Question for Evangelicals

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Jersey Girl
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Re: Question for Evangelicals

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Further, he went on to explain that we Mormons and Catholics, cults, you know, in our idolatry, portray Jesus as white with blonde hair and blue eyes, but most likely he was dark, if not considered 'black'.
I think it depends on the artist's rendition. Here are some Catholic Jesus images.


Image
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Image

Image

Now, this guy who is getting all anthropological on me is the same guy who believes the earth is 6,000 years old. But he insists that "Christians" don't know what Jesus looks like and generally believe he was dark.
While Christians may generally believe that Jesus is dark, that was not the case years ago. The best representations I have from Protestant life are those I posted in an earlier post.
From the little I've heard him talk about his congregation, they don't seem to be all about politics. I know they take Covid seriously, didn't have services for nearly a year, and now have heavy social distancing measures.
I'd guess that most Protestant congregations aren't about politics like at all.

It's possible that he's one the one hand, a run-of-the-mill Fox-news republican, but on the other, just happened to have found a congregation that is more progressive than most. He doesn't see any conflicts but logic isn't his strength. Well, I'm at a loss here, because as I think about it, I've always assumed that Christians like Mormons believe in a Nordic-like Jesus, but just going by memory, I can't recall any conversation I've ever had with an Evangelical on my mission, or any materials I've encountered that establish Jesus as white. I can't imagine that white nationalist Christians believe in a dark Jesus, but I'm thinking more about traditional Baptists, or Pentecostals, do traditional Christians believe Jesus was white? Portray him as white? Is portraying Jesus idolatry? Is portraying him specifically on a cross idolatry?
If you look at those 2 images I posted in an earlier post, you can see that the skin on Jesus is tanned and his eyes appear to be brown. That's all I know. When I saw Mormon representations of Jesus, I was shocked. I don't know if that helps anything.

I never thought one way or the other about Jesus on/off the cross and what that means. I do know in my youth I always thought of, say, a necklace of Jesus on the cross was a Catholic cross. I never thought of it as idolatry or as having a deeper meaning.

On another note. When I was a kid my grandparents lived with us. Both Catholic at that point. They had a thing of Jesus and the Sacred heart in their bedroom with little candles. I didn't like looking at it but I recognized that as part of their Catholicism. I dunno. I don't think anything of it either way. It's just whatever artistic rendering comes from or to a religious community I guess?

I think it's completely possible for a white nationalist to believe that Christ was dark. I think a ton of people are able to compartmentalize and justify their positions and beliefs. White nationalists could easily separate their ideas about Jesus from everything else they claim to stand for.

I mean then you get people like me, for example, who wouldn't even consider joining something like an anti-gay protest on the part of the religious community organized by folks who reference mainly the Old Testament but also the writings of Paul where I look at the words of Jesus and see that he's telling me something different that doesn't involve anti-gay protests, anti-gay voting practices, or anything remotely like that.

So...religious principles, scripture, and all, are subject to individual interpretation. I think that was the way it was meant to be.

Anyway thanks for asking "us" a question. I'd like to see if Jack shows up and what she has to say as well. You'll probably get different answers from each of us. We're not exactly one size fits all. ;-)

p.s. I have no idea what Jesus looks like. It doesn't matter to me.
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Jersey Girl
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Re: Question for Evangelicals

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Res Ipsa wrote:
Wed Apr 07, 2021 10:31 pm
I got all excited because I thought the link to the random dice generator would randomly pick a new picture. No luck.

I think I recognize the top picture as being in the chapel I attended most as a kid.
I don't even know what that is or why it's there. I'm using the website upload thing that Cam used in some of his posts. One day I opened his post to quote it to see how he was posting images. I just keep using the same thing he did.
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Re: Question for Evangelicals

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I saw the black Jesus years ago in the Metropolitan Cathedral in Mexico City. I was a faithful Latter Day Saint at the time, but was able to resist the urge to run out and buy a can of spray paint of a lighter hue,
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Re: Question for Evangelicals

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Jersey Girl wrote:
Thu Apr 08, 2021 2:02 am
Res Ipsa wrote:
Wed Apr 07, 2021 10:31 pm
I got all excited because I thought the link to the random dice generator would randomly pick a new picture. No luck.

I think I recognize the top picture as being in the chapel I attended most as a kid.
I don't even know what that is or why it's there. I'm using the website upload thing that Cam used in some of his posts. One day I opened his post to quote it to see how he was posting images. I just keep using the same thing he did.
If it’s free image hosting, it’s probably an advertisement to monetize the site.
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When I go to sea, don’t fear for me. Fear for the storm.

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Re: Question for Evangelicals

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Interesting thread.

This makes me wonder what the imagery of Christ was in Smith's culture and time?
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Re: Question for Evangelicals

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Jersey Girl wrote:. Later became a member of a Southern Baptist Church
So as a Southern Baptist, pictures of Jesus was okay? Yes, my friend doubled down on that: no way, no Baptist would ever allow a picture of Jesus.

Thank you for the examples.
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Re: Question for Evangelicals

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I want to share this with you guys regarding art because it influenced my thinking. I took a class about The Book of Kells. The book is housed at Trinity College in Dublin. The class went over the artwork in detail. Here is an example of that. This is Jesus holding the Gospel.


Image


Now if you could see these images close up (like in the class) you'd see how detailed and ornate they are. Every single symbol means something including the colors that were used. Now regarding idolatry. When I used to see Catholic statues in a church, I thought that could be a form of idolatry. I would venture a guess that had I not studied The Book of Kells, I might be prone to thinking The Book of Kells was like that as well. Like...why spend all that time doing those drawings like Jesus even cares about it?

What emerged from the class was the painstaking effort made on the part of monks who prepared the dyes, the parchment, carefully drawing every little piece of symbolism (it's all embedded in the art work), etc. And it the reason that they did this was because doing their best for God was what they wanted most to do.

I guess my point is that there are different ways of viewing religious art.
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Re: Question for Evangelicals

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Huck wrote:I have some personal interest in art history so considered Protestant art. It is Bruegel , the carrying of the cross and the Rembrandt paintings that come to mind as favorite Jesus images in a Protestant context.
Nice. I remember the Rembrandt's now.
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Re: Question for Evangelicals

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Gadianton wrote:
Thu Apr 08, 2021 2:44 am
Jersey Girl wrote:. Later became a member of a Southern Baptist Church
So as a Southern Baptist, pictures of Jesus was okay? Yes, my friend doubled down on that: no way, no Baptist would ever allow a picture of Jesus.

Thank you for the examples.
Whether I was a member of the Protestant (non-denominational) church of SB Church, or attended the Protestant Chapel on military bases, pictures of Jesus were in the churches (the two I posted earlier) and it was perfectly fine to have them in your home. We had the two small versions in my home and as I said they were on various items from the Bible Bookstore in Asbury--bookmarks, I dunno, maybe note pads? Things like that.

These images were part of my life, not an emphasis of any kind nor have I ever heard them discussed in church or amongst congregation members. Another example, my growing up church had a very large stained glass piece behind the pulpit of Jesus the Good Shepherd. It was just always there and still is.

Gad I no longer have my Book of Mormon. Did your copy have illustrations in the pages? My Bibles do. I'm just asking out of curiosity.
Last edited by Jersey Girl on Thu Apr 08, 2021 3:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Question for Evangelicals

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Res Ipsa wrote:
Thu Apr 08, 2021 2:05 am
Jersey Girl wrote:
Thu Apr 08, 2021 2:02 am


I don't even know what that is or why it's there. I'm using the website upload thing that Cam used in some of his posts. One day I opened his post to quote it to see how he was posting images. I just keep using the same thing he did.
If it’s free image hosting, it’s probably an advertisement to monetize the site.
No idea. I'm just copying what Cam did because it gets the images up here.
We only get stronger when we are lifting something that is heavier than what we are used to. ~ KF

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