InLove said:
Maybe it all comes down to, as wil was saying before, "drinking" all these things in a responsible manner.
Thats why I said that "It is a balancing act".
InLove said:
Teaching our children to appreciate, or at least teaching them to try and understand where these ideas and sentiments came from, and how it relates to our present existence.
If that were true, then alot of the images that used to exsist would still be around. Prime example, smoking is deemed unhealthy and a lot of the
"images" that we used to see on TV and on billboards have been curb or out right eliminated from the mainstream media. Cigarettes are still legal, but the only thing that has happened is that some of the
"images" have been removed. Again, the
images have been removed but not the cigarettes.
I agree that teaching about images is important. The images we use should be throughly examined before we use them, because it may be mistaken for disrespect and bad thing happen when that occurs. My point is that some of the images may be unhealthy for our children, and maybe for us as well. Originally, this Post started out questioning "Is GOD A "white Man" In A Robe?" and I guess we answered that question. A picture is worth a thousand words.
InLove said:
To do otherwise might mean "throwing out the baby with the bathwater".
How about if we just "change the bathwater" and leave the baby alone.
InLove said:
As in banning works like "Huckleberry Finn" or--to go even further with the illustration--the Bible or even the Gospel of Thomas?
No one said "ban the books" This thread is not about banning anything, It's about the images we have or have been "trained" to have when it comes to picturing "dieties" and questioning that "imagery" As for Huck Finn, I found that book to be total offensive. I would not let my child read it. I do tell her about some of the "racisim" I have experienced and let her know that it could happen, but I surely would not draw her a
"picture" of the people who I think could be racists toward her. I let her know that she should take each individual as they come.
InLove said:
I think the sentiment on the T-shirt is wonderful, YO, but I think what Q is trying to point out is that if you wear this shirt in certain situations, say, walking around in a Muslim community, there would be those who would appreciate what your heart wants to do, but many would most definitely not agree. And you could actually invite violence by some extremists. This could be true of some Christian communities, as well.
This thread is about images and how they are precieved and reacted to and questions weather we should have them at all. It is not about taking the world by storm by wearing something you "positively" know will be offinsive to others. I was never questioning Q, about weather images can be offensive or not. I just asked "Is GOD A white Man In a Robe?". I am sure Q, realizes that some images can lead "some" people to do bad things. I do too. No suicied missions here, just a discussion of the effects of images on us and our children.