It's Not Even about Believing in Anything.
So today what is distracting me from research is a long, slow trudge through Google images for a crucifixion I reproduced in high school. I've found among the 900 000 results works I considered using, but none are the one I chose. While wading through the obvious results, I also came across a few images that, while decidedly unsurprising in and of themselves individually, unnerved me by the magnitude of their quantity. There seems to be an overwhelming number of youth groups whose teaching arsenal includes live reenactments of the Crucifixion. Now, the odd Passion play doesn't bother me; in fact, they most often are moving and--for lack of a more concise word, and I know I will regret this--tastefully done. What bothers me about these youth performances is not the Jesus-in-jeans, skateboards and body padding, alleyway backgrounds, neon tracksuits or any of the accoutrements that we could say are to be expected with a modern interpretations to get kids pumped up about whatever, from math to Mark Twain. These may just be matters of differing taste. What bothers me is not the fact so many people are willing to play Jesus, but what it means that they are. It makes me uncomfortable to see all these stills from churches around the country of people pulling crosses because I fear the excitement they may all be sharing, not of making the Passion tangible for congregates, but of being able to experience the viewpoint of Christ, to look down upon them all and for one moment make being God tangible for themselves.
Though it's not something I can prove.
Though it's not something I can prove.