Chocolate Jesus Controversy

I really do believe that it is time for some serious reflection on art, culture, religion and the news media.

this is an image that i found from esquire magazine. the article that accompanies this image says nothing of the controversy .

The video shows not only the opinions of the artist but that of a man who declares to represent catholics everywhere. I am catholic but I am not exactly sure that I agree with this man's arguments. I really am struggling to see why so much attention is being given to this subject when there are other things much more controversially offensive things (i.e. war, politics and genocide) that a spokesperson of some clout could use his incredible networking abilities to banish from society.

This is not the first time society has ruled art to be too controversial to be shown. It is however a great example of censorship. It is often taught that artists have a social responsibility to shock and provoke those around them in order to create honest dialogue. Art categorically can not be categorized and apparently there is no proverbial boundary to be crossed. Art for art sake is often ridiculed but in reality can be framed as an important almost noble social cause.

At the Katzen Art Museum Gallery at American University in Washington DC, there is a show currently exhibited of grad student art. Included in this display is a mural or wall painting in which corpses are depicted in a sexual way. The imagery is shocking and provoking. There are other works that use religious imagery and references along side sexual taboos. The art here hasn't generated much controversy, but is shows a precedence for religion and sexuality. Also graduate students in the fine art department must defend their work. The curators of the show saw some social value in showing these images.

Is it because Jesus is naked? or is it timing, or even worse is it because its edible chocolate?

In my humble opinion I feel that this outrage and controversy is an old conversation that flares up from time to time. I also feel that the climate of this country and our general feeling of anxiety has a lot to do with what find acceptable at this time. We are unfortunately stressed and ultra sensitive to things we view as potentially dangerous, or provoking. There is too much upheaval we feel the need to strike out against and exert some dominance in order to feel control.

How do I feel about the chocolate Jesus? It is a shame that we spend so much of our energy censoring instead of questioning why something offends us. When there is something offensive and it is presented to us in the form of art there is usually a reason a great start to a potentially great conversation, in this the artists has succeeded.