Artist Michael D'Antuono's painting of the President with a crown of thorns. This was painted to celebrate the first hundred days of the administration. So, is Obama the Twelfth Iman?
Thirty years ago thousands of people in Iran welcomed the returning Ayatolla thinking perhaps that he just might be the Twelfth Iman.
When Jim Jones spoke a lot of people drank the Kool-aid.
Thousands of years ago, at the foot of Mount Sinai, the people grew restless as Moses received the law from G-d. They melted down some Egyptian gold and "made their own."
Although many of us hold to the promise of redemption G-d has placed in inspired texts, the world still grows restless. Do it yourself redeemers are still part of an attempt to fill a basic human longing. We want to be redeemed. The problem is we bristle at a Redeemer who comes with authority. We want a cheaper redemption than the Divine does.
When a 'Miss World' contestant is asked her views on marriage and she speaks from her faith, she is ridiculed. How DARE she state that G-d might have narrowly defined it. Yet there are those who want to take the imagery of Christianity and replace the message. Michael D'Antuono says he simply wants to use his painting to start a dialogue. May I add this thought to that dialogue: Is your redeemer big enough to... ...redeem you?
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