From here:
A provocative art piece on display outside a London church is raising eyebrows for depicting a distressed pregnant girl strapped to a bed.
The larger-than-life piece is one of 14 works of The Way, an art installation on the lawn at Bishop Cronyn Memorial Anglican Church in the weeks leading up to Easter.
Collectively, the panels are meant to be a contemporary social commentary about the death and suffering of Jesus based on the stations of the cross — translated into injustice, poverty and alienation seen on the streets of London.
But one piece, facing Queens Ave., startled at least two London women, one of whom interpreted it as depicting a child in bondage.
The painting on wood is intended to illustrate the crucifixion of Christ. It shows a wild-eyed blond girl or young woman, evidently pregnant, strapped to a bed while an unseen person holds her blood-spattered wrist.
“It just made me sick to my stomach. I didn’t like it.” said the woman, who said it appears to sanction violence against children.
Given news stories about child abuse, she said the painting doesn’t make social sense, even if it’s a commentary.
Rev. Raemond Fletcher, who co-curated the show, said London artist Erin Ivy intends to show that young women who become mothers often suffer discrimination, rejection and judgment.
I have no idea where Rev. Fletcher gets the idea that mothers “often suffer discrimination, rejection and judgment”. Does he mean unmarried mothers? These days? Is his message really one that is promoting the evil notion that abortion is to be preferred to motherhood?
I do hope not – but he is a rector in the Anglican Church of Canada.
Rev Fletcher wrote a paper called Theological Dimensions of Human Sexuality. Yes, of course the paper is mostly about homosexuality because that is what really interests Anglican clergy; and there are no messy babies involved. In it, he argues for the blessing of same-sex marriages on the basis that the word “bless” is far more complicated than we think and that, even if homosexuality is a result of the Fall, in a “salutational blessing[:] we are greeting God’s presence visible to us in the relationship, wishing the relationship well, and committing ourselves, as a Christian community, to support it.” If that seems like sophistic claptrap it’s because it is.
Rev. Fletcher is also a part of the Interfaith Declaration on Climate Change , he signed a petition in favour of same-sex marriage, muddles the roles of church and state and held a Widening Circle conference .
In short, he represents almost everything that is loathsome about the Anglican Church of Canada.
