell's argument is that she lacked objectivity. Never once did she point out why Christians do not accept the gnostic gospels (they were written by people who had infiltrated the Church from the gnostic sect of Judaism and they wanted credibility, they were also written ludicrously late in some cases... Judas in the 2nd century.... oh please!). Now her error (was it deliberate?), was compounded by various historical scandal authors including Dan Brown (although if his books get people talking about Jesus, on the whole I suppose that is a good thing).

Now it would appear that James Cameron is doing likewise. If you've read the BBC article, you will have read the counter argument.... about the names being common. This is true. Context is everything:

• The Jews were an occupied race and looked for a saviour.
• An extremely well known prophecy from the time of exile, could have been interpreted to mean that a saviour was coming at the time of Jesus. Whether you or I believe that isn't relevant... if there were Jews who did at the time, is.
• Jesus name means "The Lord saves."

Now in a time of occupation, when you are hoping and may or may not be imminently expecting a saviour to come and rescue you from the Romans... is it really that large a leap to consider people would be naming their children messianic names... as a reminder that God would come to save them? I don't think so. As for Mary... there are several in the Gospels alone, so it's obvious that name was popular. Several prominent Joseph's were kicking around too. As for the name Jesus, some people have even gone as far to suggest that Barabbas (the criminal released when Jesus was sentenced to death), also bore the first name Jesus. It's believable because Barabbas just means "son of a father" which is the equivalent of a surname. Imagine that though - Jesus, Son of the Father stood next to Jesus, son of a father. There seems to be a lot of parallels in the Bible that point towards the principle of substitution.

I'm not biased against Cameron, I generally speaking have liked many of his films... The Abyss even ranks among one of my favourites, although Titanic was a load of hyped over sentimental nonsense... and can we ever forgive him for unleashing that awful Celine Dion song on our unfortunate ears?

I'm sure Cameron believes he is on to a winner, with the rise of historical scandal books among the bestseller lists... and the film will probably be a hit, because as the academic interviewed rightly said:

"Sceptics, in general, would like to see something that pokes holes into the story that so many people hold dear."

That is why films and books like this do so well, because some tragic people like to knock the beliefs of others - especially if they have been raised in a particular tradition and come to reject it later on. I saw plenty of those archetypal sceptics being created many times over myself, at school.

This is just another example of entertainment raping history in the name of financial gain.

Nuclear Pop

Did my eyes deceive me, or are the Sugababes re releasing a track for inclusion in the Eurovision Song Contest?

Of course they aren't (although they are one of the few pop acts I actually respect - Keisha is my favourite). Though there is a song called "Push the Button" being entered into the annual contest (which I religiously avoid due to having an affliction otherwise known as... taste), alas it is not the one sung by the Sugababes.

No, this "Push the Button" is an anti-nuclear anthem (apologies for picture or any other quality you may find distasteful), believed to be written in response to the potential threat posed by everyone's favourite poison dwarf - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. It was overwhelmingly chosen by the Israeli public. You can read more about it in this BBC article.

Many would accuse Israel of hypocrisy (they maintain a policy of nuclear ambiguity, but most people don't doubt they have the technology). However, to my knowledge Israel have never once publicly voiced an opinion that implied any desire to entirely obliterate a nation with such technology. The Iranian President, compensating for his insecurities, has made such statements without as yet having that technology. .. and that is the major difference. Iran does have serious energy needs... but you can understand why people are jittery about allowing such a nation to have nuclear power, when their most prominent spokesman has himself propagated the notion that Iran harbours nuclear ambition for an entirely separate agenda.

I call upon the Iranian people to throw down this vile idiot, he puts his own personal insecurities before the security and wellbeing of his nation. I say to you, deal with the monster on your thrown and we will deal with the monsters on ours (Bush and Blair will both be out of office by the end of 2008).

Going back to Eurovision and it will be interesting to find out how well this group performs, because it may well reveal just how strongly Europeans feel about nuclear technology, for or against.... the song isn't just restricted to Israel'[s specific situation.

On a side note, reading the BBC article revealed an interesting fact. It is against Eurovision rules to quote the Bible (and presumably any other religious text) in any song entry. What is with that? We know what happened last time a European nation started getting overly worried about books...

Debtwatch 5

I've got a little spare time on my hands at the moment, as I have got a couple of days off work (which I had totally forgotten about until someone reminded me late on Tuesday). I've just returned from a visit to the bank with the latest exciting news on my continuing voyage of financial redemption.

Apart from the money I usually set aside for saving against debt, I managed to hold back an extra £200 in reserve. It was therefore a great relief to punch a few buttons onto the account management machine and see my repayment figure finally come down below the £1,000 threshold for the first time. It currently reads £998.03 but that's not the end of this month's calculations... because the normal direct debit has yet to take effect.

If I managed to hold back some money on top of my current account this month, I believe I could do it again next month... but I don't know if I need bother. In any case, it won't affect my repayment date as I fully intend to transfer £100 direct from savings rather than wait another month... and this will already take me into the intended completion timescale of Mayday.

So this by the grace of God, is how I currently stand:

Balance left on debt: £688.03
Cash in short term savings reserves: £0
Cash left in current account that I hope to spare for debt repayment £0
Estimated balance for next Debtwatch report: £278.00
Original Finish Date for completion of Payments - October 2007
Estimated Completion of Payments - MAYDAY!