Again, I offer a warning that the contents of this post may be disturbing to some readers.
"What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter." Isaiah 5:20
This is what came out of the original giant thumbnail drawing. The original will not be published here because it is too raw and contains some disturbing graphic images. Honesty can be ugly some times.
All I could think as this piece evolved is how much greater Jesus' grief must be, a million times a million times anything I could ever, ever feel over the treatment of children past, present and, sadly, the future.
While I have used Roman Catholic religious clothing and symbols in the top part, Anglican church ministers also wear the collar and has nuns within its order. They usually wear blue. I want to make it clear, the Roman Catholic church is not alone in their responsibility for the deaths of millions of children around the world. I chose these uniforms because they are widely recognized as religious symbols representing Christian faith.
As someone who belongs to a church still reeling from it's own sexual abuse scandal, in no way am I only laying this grief at the feet of one particular order. Governments facilitated the opportunities for predators of all faiths to go unchecked. Not only in Canada and the US, but Australia, New Zealand, India, Russia, Norway, Finland, Mexico...the residential schools were a globalized religious weapon of power and control whose sole purpose was the destruction and assimilation of "illegitimate" children, Aboriginal and native peoples.
The open book, a Bible, has red lightening flashing from it's pages because God's Word has been used to justify the abuse and punishment of the innocent. The Rosary, a symbol of prayer and devotion, has a shovel instead of a cross at its end even though the priests rarely did such manual labour...it was left to the children to bury their own.
The nuns, whose hands are held in prayer, contain broken crosses because they neglected to teach the children about the love of God. A God who gave His Son so that anyone and everyone may live and know His unconditional love.
The broken feather not only represents the tens of thousands of children worldwide who were taken from their families, it is a symbol of broken innocence. It is a symbol of clipped wings and the destruction of the potential children have. In place of potential, the church and state laid the foundation for addictions, suicide, generational abuse, violence, prostitution, mental illness and more.
The broken feather is also meant to represent God's spiritual wings, the ones the Psalmist wrote about; the place of shelter and comfort. God's wings were corrupted. Instead of offering shelter, they became a prison. Instead of protection, they were used to harm. Instead of grace and forgiveness, God's wings were used to justify the corporal and vicious punishment of the "sinful heathen child."
Even writing about it, my heart fills with sorrow.
The institution has a roof made of unmarked and forgotten graves.
The blinds and prison grade wire mesh on the building's windows hide the secrets of these church run, government endorsed orphanages, children's psychiatrics hospitals, and Residential schools. The interior is black except for the one red window...there are horrible things happening in that room.
I am grateful the secrets have a way of escaping through the windows where the blinds are no longer completely closed.
It all culminates around the kneeling figure of Jesus holding the dead, starved and broken body of a child. Although He was freed from His crown of thorns after His death and resurrection, the church put it back on in how they taught about Him.
I am struggling not to judge the people who were part of this.
How were and are such things even considered right?
Art is a powerful tool.
If I were to choose one image from this piece to explore further, it would be the broken feather. While I have used it as a representation of what the church has done, it behooves me to realize, as a parent, I also have broken feathers of a different kind in my hand; feathers broken through prejudice, sexism, ignorance and fear. God, forgive me for the harm I did to my children.
I have also experienced someone breaking my own feathers. Lord, help me forgive them.
Thank You, they are being repaired in my children's lives and my own. That's who God is: the repairer, the restorer, the Author of redemption and who holds a love for us that surpasses all understanding. AMEN!
Would you, dear reader, want to try drawing your own broken feather? Or maybe you need to draw a whole one. Sometimes the simplest of images speak the loudest. Don't forget to take a break every once in a while and if necessary, find someone to talk to about what you discover during your time with Him. Sometimes we need a little help or a person to debrief with. AMEN!
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