Biblical Perspectives (Alam dapat to ng Katoliko)

We can go on defending our causes and I could go on and post pro-art statements, but I thought I should at least post something that speaks of this issue in a biblical perspective. Even the religious ones complaining about the issue weren't so keen in stating as to how they were violated based on biblical principles.

PROBABLY BECAUSE, AND THIS IS THE FIRST POINT,
it was not a biblical tradition to have statues and posters to represent Christ or God.

The BIBLE should always be referred to in times like this, because what we hold on to as religion may in fact have different teachings that are apart from what God has given or ruled or said. Here's my effort of putting in a biblical perspective.

EXODUS 34:17 "Do not make any idols."
EXODUS 34: 14 "Do not worship any other gods, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a Jealous God."

EXODUS 20: 4-5

"“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. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments."

IN context of these biblical scriptures, the tradition of having idols, santos, Jesus pictures, etc. which I respect can, in black and white, be wrong. Our God is a jealous God. If we pray, depend, and uplift man-made idols--these representations--wouldn't that make God angry?

And if so, once defiled, will the destruction of these idols be of greater worth?

An argument can be made.

"These are our intercessors... Together with the Virgin Mary who will pray for us... and the specific saints that will send our messages to God depending on what we need"----- Catholic Tradition

In the Bible, however,

HEBREWS 7:25 "Therefore he is able to save completely[a] those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them."

God intercedes between man and Himself? YES. To clear things up, we should remember the Trinity: Three Persons, One God. It is the Holy Spirit that intercedes for us. In the Bible again,

ROMANS 8:27 "And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God."

So we now know that when we pray and open our hearts to God, it is the Holy Spirit that intercedes... Meaning, it's a direct connection to that One God that we praise and love and adore and respect. Who now needs an intercessor apart from the God we intend to talk to?!

So enough about that. It's clear. Now the issue is, an artist called Mideo Cruz created an ARTWORK, AN INSTALLATION ART, involving wood-carved penises and idols and posters of the so-called "look of Christ". Media sensationalized it, and did not show the other components, like our idols in music or pop culture. There's Britney, there's F4, there's money and piggy banks, there's even pictures of Marcos.

I don't know about Cruz's intention, but from what I actually get from it, it's about our current idols--the things that control us the most.... The message is simple: Amongst all these majors in our lives today, we are still connected by our belief of God, or to some, of a god that reigns somewhere out there... But this is tainted, because humans continued the mistakes of the past and carved an image of God in woods and marbles and what not, and it is of the same material that we carve Penis figures, dirty toy objects, it is the same paper, the paper where we print "HIS FACE", that we print on when we want F4 or Britney or any other stars like Lady Gaga...

So what are the supreme religious sectors crying out for? Disrespecting their tradition?

They disrespected God in the first place. and Our God is a jealous God.
But it does not justify. IN biblical perspectives of respect, Cruz did blatant mistakes.
However, I leave it to the "religious" ones to find scriptures for it.

If they were really rooted in the scriptures, this is what they should have done:

1) Pray and love their enemies.

>>>> Luke 6 : 35 says "But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked."

>>>>Also, in Matthew 5:43 to 45, "43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[a] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."

2) They should not have felt disrespected, because it is a blessing to be persecuted for the name of the Lord.

>>>> Matthew 5:10 says "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

>>>> 1st Corinthians 4:12 says "We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it..."

3) They should have corrected with a gentle spirit, not like the so-called religious who posts malicious reactions.

>>>> Apostle Paul had asked, "21 What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline, or shall I come in love and with a gentle spirit?" in 1 Corinthians 4:21, in correcting the people.

They should have used this not as a grand stage for showing their prowess, power, and might, but they should at least have prayed and let God do the rest. Apparently, with all the rules I've previously stated, our good Lord would have told them "You made idols. You made representations. it is apt to destroy them."

The artist maybe wrong, after all. And he is accountable to God, not to men. Why then should the religious hypocrites pretend that they are fighting a good cause? If it was wrong, He will receive the wrath of God. He is not to be judged. It is the same Christ, the same Christ you and I have, that once saved a woman from being stoned to death by asking someone who did not sin throw the first stone. NO ONE THRE A STONE. We were all sinners, and apart from God’s grace we remain to be.

However, popes and the rest of them hate it. All their traditions would go to waste. Where in the Bible did God say craft out an idol? Have his picture painted? Have Rosary with beads? Talk to a priest when you have sinned? At least art has a rich line of history so you can trace where it all began. New Testament ended without even mentioning Catholicism.

I know that there are wrong things that the Bible wants to correct. RH Bill is a topic that is forever attached to the pro-life stand of the Church. To this we quote the Bible. “Give unto Caesar what is due to Caesar.” It means, that as God has placed a leader, a government amongst us, the government decides. We could only pray that the government will uphold the values of the Bible—NOT of the popes—and continue the righteousness we all should emulate. Then again, art is out of this context. Art is an entirely different conversation: It cannot be repressed by any rules, apart from a Government Code or Law. But as humans we are permitted to speak and express. Even Jesus contradicted Pharisees or HIGH PRIESTS, right?

So tell me. These people who called us artists stupid and immoral---
Were they Christians? Or we’re all in the same tight spot?