A serpent on a stake...
Illustration
A serpent on a stake -- not a very appealing sight.
A friend of mine, who had visited a number of times in South American and Latin American countries, was struck by the gory nature of much religious art in these predominantly Roman Catholic countries. With so much poverty in these areas, you would think the people would want happier, prettier religious symbols of hope and promise.
Finally my friend found an answer to the question of why such gruesome and gory imagery was popular, an answer that she believes is correct: When these peoples heard of the story of the God who loved them so much that he came to suffer and die for them, they had to believe that the suffering of this God was worse than their own suffering; and since their own lives were often quite miserable, they pictured the suffering of God as even more miserable.
A God who really loves us will identify with our worst suffering, our deepest pain, our most terrifying darkness. If God loves us this much, then indeed there is hope!
A friend of mine, who had visited a number of times in South American and Latin American countries, was struck by the gory nature of much religious art in these predominantly Roman Catholic countries. With so much poverty in these areas, you would think the people would want happier, prettier religious symbols of hope and promise.
Finally my friend found an answer to the question of why such gruesome and gory imagery was popular, an answer that she believes is correct: When these peoples heard of the story of the God who loved them so much that he came to suffer and die for them, they had to believe that the suffering of this God was worse than their own suffering; and since their own lives were often quite miserable, they pictured the suffering of God as even more miserable.
A God who really loves us will identify with our worst suffering, our deepest pain, our most terrifying darkness. If God loves us this much, then indeed there is hope!
