This is an old BBC article I stumbled upon, but it made me smile. I like to scare children myself.
Church removes 'scary crucifix'
A large sculpture of Christ on the cross has been removed from outside a church in West Sussex after its vicar said it was "scaring young children".
The Reverend Ewen Souter said the 10ft crucifix was "a horrifying depiction of pain and suffering" which was also "putting people off".
The sculpture, located at the side of St John's Church in Broadbridge Heath, has now been given to Horsham Museum.
It will be replaced with a new stainless steel cross.
In a survey carried out by the church, every comment about the sculpture was negative.
Mr Souter said: "Children have commented on how scary they find it and how off-putting they find it as a symbol outside the church.
"As a key exterior symbol for us it was putting people off rather than having a sense of hope and life and the power of the resurrection."
He said rather than undermining the work of the cross, the church wanted to portray "an accurate biblical picture of the crucifixion as a moment of hopefulness for the world, and not one of despair".
The sculpture was designed in the 1960s by former Royal Society of British Sculptors president, Edward Bainbridge Copnall, and made out of coal dust and resin.
It was removed from the church just before Christmas and will be mounted on a large wall in the grounds of Horsham Museum.
Jeremy Knight, curator, said the powerful image portrayed by the figure was that of Christ in pain.
"That today isn't an image which a lot of churches want to follow. They'd much rather see an empty cross where Christ has risen," he said.
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4 comments:
What is the point of religion if not to scare the shit out of children? Makes them into good little Lemmings.
But I have to admit, I think scary Jesus's suck! I was mightily offended when one of our local zealots was allowed to stand on a busy street corner holding a large life sized image of Jesus with thorns on his head bleeding like he'd just been shot in the head... I mean he was COVERED in blood. And I thought, you know, I don't want my kid looking at that SHIT! And how can there seemed to be no controlling it. UGH!
I wish fanatics had their very own planet, so they could torture each other and leave the rest of us the hell alone!
Religions NEED to scare people into accepting their bullshit. This is an eons-old male-dominated religious tactic.
That church has made a huge mistake.
SB
'accurate biblical picture'? Wow, nice contradiction.
Doug
Rock on Ms. Moon...hitting misogyny right on the head. A church we sometimes visit has a slightly scary Jesus - It is all white and crystal-like, which is quite pretty and seems to hover in mid-air which is surreal and god-like, of course, but Jesus is so emmaciated and his white,white robe clings to his sculptured body so closely that we see Jesus's six pack abs and slinky pecks and knobby knees (the region in between - and I can't believe I'm pondering Jesus's private parts children!-was sunken and politically correct, I guess). It is perhaps the lovliest, ugly Jesus I've ever seen. I'm afraid to take a pic of it to send to you, but would love to know what you think.
Love, Jenn
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