Sep 21, 2012
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Religious groups are blasting President Obama for not condemning am anti-Christian art display set to appear in New York City and one Republican lawmaker said he is “fed up with the administration’s double standard and religious hypocrisy.
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“Piss Christ,” once branded as a “deplorable, despicable display of vulgarity,” will be displayed at the Edward Tyler Nahem Gallery in Manhattan on Thursday. The artwork features a “photograph of the crucifix submerged in the artist’s urine.”
The artwork debuted in 1989 and was funded through prize money provided by the National Endowment for the Arts. The art gallery hosting the retrospective salute to Andres Serrano is privately owned.
Religious groups and some lawmakers have already started sounding off – and making comparisons to the controversy over a recent anti-Muslim film. The low budget movie “Innocence of Muslims” sparked violent and deadly clashes across the globe.
It also brought strong rebukes, condemnations and apologies from President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and a host of administration officials.
The administration tried to have the film removed from YouTube – but Google rebuffed their request. The State Dept. spent $70,000 on a Pakistani television advertisement rebuking the film. And the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff personally telephoned a Christian minister in Florida to ask him to withdraw his support of the film.
Rep. Michael Grimm (R, C-NY) wants to know why President Obama hasn’t denounced the exhibit and said he’s fed up with what he called the administration’s “religious hypocrisy.”
“The Obama administration’s hypocrisy and utter lack of respect for the religious beliefs of Americans has reached an all-time high,” Grimm told Fox News. “I call on President Obama to stand up for America’s values and beliefs and denounce the ‘Piss Christ’ that has offended Christians at home and abroad.”
So will the Obama Administration condemn the anti-Christian art display? Will they air a television ad denouncing the exhibit? Will the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ask the gallery to cancel the exhibit?
The White House did not return calls seeking comment. Neither did the Pentagon.
The State Dept. referred to a previous statement Clinton made in reference to the anti-Islamic film.
“America’s commitment to religious tolerance goes back to the very beginning of our nation,” Clinton said. “And as you know, we are home to people of all religions, many of whom came to this country seeking the right to exercise their own religion, including, of course, millions of Muslims. And we have the greatest respect for people of faith.”
Grimm said the lack of response from the White House is unacceptable.
“Perhaps they’ve forgotten the controversy that surrounds this deplorable piece depicting a crucifix submerged in the artist’s urine,” Grimm said. “It outraged Christians in American and throughout the world.”
Grimm, who is Catholic, said he found the artwork to be vulgar and offensive, “just as many in the Islamic world found ‘Innocence of Muslims’ to be highly offensive.”
“Like most Americans, I condemn both yet remain tolerant as the First Amendment demands,” he said. “Unfortunately, this administration has yet to echo these views in regards to the religiously offensive ‘art’ here at home.”
And the congressman isn’t the only one demanding a response from the White House.
“I would like to find out what my government is going to say about this,” said Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League. “We have the United States government making apologies and some very critical statements about the abuse of freedom of speech because it might offend Muslims.”
Donohue said the Obama administration seems to have a double standard when it comes to incidents that might offend the Christian community.
“It seems like we have a protected class for Muslims as well as some other segments of our population,” he told Fox News. “But when it comes to Christians, it’s an all-out war.”
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, said the two incidents show a clear contrast between Islam and Christianity.
“You won’t have to worry about a mob of people storming the gallery after Sunday school lets out,” Perkins told Fox News. “Christ has been the subject of attacks for 2,000 years – as have his followers. As Christians, we have learned to turn the other cheek.”
Perkins said the lack of response from the White House over the “Piss Christ” display provide an unintentional recognition.
“It’s a recognition of the contrast between Christianity and Islam,” he said. “You don’t have to plead with Christians not to riot and burn and storm buildings simply because they are offended. That’s the difference. That’s why Christianity moves nations forward and Islam moves nations backwards.”
As for the display – Perkins said it’s being held in a private gallery – without taxpayer funding.
“They have their freedom to do what’s wrong,” he said. “That’s what’s great about America.”
But Donohue said he may very well be outside the gallery on Thursday – and he questions the timing of the exhibit.
“The timing is not a mistake,” he said. “The obvious reason is not because it’s something new – it’s the idea of throwing more salt of Christians. This is a pattern that’s calculated, it’s deliberate and it’s time the elites spoke out on this.”
FOX News Talk
Frankly, this makes me proud of my country. We have the freedom to make offense art, to be offended by it, and to voice our opinions on it.
And nobody has to get killed for it.
Wonder what the reaction would be if some "artist" put a picture of Obama and Mohammad in a jar of piss.
Jesus Christ was lynched, beaten and scourged, mocked and left to die in the elements. There's nothing nothing worse can be done to Him. He can weather any childish insults. Mohammad must be a little girl to be so sensitive. No, that's right, he just likes to have sex with 9 yr old girls.
What if dog poop was spread on the Koran? Let's hear it.. all together now….
Can somebody tell what Jessus Christ would say if He comes and see the Sec. of Education,, A president,, A Vice President ,, promoting Homosexual Marriages,, The Christ in the urine jar,, The National day of Prayer gone… Christmas under attack.. Not name God or Christ in Prayers , in cemeteries,, Soldiers memorials,, Ground Cero ,, in sports events… Patriotic songs…ect…
The answer to Christ is… We are ahead in the polls…
Has anyone ever thought about this? When Jesus found the money changers and thieves in His Father's house, the Temple in Jerusalem, He was indignantly angry about the disrespect and shame bestowed by men upon His Father's house. What did Jesus do? He righteously intervened on His Father's behalf and grabbed a whip and drove them out. Why did Jesus do this? Jesus knew that to stand there and do nothing would have been giving tacit approval of their actions. It was because to stand by and do nothing would have been the same as blessing that horrific behavior toward God.
No, Jesus did not kill anyone nor did He advocate that anyone else do that, as in Islam, because Jesus is ALL about forgiveness and second chances, BUT, Jesus knew that to stand there and do nothing was just the same as betraying God, His own Father……
Now, I have a question for you. Why do Christians believe that when someone exhibits "art" paid for with their tax dollars, depicting Jesus bathed in the urine of the artist, that they should be passive and do nothing? Is that not giving tacit approval and in essence saying that it is OK for their Lord Jesus to be portrayed like this? Why should Jesus have any less value to us than God had to Him? Did Jesus leave us on Earth to be His chosen warriors…. or His chosen wimps? Yes, we are to turn the other cheek when our Brothers and Sisters hurt us, not when Satan's bastards attack our Lord.
God says that in the last days, good will be called evil and evil good, NOT by the followers of Jesus but by the followers of Satan! STOP acting like the followers of Satan by giving tacit approval of evil by saying and doing NOTHING when you see evil….. Instead, start acting like warriors of the Almighty God who claims you as His Son's and Daughter's and who has given you Eternal Life to be with HIM and like HIM throughout Eternity. When you get as "indignantly angry" as Jesus did in the Temple, You will be testifying that God means enough to You for You to take action. Then I might believe that you are a Christian that would sacrifice their own life and not deny our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus. Otherwise, you are probably nothing more than a namby pamby American Christian, lukewarm at best, whom Jesus will probably spit out as worthless! WHO ARE YOU?
My prayer had been that God not blind us to evil. I realized that I was praying a silly prayer in that God has made it abundantly clear that evil is all around us. I have finally come to realize that American Christians are choosing to be blind, simply because by admitting that they can easily see the evil in our culture, would mean that must admit they really don't care enough to get uncomfortable and actually sacrifice their comfort.
I believe that God is removing His hand that has shielded us with His Grace and Mercy. He will allow us to experience the same pain of persecution that Christians have been suffering through in the rest of the world……and we have largely ignored. Our choices, to be more worried about our comfort on this Earth than standing up for God and His tenets, have condemned us to the pains of this Earth. We are focusing on the comforts of this Earth instead of focusing on the rewards Jesus promised us in Heaven. By making this choice, are we not really, by our actions, telling Jesus to just wait because we have something more important that needs to come first? 'Oh heck Jesus, we'll get back to you later Dude!'
This sinful act has turned MOST Christians into feckless lukewarm grains of tasteless salt that are worse than worthless, they drive people away. Jesus, in Revelations 3:15-16 said of these type of Christians, "I will spit you out of my mouth."
Who do you really follow? PROVE IT WITH YOUR ACTIONS not your little words.
This photo was first created and exhibited in 1989. It is sad that you fault Obama for not denouncing it while giving a free pass to George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, or George W. Bush for also not denouncing it. I guess it is Obama's fault back in 1989!
Of course, since my facts don't fit the Fox created virtual reality, they will be quickly deleted. This is the censorship policy of Fox News, fair and balanced if you agree with them.
Has FOX news gone so far over the to the Progressive Commie side that they put loudmouth liberal fa99ots like Benjamin Bracker at the top of every post?
Ehhh, don't like it don't look at it. It is their right to produce the artwork how they want as much as it is anyones right to worship how they want. Sure it might be offensive to Christians, but its only offensive if you let it offend you.
I can't stand this fucking shit-head we have in the Oval Office. He didn't deserve it the first time and he damn sure doesn't deserve it now.
I didn't vote for him then, but I see where the media is manipulating the polls and doing their utmost to keep him in office.
I can't stand this fucking shit-head we have in the Oval Office. He didn't deserve it the first time and he damn sure doesn't deserve it now.
I didn't vote for him then, but I see where the media is manipulating the polls and doing their utmost to keep him in office.
I guess we should blame Reagan then?
Piss Christ is a 1987 photograph by the American artist and photographer Andres Serrano. It depicts a small plastic crucifix submerged in a glass of the artist's urine. The piece was a winner of the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art's "Awards in the Visual Arts" competition,[1] which was sponsored in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, a United States Government agency that offers support and funding for artistic projects.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piss_Christ
Catholics staged a peaceful protest in Manhattan against Serrano's blasphemous piece, referred to as "fine art." It's curious how world leaders who issued statements in defense of Islam have said nothing to condemn this exhibit. See more here: http://www.tfpstudentaction.org/what-we-do/street-campaigns/andres-serrano-christ-protest.html.
I am a dedicated Christian, so this art does offend me. However, I support the artist's right to make it. The problem I have is with the double standard in our nation. The president can't condemn an anti-Muslim movie, and blame it for the planned attacks on the 11th anniversary of 9/11, and say nothing about this. Anyway, it's been this way for a long time, and will always be this way. This nation (the whole world, actually) is moving away from God more and more each day.
It's fine with Øbama to ridicule Catholcs, but you better not show disrespect for his beloved "prophet." There is no god but allah.
There is no Allah. He was invented to justify the many perversions of a minor herdsman, Pedophile homosexual animal abuser , murderer thief liar . All around good guy,right???? .
allah is a false God!! muhammad is a false prophet!! Why would one give his soul to Lucifer for them!! They will have hell to pay when JESUS returns !!!!!!
allah is a false God!! muhammad is a false prophet!! Why would one give his soul to Lucifer for them!! They will have hell to pay when JESUS returns !!!!!!
A perfect soulmate for Barry Hussein Soetoro.
Yeah, this guy and Mapplethorpe. Pure crap-literally.
They May just be Pissing Christ Off"" how about next Sunday all Christians take to the street clinging our Bibles and gun's and riot! Start burning building's and kill Women and Children!! Sound's sensible? This is the mentality that We send Billion's too! Unfortunately Sometime's free speech hurts , but this separates Us as American's from total ignorance We see every day from the Middle eastern Country's!
Not only do you cook the best Rigatoni Calabrese in the world but you make good sense too!!
Ty I'm full of it ? lol I just want to Them Both to be completely honest ! Why O. Just dint cone out and sat what it was, it would have made life easier fir Him! I just don't get it! Un truth just bring on more in truth's!! I dont have a good enough memory to lie!! Hard enough remembering the truth!! Thanks for the food Comp. Thank's! I'll try not to rant and rave!!!
Obama Knowing the detaill's continued to spread the Outrage over the Movie. This is so irresponsible in it's self , especially with American's all over the Middle east! Isn't it nit dangerous enough in the
Middle East !!
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