Put Down The Stones & Pick Up An Art History Book
Charisma News asks how should Christians respond to the Olympics "mocking Christianity." Religious stigma conditions people to assume the worst and believe that assumption is fact.
Here is what inspired this post. Almost the entire comment thread, except my comment (which was probably hidden from the page) is people talking about how they should pray for the “lost” and depraved even when these degenerate sinners “persecute” God’s people. Here is a screenshot from Charisma News:
The drag performance was about a whole different painting in a whole different religious context involving the Greek god of wine and fertility Dionysus. The mythology extends from Greece (the birthplace of the Olympics) to France in that Dionysus is also the father of the goddess Sequana of the Seine River that runs through Paris.
Check out the symbolism. The Olympics origin bringing the daughter (descendant) Olympics to Paris this year. France and Greece had an important connection to each other with this story for a very long long long time; why wouldn’t they reaffirm that connection at this important moment in history that draws the world together? It makes sense if you like mythology and symbolism like I do.
I also believe if you looked at the scene for what it was, you would see that it didn’t look like The Last Supper at all. At least not to me. Sure there is a big long table but the performers look nothing, and are not positioned, like The Last Supper painting. Plus, the Seine (the goddess Sequana) is in the background!
However, if someone looks at the world through religious stigma toward LGBTQ+ people as taught by conservative evangelical Christianity they assume the absolute worst and believe those assumptions to be fact.
Religious stigma also teaches that the people that must condemned for insulting God are also all about attacking “true” Christians. Religious stigma teaches its believers that the stigmatized group is the perpetrator of hate toward Christians instead of the other way around.
I very much doubt those drag queens and the blue man had any thought of “mocking” Christ or Christians. The painting was a celebration of life and wine.
Something that France is known for, right?
I wouldn’t be surprised if many of these performers are Christian. It seems clear they were celebrating in the same spirit as the original painting of Dionysus’ feast.
When faced with the truth behind the performance, many Christians still willfully choose to believe they are being persecuted by evil forces. It’s as if religious stigma provides an addictive negative energy that empowers its perpetuation and solidification in the minds of those who believe in it; creating confirmation bias where it literally has no basis.
To be clear, I am not mad at the people claiming to be offended and persecuted. I am mad at the systemic, worldwide, religious stigma that teaches millions of people to hate LGBTQ+ people and the art of drag SO much that they think we are the ones coming after them when that is not true. It’s unnecessary spiritual violence that harms instead of simply enjoying the artistic symbolism on display for what it is.
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WHY: A Memoir
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