Good morning, blog readers, from partly sunny/cloudy and cold (22 degrees) Wisconsin where, on my morning walk, I saw: 3 deer and 2 bunnies! Thank You, Jesus!
If you read yesterday’s blog, you know that I have decided to shift gears slightly and open this up to questions you might have about the Bible? My first question is from Diane who wrote: “I have a friend who is ‘into art.’ He says that statues like “David” by Michelangelo or other nude pictures/statues are ‘art.'” I say they are ‘porn.'” What do you think? Please back up with Scripture. Thank you!”
Diane, Thank you for the question. I must admit that, in my 40+ years as a pastor, I had never been asked that question before. So, first, I looked online for a picture of ‘David’ and found an interesting article: “Nudity and Controversy in the Sistine Chapel: The Revolutionary Ideas of Michelangelo.”
In the article, I read: “The Sistine Chapel is one of the greatest artistic achievements of all times, a must-see for anyone (not in my opinion,). … When you enter the chapel it can be difficult to know where to look, as it seems as though every inch of the ceiling and walls is swarming with the figures of saints, demons, and everyone in-between (most, if not all, are nude). So, the question I always ask is: “Is it biblical?” And, the answer is “no!” In fact, when Adam and Eve were created by God, they were naked. Moses then wrote in Genesis 2:25: “And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed, In Genesis 3, when Satan (aka, the devil shows up in the Garden and tempts Adam and Eve into eating the “forbidden fruit,” which they ate, they sinned against God and were now ashamed of being naked and were clothed by God (verse 21). Sadly, in II Corinthians 12:21, the apostle Paul wrote, to the church in Corinth: “I am afraid that when I come again my God may humiliate me before you, and I may mourn over many of those who have sinned in the past and not repented of the impurity, immorality and sensuality which they have practiced.” Sadly, Michelangelo’s “David,” is impure, immoral, sensual and pornographic. In Christ, Doug (2/12/24)