Jesus, Soldiers, and Children Over Here -- Satan, Liberals, and Darwinists Over Here

[filkertom]

The Huffington Post informs us about a painting by Jon McNaughton, inspired by a vision he had last year. "One Nation Under God" has some fascinating ideas on who would be associated with either Jesus or Satan, and why.

A slightly different interp of the same painting can be found here. There's also this one, showing what members of Jesus' team actually said about religion.

And then there's the Cthulhu version (gory).

Thoughts?

Comments

[ororo.livejournal.com]

I'm really tired of the media being called liberal. Some is, some isn't. Most is owned by Big Business, which is on the whole rather conservative. I very much like the alternate interpretations.

I wish we could rewrite the first amendment to include "freedom from religion."

[chipuni.livejournal.com]

I still love that "Pregnant Woman" is with Satan's side... even though she wants to keep the baby.

[allandaros.livejournal.com]

Eh. Guy had a dream, made a painting about it. Said guy has political and social views different from me, and you (and likely most of the readers of this blog). Understandably, said guy's political/social views will affect his work, if he's basing it off a dream with political/social content.

The Shortpacked version is good stuff.

[dornbeast.livejournal.com]

First thought:

I can split the figures in this painting into two types: Specific people, and generic representatives of a group.

Specific people are always viewed in a positive light. Generic representatives are the only source of negative figures. This reflects the artist's tendency to view people whose positions he opposes as caricatures, rather than individuals, and the general tendency of all people to do this.

[twfarlan.livejournal.com]

I prefer the Cthulhu version.

Of interest to me are the competing lists of quotes from the Founders. The commentary on shortpacked.com gives quotes wherein the Founders are positive and reverential to the Creator, while the "Jesus' team quotes" point out that most of the same speakers held Christianity in complete disdain. Would that the difference was easier to explain to the average American.

[shrewreader.livejournal.com]

I'm actually -most- appalled by the way that this guy's 'one nation' is all white -- except for a single black soldier, and a single black astronaut type person.

Apparently no Asians, hispanics or native Americans need apply to enter the melting pot recipe in Jesus' cookbook.

*gags*

[palenoue.livejournal.com]

No wedding ring. Preggers with no husband is a one-way ticket to eternal damnation in his book. After the baby is born, of course.

[chipuni.livejournal.com]

Huh. I never noticed.

(The Mother's ring is on her right hand, not her left. For a while, I thought that could mean she isn't married. Wikipedia says (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedding_ring#Post-wedding_customs) that the choice of finger depends on from where the woman comes.)

[chipuni.livejournal.com]

No, no... the blacks are very, very hidden in the far back.

It's really easy to miss Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglas, the "Black Union Soldier", and Sequoyah.

[tomreedtoon.livejournal.com]

The recent Real Time with Bill Maher had a New Rule about it. To quote:

"New Rule. God needs to inspire better artists. Y'know, the Lord used to inspire people like Michelangelo and Rembrandt. Now, He inspires cheeseballs like John McNaughton, whose latest masterpiece depicts Jesus handing America the Constitution as a bunch of dead patriots look on. It's like Where's Waldo for Wingnuts."

[smoooom.livejournal.com]

Oh a lot of thoughts. I'm still waiting to have some big wig explain to me where the separation and church and state is. (Or do I have that part wrong) I've mostly gotten over the idea that the Constitution is somehow divinely inspired.

[alverant.livejournal.com]

I am appalled at how conservative christians think they are the only real Americans and patriots. The same people who claim that conservative philosophy embraces individual rights and freedoms. Right, as long as you exercise them in ways they approve of.

But why would a Union soldier side with Jesus? Jesus believed in slavery and the Union opposed it. Jon McNaughton needs to read his bible.

[alverant.livejournal.com]

It's the merger of ideas like "non-establishment of religion", "equal treatment under the law", "no religious test for public office", etc that you will find in the Constitution and related official documents.

[cernowain.livejournal.com]

McNaughton is a Mormon. If he can believe that Jesus gave a divine book to the Native Americans, then he is capable of believing that Jesus gave the Constitution to the Founding Fathers.

Even though historical evidence shows that the Constitution was actually a work of human compromise, its his religious right to believe otherwise.

It's not only offensive to people of other faiths (and those of no faith), the work is a total figment of ignorant imagination.

I give it five pukes out of five.

bb,

Cern

[biomekanic.livejournal.com]

The seperation of Church and State is to keep the state from interfering with the running of the Church, while the body politic of the church can run the State.

Or so my in laws believe.

[lovefromgirl.livejournal.com]

What I found funniest was the Professor's resemblance to Bill Kraus (http://www.mckellen.com/images/5006.jpg) from the film And the Band Played On.

Oh, Ian McKellen, you were kind of hot in that movie.

Love the Shortpacked version. Think I will be sharing that on Facebook. Thanks for the links!

[shrewreader.livejournal.com]

Probably, so far as the artist is concerned, where they belong, and why do they keep getting on the bus like they're people or something?

[amazingadrian.livejournal.com]

I think this is a sign.

I think it portends the end of America.

[randwolf.livejournal.com]

What surprises me is that the image of Jesus makes him look northern European. As far as anyone knows, he looked like a present-day Middle Easterner--black haired, a bit dark skinned. Like an Arab, in other words. Aesthetically, what I find odd is how much of the symbolism of the painting cannot be comprehended visually--without the artist's explanation, or extensive study of current US culture, no-one would know what the artist meant, even after long study of the work.

[salkryn.livejournal.com]

Wait, I'm a liberal Darwinist soldier...where do I go?

[misterseth.livejournal.com]

A few questions come to mind...
-Why is Lincoln kneeling like Al Jolsen?
-It's bad enough that Douglas, Tubman, and the Union soldier are in the back, but the artist failed to include King, Malcolm X, or Rosa Parks!
-Some stars shine brighter than others? That reminds me of Animal Farm...
-Christie McAuliffe. I have no objection to having her in the painting per se, I'm just upset that the other six astronauts who perished during the Challenger disaster were not included (one of them, Gregory Jarvis, grew up where I lived)

There is more, but this is all I'd like to point out for now...

[unclelumpy.livejournal.com]

Meh, it can't all be Norman Rockwell.

[jenrose]

I just love how the handicapped child has ZERO written below it, it serves only as something for the pregnant woman to point at. WTF.

I found it rather asinine.

[caraig.livejournal.com]

Blasphemy.

Complete, utter, total blasphemy. This painting, while technically well-done (and in a past life, would have been quite inspiring) is... it's....

A moment. I feel the sudden urge to gnaw my internet connection off at the demarc. Thank heavens I looked at the Shortpacked version instead of the original....

[caraig.livejournal.com]

P.S. Whoa, 'gory' doesn't even begin to describe the Cthulhu version!