A Facebook friend shared this with me:
Dang funny, I gotta admit.
Of course, as it was Western Europe who dominated the faith and its art for so long, it stands to reason they depicted Jesus to look like themselves.
And in my opinion, that’s okay. There’s just one eensy, weensy, problem…
The problem comes when we insist it’s the only way to depict Jesus. And then act all offended when other cultures adopt their own versions.
Because if his message is for all people, then shouldn’t ALL people have their own Jesus? Looked at from this light, he’s really quite beautiful.
Frankly, I think our churches would do well to adopt multicultural portraits of Jesus. Instead of selecting only one to display, how about putting them all up? From every culture you can find.
It could set us on a far better path, don’t you think?
Until next week,
Vaya con Dios
Feeding on Folly 
Yes, put them all up. Of course, no one really knows what he looked like – they didn’t have cell phone cameras and selfies then. Any picture of him is just made up and no basis in fact. Still, some are beautifully.
Yes, a montage of all the various images would look great, wouldn’t it?
Also, thank you for the picture I’m getting of Peter taking a selfie with Jesus, as they walk on water. 😊
Admit it, if that happened today, the picture would go viral.
We are all created in His image. I remember when a parishioner got upset because they had seen an African American nativity. I ask why they were upset. No answer. They were speechless that I thought it was OK. Sad.
Yes, very sad. It’s good to have our old certainties and prejudices shaken, as it allows us to grow. Unfortunately too many resist, because staying where they’re at is far more comfortable.
You have a great idea, and they are all beautiful.
Wouldn’t it look great in the fellowship area? Say a collection of nice prints, in black frames? I think it would look pretty snazzy.