“Freedom of expression”, some artists say. “We see nothing wrong with how Mideo Cruz portrayed Christ and the cross”, in the recently closed down controversial KULO exhibit. According to GMAnews.tv some of the images displayed where:
- a religious image of Jesus Christ. Attached to the religious image is a wooden replica of the male genital protruding toward His face. The male genital replica is draped with the Rosary, hanging by the base and top of the replica. To a crucifix is attached a red male organ.
- a similar religious image of Christ, where His eyes are darkened by black ink which appears to flow out from the eyes.
- a crucifix and cross draped with a pink, stretched-out condom.
- various religious images and pictures of Christ, Mary the Mother of Christ, Holy Family, saints, and the rosary — all closely surrounded and placed beside pictures of women who appear to be modeling for underwear or a skin product.
- a picture of Christ’s disciples surrounding a dark silhouette of Christ in the middle. Right above the facial portion of the dark silhouette of Jesus Christ is a drawing resembling the icon of Disney’s Mickey Mouse.
- a religious statue of Christ seated. Attached to the tip of His nose is a red ball. Above His head is an imposed pair of red ears the same as Mickey Mouse icon.
So why is this such a big deal? I think every time you discuss Jesus it will always be controversial. It has always been. Jesus is one of the most misunderstood figure in human history.
2000 years ago – Jesus was the most controversial person in human history. His death on the cross caused a revolution and a movement that has affected half of the world. The object of our faith rests on Jesus’ existence and his sacrificial act on the cross.
The crucifixion that happened 2000 years ago in Calvary was the most controversial exhibit ever recorded. The pain of the cross is so horrendous that a word was invented to explain it – EXCRUCIATING – which literally means “from the cross”. Crucified people lasts from 3 to 4 hours or as long as nine days, passing in and out of consciousness.
Some in an effort to end the torment, slump on the cross to empty their lungs of air to hasten death. All this is done in public. Left for dead, dogs eat some of the bodies while the cross were kept and reused. As a general rule, it was men who were crucified. In the rare event of a woman’s crucifixion, she was made to face the cross. Not even the barbarous Roman soldiers and culture was willing to watch the face of a woman in such excruciating agony.
Jewish historian Josephus called the crucifixion, “the most wretched of deaths” Roman philosopher Cicero asked that decent Roman citizens not even speak of the cross because it was too disgraceful a subject for the ears of decent people.
In light of all this, what is most peculiar is that this horrendous, symbol became the symbol for Jesus. The church father Tertullian tells us of the early practice of believers making the sign of the cross over their bodies with their hand and adorning their necks and homes with crosses to celebrate the brutal death of Jesus. In doing so, the early Christians turned a symbol of terror and intimidation into a symbol of salvation and hope.
The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.” Luke 23:35
Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him. Mark 15:32
Today artists like Mideo Cruz who says that their artwork is his expression of what the cross and Christ is for him might have a point. I still believe that his exhibit is not an artwork but it is very close to how Christ was maltreated, mistreated and blasphemed in the past by the people who wanted Him dead. To conclude that Mideo’s work is an art might do injustice to what Christ really experienced.
Romans 3:25-26
New Living Translation (NLT)
25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.
In spite of all the bad news and the experience Mideo Cruz is experiencing today, I think the good news still stands. Jesus died for Mideo Cruz and to all the people who mistreated him, rebelled against Him and crucified Him. This is the great love of Jesus!!!
I think more than anything, what bothered most people is the blatant disrespect for the image of Christ. I don’t mean the statues or the crucifix but the image they had of Christ in their hearts. In the same manner, if it were a picture of a loved one – a grand father, a parent that were ridiculed, they’ll feel the same way too. And just as Mideo Cruz says that it is his freedom of expression that people are curbing, the people who are complaining can say the same thing. They too, have the freedom of expression to complain about what bothers them.
I still believe that “freedom of expression” is one of the most misused and abused phrases in the English language. One’s freedom ends when another’s rights begin. That holds true.
And yes, Christ died for Mideo Cruz too.
The irony of Mideo Cruz was that he claims that his artwork was intended to express his dissatisfaction with today’s ‘Christianity’ – not as an attack on Christ himself. As an artist, his work wasn’t about ‘disrespecting’ Christ – rather, just the empty symbologies that were attributed and attached to Him out of tradition. Such an argument brings us to our own ‘break the idols/statues’ impulse of the Evangelicals back in the 80′s and 90′s.
On a different thought, the bigger irony is about what really insults Christ: an expressed defacing of His ‘substitute/proxy” image, or a mockery of His name by the general behavior and attitude of Christianity?
I do not approve of the artwork; but neither do I condemn or criticize Mideo. If anything, I’d love to have coffee with him and get his complete side of the story.
anong ginawa ni mideo satin? naging instrumento sya para mabuhay ang pananalig natin sa Diyos. sa dami ng nagcomment, my religious, my henyo, my bastos my ampaw… pero pagkatapos nun, sa mga nabasa ko, marami ang bumalik sa pagmamahal nya sa Diyos. pinagusapan ung art ni mideo, hindi ako nagagandahan dun. kc parang d nmn nya gawa un, pinagsamsama lang ya ung gawa ng iba parang collage. pero ano ung maganda, narefresh ung pananalig natin sa Diyos na dati d yan napapg usapan, pero ngaun, kanya kanyang depensa ng paraan ng pananalig. wala akong pki sa tunay na dahilan nya bkit nya ginawa un. para sakin khit papano, ginicng nito ang damdamin nating makaDiyos.kung di man un ang tunay nyang pakay sa art nya, well… sa d cnasadyang pagkakataon… natutong magbasa ng bibliya ang iba…
I don’t think Mideo’s motives were to blatantly insult Christ, I think he simply longs to stir a bit of a ruckus with his artwork, he admitted somewhere in an interview(sorry cant find the exact words now).
I don’t know the guy,but basing from his statements, it seems to stir things up using his artwork seem to be fun for him. and why not? It gives his artwork “exposure”.
The greedy stir up conflict,
but those who trust in the LORD will prosper. (Proverbs 28:25, NIV)
It stirs up “conflict” so to speak. But he probably did not expect that the conflict would include him personally, worse the angst of the people who hated his artwork is now directed towards him solely. I pity him though, he has great eye for art, but he lacks the one thing that would ever complete a human being in this planet- a surrendered heart to Christ. The very Christ he innocently (or so he says) used as art props.
Oh and basing from his statement below (taken from an intervie by bulatlat.com), I dont think any coffee or milk tea would make him really say his side of the story..seems his job is to create controversial artwork and then watch the people go crazy over it (hehe):
“I don’t like telling people what I mean when I paint something or what I want to say when I include an image in an installation. I would much rather that people talk about the work and think about they’ve seen,” Cruz said.
source: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/08/05/artist-mideo-cruz-wants-to-provoke-critical-thought-gets-death-threats-instead/2/
Bottomline: Everytime I sin, i am no better than Mr Cruz. We are the same, except that I know I have God’s grace now and I understand the cross and what it represents better now, I pray that Mr Cruz one day encounters the real Jesus and maybe next time He would be wiser and more discerning in choosing his art pieces. Godbless you Mr Cruz!
I would like to balance the issue about Mideo Cruz’s artwork. Some Catholic groups called very offensive because the images of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and other religious images were desecrated. My judgment for Mideo’s artwork is not just an art but it shows his arts symbolize the divisions of Christians here in this country.
I was in Catholic but I am not really bothered or offended to my faith because worshiping graven images is a gross violation against God based in the Scriptures. For me, I hope the Catholics must have a wake-up call and a challenge to worship the Spirit and in truth not the stupid images created by humans.
Everybody deserves freedom. But not everybody acknowledges it involves moral responsibility. A poignant question we can ask ourselves,”Does the freedom we demand and fight for, the same as the freedom Christ died for?” Commonly, we thought of the harmless, noble freedom representing ourselves, our beliefs. Truly, our behavior is shaped by our beliefs. I believe that’s where the difference lies.