Artifact
Below is the last essay I wrote for my Understanding Religious Intolerance honors course. This essay exhibits my learning by showing how to identify religious intolerance, what to do about it, and that intolerance is not something that only happens across the world, but in our own country and hometowns.
When people think of America, they think of a land of opportunity, a land of freedom. The amendments to the Constitution guarantee freedoms to American citizens such as the freedoms of speech, assembly, and religion. This view of America as a land of freedom may lead people to believe that America is a place without religious intolerance. However, this notion is widely mistaken. Religious intolerance has had as much of a role in American history as religious freedom. An early source of intolerance in America existed between Protestants and Catholics. Catholics were viewed as power hungry and morally depraved, a view influenced by the actions of Catholic leaders in the past. Many of the colonies even passed laws against Catholicism. Catholics were seen as a threat in America because they were seen as being loyal to the Pope in Rome, rather than the secular leaders at home (Corrigan, Anti Catholicism 50). Because Protestantism arose from Catholicism, one might find it hard to find reason for the intolerance between the groups. There are a several major differences that separate these two groups. The first of these is that Catholics hold that ultimate interpretive authority lies with the Pope and Magesterium. Protestants believe that the individual’s interpretation of the bible is the interpretative authority for that individual. The second of these beliefs is that Catholics believe that the bread and wine in mass becomes Jesus’ body and blood, while Protestants only see the bread and wine as being symbolic (Ontario Consultants). Even though America today is a primarily Catholic nation, Catholics still face intolerance in America.
One such incidence of intolerance against Catholics occurred around Christmastime in 2012. A baby Jesus figurine was stolen from a nativity scene in Mt. Healthy. The nativity scene was in front of Paul Young Funeral Home. The owner, Paul Young III, said about the sixty-five year old figurine, “We just want it back, want it back in one piece. It’s something my grandpa made and we want to keep it” (WLWT News). Young also said that because of the large crowd the scene gets on Christmas Eve, security is not present at the home. It’s been reported that this is the second time the figurine has been stolen in twelve years. Regular nativity scene visitor Madison Huber reacted to the theft, “It’s just rude to steal something like that” (WLWT News).
A similar incident occurred fourteen years previous, as a statue of Mary was stolen from a nativity scene in front of the Mount Washington water tower on Beechmont Avenue. The statue was stolen from the scene and placed on top of a Supercuts sign. In a strange turn of events, the statue was stolen again, finally being found in the trunk of a man’s car. The statue, which is worth around five-hundred dollars, suffered a broken base. Tony Russo, who discovered the missing statue of Mary, said about the theft, “If you steal the Frisch’s Big Boy, it’s one thing, but to steal part of a nativity scene, that’s ridiculous” (Bricking, Cincinnati Enquirer).
Regardless of the beliefs of the people responsible for the theft of the baby Jesus figurine and the statue of Mary, there is a reason behind why the perpetrators did what they did. Even if they just stole the figures to be funny or to cause mischief, there are underlying intolerant misunderstandings or assumptions that influence the thieves’ actions. One such underlying intolerant misunderstanding involves the stolen items themselves. A widespread belief of outsiders to Catholicism is that they “worship” statues. People might hold this belief because of the prominent place statues hold in Catholic churches. This belief creates a problem for the people who hold it. Namely, that worshipping statues is considered a form of idolatry, and thus goes against the second commandment. This commandment is spelled out in Exodus 20:4-5 where it says,
"You shall not make for yourself a graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: you shall not bow down to them or serve them."
Because of this commandment, and people’s misunderstanding of the Catholic stance on statues and other figures, intolerance can come about from people who are misinformed who might speak out against Catholics for going against the commandment (Catholic Answers).
In order to understand the Catholic use of statues and the second commandment, one must look closely at the scriptures in order to understand its true meaning. There is a difference between the worship of statues and their use in religious services. God forbade the worship of statues, not the use of statues in religious services (Catholic Answers). Taking a closer look at scripture reveals that God promoted the exact opposite of forbidding the use of statues, that God commanded that they be built, respected, and used in services, but not worshipped. For example, in Exodus 25: 18-20, God commands that two statues of angels be made out of gold, and place around the mercy seat so that they are “overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings.” The use of these statues might involve them as a point of prayer, or even ritual use, which is not the same as worship, reserved for God alone. Another example of a statue being used for ritual purposes occurs in Numbers 21: 8-9. Here, Moses uses a bronze serpent on a pole to heal people suffering from a snakebite. The serpent did eventually turn into an idol however, as the Israelites started to worship it as a God, described in 2 Kings 18: 4, and the serpent was destroyed. These examples show that Catholics do not “worship” statues, contrary to popular belief (Catholic Answers, Do Christians Worship Statues?). Instead, these statues can be used for religious services, symbolism of a desired trait, or to remember a religious person or figure.
A second widespread misunderstanding that may have led to these thefts goes along the same line as the first. Along with worshipping statues, it is also a common belief that Catholics worship the saints, including Mary. Thus, by worshipping the saints, it is believed that Catholics are committing idolatry. Again, this creates a problem for outsiders who might use this to attack Catholics for their “idolatrous” ways. Here it might be useful to make some distinction of the word “worship”. In the old sense, the word only meant showing respect or honor. In recent times, however, the meaning has changed to include a higher level of respect or honor, meant for God alone. It can be said that Catholics worship God, or adore him, so as to avoid confusion as to what level of respect “worship” commands. In order to denote the level of respect worthy for humans, specifically saints, words like “venerate” and “honor” can be used. This distinction can clear up confusion on how Catholics view saints. The saints are set apart because of the way they lived their lives, devoting their lives to God. This is the reason why Catholics honor the saints, because they are seen as living exemplary lives. The saints provide Catholics with a model of how to live their lives, even if it is difficult for Catholics to replicate these models. St. Paul even stated in his first letter to the Corinthians 11:1-2, "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I have delivered them to you” (Catholic Answers, Saint Worship?).
As exhibited above, these beliefs can lead to intolerance. It is possible that the misguided beliefs lead to the thieves misunderstanding Catholics, which allowed for them to perpetrate this act of intolerance. Intolerance is rarely enacted between two groups or individuals that are the same. Rather, intolerance finds its origin in difference. Instead of learning to appreciate difference, people see differences as a reason for fear. Because people fear those that are different than them, people try to attack these differences so as to make those different than themselves seem less human. In order to increase the amount of people being intolerant, in order to make their beliefs more credible, people spread intolerance by inciting fear in others around them, increasing the number of people with intolerant beliefs about a group (Corrigan, Conclusion 256-257) Because of this, a simple misguided belief, such as that Catholics worship statues or the saints, can lead to intolerant acts, such as the theft of the baby Jesus figurine or the statue of Mary.
If fear and misunderstanding of difference cause intolerance, then a possible way to combat this is to inform oneself of differences, so as to eliminate misunderstandings. If more people understood Christians’ stance on statues and the saints, then they wouldn’t hold the underlying misunderstandings that allowed for the intolerant action of the theft of the baby Jesus figurine or the statue of Mary.
When people think of America, they think of a land of opportunity, a land of freedom. The amendments to the Constitution guarantee freedoms to American citizens such as the freedoms of speech, assembly, and religion. This view of America as a land of freedom may lead people to believe that America is a place without religious intolerance. However, this notion is widely mistaken. Religious intolerance has had as much of a role in American history as religious freedom. An early source of intolerance in America existed between Protestants and Catholics. Catholics were viewed as power hungry and morally depraved, a view influenced by the actions of Catholic leaders in the past. Many of the colonies even passed laws against Catholicism. Catholics were seen as a threat in America because they were seen as being loyal to the Pope in Rome, rather than the secular leaders at home (Corrigan, Anti Catholicism 50). Because Protestantism arose from Catholicism, one might find it hard to find reason for the intolerance between the groups. There are a several major differences that separate these two groups. The first of these is that Catholics hold that ultimate interpretive authority lies with the Pope and Magesterium. Protestants believe that the individual’s interpretation of the bible is the interpretative authority for that individual. The second of these beliefs is that Catholics believe that the bread and wine in mass becomes Jesus’ body and blood, while Protestants only see the bread and wine as being symbolic (Ontario Consultants). Even though America today is a primarily Catholic nation, Catholics still face intolerance in America.
One such incidence of intolerance against Catholics occurred around Christmastime in 2012. A baby Jesus figurine was stolen from a nativity scene in Mt. Healthy. The nativity scene was in front of Paul Young Funeral Home. The owner, Paul Young III, said about the sixty-five year old figurine, “We just want it back, want it back in one piece. It’s something my grandpa made and we want to keep it” (WLWT News). Young also said that because of the large crowd the scene gets on Christmas Eve, security is not present at the home. It’s been reported that this is the second time the figurine has been stolen in twelve years. Regular nativity scene visitor Madison Huber reacted to the theft, “It’s just rude to steal something like that” (WLWT News).
A similar incident occurred fourteen years previous, as a statue of Mary was stolen from a nativity scene in front of the Mount Washington water tower on Beechmont Avenue. The statue was stolen from the scene and placed on top of a Supercuts sign. In a strange turn of events, the statue was stolen again, finally being found in the trunk of a man’s car. The statue, which is worth around five-hundred dollars, suffered a broken base. Tony Russo, who discovered the missing statue of Mary, said about the theft, “If you steal the Frisch’s Big Boy, it’s one thing, but to steal part of a nativity scene, that’s ridiculous” (Bricking, Cincinnati Enquirer).
Regardless of the beliefs of the people responsible for the theft of the baby Jesus figurine and the statue of Mary, there is a reason behind why the perpetrators did what they did. Even if they just stole the figures to be funny or to cause mischief, there are underlying intolerant misunderstandings or assumptions that influence the thieves’ actions. One such underlying intolerant misunderstanding involves the stolen items themselves. A widespread belief of outsiders to Catholicism is that they “worship” statues. People might hold this belief because of the prominent place statues hold in Catholic churches. This belief creates a problem for the people who hold it. Namely, that worshipping statues is considered a form of idolatry, and thus goes against the second commandment. This commandment is spelled out in Exodus 20:4-5 where it says,
"You shall not make for yourself a graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: you shall not bow down to them or serve them."
Because of this commandment, and people’s misunderstanding of the Catholic stance on statues and other figures, intolerance can come about from people who are misinformed who might speak out against Catholics for going against the commandment (Catholic Answers).
In order to understand the Catholic use of statues and the second commandment, one must look closely at the scriptures in order to understand its true meaning. There is a difference between the worship of statues and their use in religious services. God forbade the worship of statues, not the use of statues in religious services (Catholic Answers). Taking a closer look at scripture reveals that God promoted the exact opposite of forbidding the use of statues, that God commanded that they be built, respected, and used in services, but not worshipped. For example, in Exodus 25: 18-20, God commands that two statues of angels be made out of gold, and place around the mercy seat so that they are “overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings.” The use of these statues might involve them as a point of prayer, or even ritual use, which is not the same as worship, reserved for God alone. Another example of a statue being used for ritual purposes occurs in Numbers 21: 8-9. Here, Moses uses a bronze serpent on a pole to heal people suffering from a snakebite. The serpent did eventually turn into an idol however, as the Israelites started to worship it as a God, described in 2 Kings 18: 4, and the serpent was destroyed. These examples show that Catholics do not “worship” statues, contrary to popular belief (Catholic Answers, Do Christians Worship Statues?). Instead, these statues can be used for religious services, symbolism of a desired trait, or to remember a religious person or figure.
A second widespread misunderstanding that may have led to these thefts goes along the same line as the first. Along with worshipping statues, it is also a common belief that Catholics worship the saints, including Mary. Thus, by worshipping the saints, it is believed that Catholics are committing idolatry. Again, this creates a problem for outsiders who might use this to attack Catholics for their “idolatrous” ways. Here it might be useful to make some distinction of the word “worship”. In the old sense, the word only meant showing respect or honor. In recent times, however, the meaning has changed to include a higher level of respect or honor, meant for God alone. It can be said that Catholics worship God, or adore him, so as to avoid confusion as to what level of respect “worship” commands. In order to denote the level of respect worthy for humans, specifically saints, words like “venerate” and “honor” can be used. This distinction can clear up confusion on how Catholics view saints. The saints are set apart because of the way they lived their lives, devoting their lives to God. This is the reason why Catholics honor the saints, because they are seen as living exemplary lives. The saints provide Catholics with a model of how to live their lives, even if it is difficult for Catholics to replicate these models. St. Paul even stated in his first letter to the Corinthians 11:1-2, "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I have delivered them to you” (Catholic Answers, Saint Worship?).
As exhibited above, these beliefs can lead to intolerance. It is possible that the misguided beliefs lead to the thieves misunderstanding Catholics, which allowed for them to perpetrate this act of intolerance. Intolerance is rarely enacted between two groups or individuals that are the same. Rather, intolerance finds its origin in difference. Instead of learning to appreciate difference, people see differences as a reason for fear. Because people fear those that are different than them, people try to attack these differences so as to make those different than themselves seem less human. In order to increase the amount of people being intolerant, in order to make their beliefs more credible, people spread intolerance by inciting fear in others around them, increasing the number of people with intolerant beliefs about a group (Corrigan, Conclusion 256-257) Because of this, a simple misguided belief, such as that Catholics worship statues or the saints, can lead to intolerant acts, such as the theft of the baby Jesus figurine or the statue of Mary.
If fear and misunderstanding of difference cause intolerance, then a possible way to combat this is to inform oneself of differences, so as to eliminate misunderstandings. If more people understood Christians’ stance on statues and the saints, then they wouldn’t hold the underlying misunderstandings that allowed for the intolerant action of the theft of the baby Jesus figurine or the statue of Mary.