A frog’s right to crucifixion

When i first saw the painting below, i laughed so hard that i spilled a qurater of my coffee on my blouse. Then, ofcourse, i read the rest of the news and got enveloped in an all-consuming meditation (Didn’t, but I love the sound of that). I asked, like i did hundreds of times before, how far religion should be allowed. Whichever temple we worship at, we will all admit nothing has stood in the way of Science (and art) like religion. If it weren’t for rare souls who appear on our planet every hundreds of years, who dared say “no” & paid dearly for it, the world would have continued being flat and we’d perhaps have stayed in our caves.

Religious leaders don’t seem content in calling people with new ideas “Blasphemous” or “GuDu Kassa” anymore. They have started demanding for blood inspite of the love and harmony they are “called” to preach. Only in the last couple of years, we have heard of artists/writers whose head, detached from their bodies, suddenly became worth million of dollars the minute they produced something related to a religious leader of some kind. These works of art don’t seem to need be offensive to make frantic mobs out of religious followers neither. A remote resemblence, and out they go, smashing windows and burning flags.

Don’t get what i’m about to say wrong. I’m all for respect and boundary. When it’s both ways. Which is why I can’t help ask “Who the f do these people think they are?!” whenever one of these dramas take place on some unfortunate street of some unfortunate part of the world. By the look of them, you’d would think you owe them something, inspite of the heavy mission their respective gods cast on them to save our ass from hell fire & gnashing of teeth in either “Gehanem” or “Gehanna” and migrate us, if possible, to either “Gennet” or “Janat” and it’s blessings. That, perhaps, may sound too naive. But common decency dictates that whatever entitled them to their religion, should entitle the non-believer to his or her lack therein. Or is that too ideal too?!

Pope Benedict XVI, like many of his predecessors, has revealed it’s his turn to rap the table and call the art world to order. The subject under controversy is the above painting the undersigned labled “crucifrog” before realizing somebody else has thought of it too. His Holiness being from that part of the world in which religious leaders are far from calling the shots, thank God, he isn’t exactly calling for the death penalty. But he has breathed so heavy down somebody’s back that the museum who owned the sculpture has decided to “defy” him by refusing to remove it. I’m well aware the Vatican would frown on any cheerful-looking pope given to smiles, it’s mission being spreading the message of Christ, who might have worn the most sour face in the world. But i’m sure even the spiritual father of the people can afford to have a sense of humor from time to time!?

Read more here.