The Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art is currently hosting an exhibition where visitors are invited to write in a copy of the Bible. The idea seems to have been originally put forward by Metropolitan Community Church with the aim of reclaiming the Bible as a sacred text. Predictably however it hasn’t exactly gone as the organisers had intended.
The Bible has a plaque next to in with ‘If you feel you’ve been excluded from the Bible, please write your way back into it.’ This has been taken by many visitors are an invitation to deface many of the passages, write a few rude words and express their exact feelings towards the Bible and the Christian religion in general. Not unsurprisingly a few members of the various church organisations are a little upset that this has been allowed to happen.
One Catholic spokesperson said ‘One wonders whether the organisers would have been quite as willing to have the Koran defaced.’
Suffer from Fatwa envy much?
But hang on. Look back at where the idea for the exhibition came from. The Metropolitan Community Church. So, why not go and ask them, they’re part of your little brotherhood aren’t they? This isn’t some exhibition put on by a bunch of Liberal Atheists who were simply out to bash religion. But if it had been, the answer would have been a resounding ‘YES’. In any free society – which is what we claim we live in – then any and all ideas must be held up to scrutiny, and even ridicule
You must not stifle free speech just because you’re worried someone else might get upset and become violent as a result. If you put your ideas out into the public arena, and don’t like what others say about them, then maybe you should take a moment to reflect. Just because every response is negative, and just because it upsets your feelings, doesn’t mean you have the right to restrict people from expressing their opinions.
Tags: Bible, Defaced, Free Speech, Freedom, Gallery, Glasgow, Modern Art