Christian Groups stop resurrection of Pagan Statue

[joefree1]

Thursday, February 10, 2005 - Page updated at 07:45 A.M.
Greek Goddess statue causes conflict of Herculean proportions
The Associated Press

ROSEBURG, Ore. — Officials in this former timber town have canceled an exhibit on the Greek goddess of youth, saying the topic is too controversial.

Horses knocked the statue down in 1912 and for nine decades there was little talk of Hebe in Roseburg. But two years ago, when residents began looking into replacing the statue, community members came out against the idea, arguing that Hebe, a Pagan goddess, is offensive to Christians and a bad example for Roseburg youth.

edit ...
The original Hebe sculpture was erected in 1908 by the Women's Christian Temperance Union who wanted to encourage people to drink water rather than succumb to the enticement of alcohol.

edit ...
Critics of the drive to bring Hebe back to Roseburg view the statue as an anti-Christian icon. They associate the statue with paganism and Wicca, a religion with a belief in supernatural power.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002176156_webgoddessstatue10.html

So this means our Gods are no longer a myth but are now a threat? Again?
B*B,
joefree1



"It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no God."
- Thomas Jefferson (1743 - 1826)

[davidinalameda]

1. she's showing nipple

can't have that

[bloom]

2. It's funny that it was Christian women who had gotten the statue

to begin with. Seems to show the direction we're going....

[CindyDale]

3. That shows how hypocritical these people are

Christian content is OK, but Greek is not?

Next they will be tearing down works of art like a bunch of ignorant Taliban.

[BattyDem]

4. "They associate the statue with ...

paganism and Wicca, a religion with a belief in supernatural power."


I always thought Paganism and Wicca were nature-based religions, worshipping natural gods ... as opposed to worshipping a supernatural god. :shrug:

[Dead_Parrot]

7. Wiccan god(esse)s are based on...

...pre-existing old-fashioned supernatural gods (Like Diana of Ephesus) but with new job descriptions, so it's half and half.

Hebe isn't normally used in Wicca, though, so they're still wrong about that.

Whilst I don't think putting up a statue to Hebe would result in hordes of pagans holding orgies in the town square and throwing Chistians to the lions, it would be a symbol of religion on public property ~ not far removed for the various commandment plaques in courthouses that shouldn't be there...

[lukasahero]

5. This was to be an exhibit in a museum! WTF?

I read the article thinking from the snippets here that, well, if we don't want the 10 commandments hanging around the courthouse then we have to be reasonable about other religions being represented. The provided snips don't mention where it was to be placed and I figured it HAD to be something along those lines for any "Christian" to even think that this would be a matter of their business. I am more than a little APPALLED to find that's not the case.

So basically, here it is folks - if it's offensive to "Christians" then it must not be allowed to exist, be seen, be discussed. OMF'inG.

PS - before anyone wigs at my use of "Christian", I am one - just not of the freaked out variety.

[Tux]

6. Soon

Non-Christian literature and films will be banned. Then the religions will lose recognition. Believers will lose jobs until they become Christian. Simple plan.

[Ian David]

8. Related Stories: Taliban destroying ancient Buddhas, Roy Moore's Decalogue

Why the Taliban are destroying Buddhas

By W.L. Rathje, Discover Archaeology Magazine

In the Diamond Sutra, the historical Buddha, Sakyamuni (whose lifetime crossed the fifth and fourth centuries B.C.), says to a disciple: "Thousands of lifetimes ago when my body was cut into pieces by King Kalinga, I was not caught in the idea of a separate self or life span. If, at that time, I had been caught up in any such idea, I would have felt anger and ill-will against the king." Now, that's Buddhist tolerance!

In Afghanistan recently, supreme Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar issued an edict against un-Islamic graven images, which means all idolatrous images of humans and animals. As a result, the Taliban are destroying all ancient sculptures. Explosives, tanks, and anti-aircraft weapons blew apart two colossal images of the Buddha in Bamiyan Province, 230 kilometers (150 miles) from the capital of Kabul.

-snip

Ancient archaeological remains have been thrust into the cruel world of today's seemingly endless conflicts — the ever-changing aims and alliances of international politics, religions dueling on the world stage, and the ironic trade-off of providing aid to conserve the material heritage of the past but not to preserve the lives of modern inheritors of that past. Arrayed against the tolerant and measured messages of Buddhism, the quagmire of the "Bamiyan Massacre" seems perplexing at best.




http://www.usatoday.com/news/science/archaeology/2001-03-22-afghan-buddhas.htm


Cracked logic and the Ten Commandments

By Gerald L. Zelizer

"One reason the Ten Commandments were selected for this monument is because, in fact ... they unite us. Jews, Christians, Muslims, all revere them equally."

That's how the Rev. Robert Schenck, reacting to the removal of a monument depicting the commandments from a judiciary building in Montgomery, Ala., explained their importance during a PBS interview. Schenck has spearheaded a campaign to display the commandments in public buildings.

Judge Roy Moore, who as chief justice of Alabama installed the 5,300-pound statue in the judicial rotunda, said the commandments are the "moral basis of our law."

Despite such assertions, displaying the commandments in the public square does more to divide than to unite. Their meaning is so diverse in each faith that an underlying, shared truth and morality is not achievable.

More:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=679&ncid=742&e=18&u=/usatoday/20050301/cm_usatoday/crackedlogicandthetencommandments