RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

I admit to having romanticized the lives of the Amish as all good-natured lovers of God, earth and each other. While fascinated with their beards, I accepted their ritual of beard growing as Jesus-inspired. This week an Ohio court sentenced an Amish Bishop to a 15-year sentence for a series of beard-cutting "Hate Crimes," and that shattered their image for many. It shouldn't. I chose the painting "Three Brothers" (above) by Robert Howell as a reminder that a few bad apples need not spoil our admiration for the Amish. It's a reminder that while rituals such as Amish beard growing; gay-Christian wedding ceremonies; and Islamic avoidance of wine are all expressions of faith designed to bring out the best in Believers, that sometimes one bad apple will still be my NEWS OF WEEK.

In other Religious Art news from across the USA, and around the world:

• Buddhism in Art: "Buddhism Along the Silk Road" closes in New York City. [More News]
• Christianity in Art: Metropolitan Museum of Art rolls out videos of its curators. [More News]
• Hinduism in Art: Anirudh Sainath's nude paintings of Hindu deities censored. [More News]
• Islam in Art: 842 libraries and humanities groups get books on Muslim culture. [More News]
• Judaism in Art: American Jews speak out against anti-Muslim advertising. [More News]

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