Isn’t the Bible Enough?
"Isn't the Bible enough?", was a question posed to me this week by Christopher, a customer service representative Vista Print (great printers I use) when I explained the basis of UnGraven Image art.
Christopher's question is a Protestant/Evangelical since both Jews and Catholics have sources other than the Bible that are found relevant, although, all adhere to the theology that UnGraven Image art is based upon – including the other sources.
However, sweeping the Jews and Catholics into the general question posed by including all sacred texts, then clearly the Bible, Torah, Talmud, Kabbalah (both Jewish and Christian versions) Apocrypha and other holy writings are certainly not enough. Clearly this is so when one peeks at the state of our current world, with wars, famines, persecutions and abject poverty. These conditions and divisions cross boundaries of continent, theology, race and politics.
Let's take an entirely different look at all of our holy texts, whatever the texts. Let's think the unthinkable. For a moment. Imagine that we humans manage to annihilate each other, or who ever is left after the various catastrophes predicted by theologies and seers. OK, but imagine as unfortunately it is a possibility we face and at present largely brought about by beliefs that seem in conflict, plus a whole lot of ego.
So, for a moment imagine Earth without any human, flora or faunal life. All dead. However, in this imagined bleak and lifeless scenario what has survived intact are Bibles (both testaments) in every language know to man, Torahs, Korans, all Buddhist texts, the Vedas and Upanishads plus any other scripture accepted by anyone (whether accepted by me and you or not). Now, the question is given the presence of all those scriptures and texts would there be life on the planet? Are the texts alive?
Clearly all of the theology, of our holy scriptures points us in the direction of howwe are to live. We humans always live in a way that embodies and demonstrates our beliefs. In truth, we all actually live in ways that demonstrate our deepest beliefs, whether we mean to do so or not. There really is no time out. What we do counts and has consequences for us and others.
How we behave, what we say or do absolutely demonstrates our beliefs. These beliefs may be consciously or unconsciously held. It is an uncomfortable thought that we are always revealing our selves. Proverbs tells us, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” And, the "tongue is the most unruly member." People reveal themselves constantly.
Unfortunately many people who count themselves as followers of the Creator behave as if the presence of their Creator is not around when they are not in a holy place of worship. For example, a couple of years ago I had a contractor who was renovating floors and reroofing an addition to my home. He had seen and was delighted with the UnGraven Image paintings in my home, and enthusiastically explained it all to his workers, who he spoke to in Spanish because they spoke fractured English. They stood around admiring and commenting on the paintings, which had touched them. The contractor proudly told me how he attended his Catholic church with his family weekly. He is a believer and we are aligned.
We were aligned until the job ran over the time of his estimate. I had already agreed to up the amount I was paying due to various factors, including his misestimating. Then he announced to me that this day would be the last day on the job, he was finished that day. He took me around to the part of the house that was being reroofed and announced that putting the gutters back was not a part of the reproofing (his men under his direction had taken them down) and that to put them back he would want more money than our original agreement among other such ridiculous demands.
At the time conversation occured it was a glorious sunny day in the Hamptons. My property is enclosed by hedges, so in effect I am in my own small private park. It is lovely. So the contractor animatedly goes through his spiel about how what he had agreed to before, what is actually a clear and obvious part of the job is not a part of the job, etc. How replacing the very same gutters to their original position is not a part of fixing the roof. Uh huh.
I look at him and say, “ I understand you. And if I did not know that God was here, even in this backyard, that the words of God are everywhere as I depict in my paintings, then I too would try to get a better deal out of you and change the terms. But I know that God is here not just in synagogue or church so I cannot be like you and do that. At this point he threw up his hands, muttered something indecipherable and walked away quickly in defeat. I did not defeat him, I simply reminded him of what he already knew to be true but preferred to ignore or deny. We humans are very adept at denial.
The contractor and his men finished the total job beautifully and then some. He recognized that God is here in my backyard. Hoefully, he recognizes that God is everywhere although I admit it is an inconvenient concept. My job as an artist is to get people to recognize that the words of God are everywhere. Inconvenient or not.
So is the Bible enough? No. We need to embody our sacred texts, to live by their best and highest ideals for us and to have an on-going personal relationship with the One. We need to see those words everywhere, to walk in them, be surrounded by them even be them in our representation of our selves. As an artist I work to make this real.
Finally, if the Bible and our various holy texts were enough we would not need the many churches and synagogues, temples, mosques, and holy places. Everywhere would be holy just as Moses standing before the burning bush took off his shoes because he recognized holy ground. Holy means separated from the mundane and the everyday. Everywhere holy people go (those who recognize the constant eternal presence and embody their rel;ationship in their daily relationships and activities) is holy to some degree. Profane, the opposite of holy deals with the continuing worship (meaning focus on and give imoportance to) the false gods of ego, materialism, power, prestigue and and the various trappings that we chase after on a continuous unfufilling treadmill.
The purpose of art is to inspire. Art helps us confront our own demons. Art can also point the way to understanding and splendor. Inspired art (all great art is inspired although "inspired" art may not be great) does not uphold the status quo -- it presmts a new way of perceiving reality.
The concept of inspiration -- bringing the fire down from the heavens -- does not support complacency even if it is wrapped in the gauze of clever. Clever may sell artworks at high prices but it does not inspire and change lives.
So, Christopher, the Bible is not enough. No sacred text, or work of art can ever be enough. They are like the beam of a flashlight is the dark out of a tunnel. If we don't follow the light, what use is it? It is up to us. We can change our lives and the world.
November 8, 2006 |
