Library directors overturn ban on Jesus images
Jesus is welcomed back into the library and the artist says, “Amen.”
bq.. MERIDEN, Conn.—The board of directors of the city’s public library has overturned a ban on a local artist’s paintings of Jesus.
Directors voted unanimously Monday to allow artist Mary Morley to display her paintings of Jesus at the library as part of her exhibit.
Library director Marcia Trotta recently asked Morley to omit three paintings that included Jesus from her show, which included 14 other paintings and was titled, “Visions, Hopes and Dreams.”
p. The paintings that the library director asked for Morley to omit where images of the Crucifixion, the Nativity, and Jesus carrying the cross to Calvary.
bq.. _”Reviewing the facts of the matter in light of constitutional requirements as the board presently understands them, the board has decided to allow Ms. Morley to exhibit all of her submitted paintings, as has been the past practice with other individuals,” read a prepared statement from the board._
_”The Board hopes that Ms. Morley accepts that offer in the gracious spirit that we intend to extend it.”_
p. We often wonder, what is the motivating force behind a decision to exclude the images of Christ? In this case, we are given two reasons. First, the library director did not see these three images as “historical” in nature:
bq. All of those [the remaining 11 paintings] were historical, Trotta argued at the time
p. Secondly, the recently popular, yet dull, notion:
bq. Library staff worried that having all the paintings of Jesus in the display area would lead some library patrons to believe the city favors Christianity over other faiths.
Although absent from the meeting at which her complete work was approved, Morley did issue a fitting response to the news:
bq. Morley, who did not attend the meeting, responded, “Amen to this.”
p. [ Full Story @ The Stamford Advocate ]
p(small). Source: The Advocate. Copyright© 2003, The Associated Press
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Filed under: Church and State
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