Monday, May 31, 2010
Immorality involved in taking a Photo of Jesus? (Part 9)
The fourth objection to the abrogation of images of Jesus position is that if cameras existed at the time in which Jesus became incarnate then we would take photographs of Jesus and this would not be immoral, therefore, pictures from cameras are not wrong1. If this is true, so the argument goes, then it follows that any image of Jesus are not wrong because there is something that is not fully captured when you take a picture or video tape something. This is evident by the fact that meeting someone is a fundamentally different experience than seeing a video or a picture of them. So if it is morally permissible to have video recordings and pictures of Jesus which do not fully and accurately represent him then it logically follows that it will also be morally permissible to have other images of Jesus. However, if my five arguments that I have given carry sufficient epistemic weight then this argument begs the question because it simply assumes that it is not wrong to take a photo of Jesus from a camera. After all, unless there is a sufficient reason to doubt my arguments then it follows that if we had cameras at the time of Jesus then we ought not to take pictures of Jesus.
Labels:
Catholicism,
Christology,
Eastern Orthodoxy,
Ethics,
Images,
Reformed Theology
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I do not think that the other positive arguments I have offered are sufficient to overturn this objection. Hence, I believe this objection defeats the abrogation of images of Jesus position.
ReplyDeleteGod Bless,
NPT
You know, there is another version of the argument without resting upon taking pictures of Jesus. Replace 'taking a picture of Jesus' with 'remembering what Jesus looked like.' It is doubtful that any memorial state fully captures all the details of Jesus's appearance by any 1st century Jew. If moral principles are universalizable, then it follows by the objection to taking pictures that a 1st century Jew should not have remembered what Jesus looked like. But this strikes me as completely wrongheaded.
ReplyDeleteI am an editor for Christian.com which is a social network dedicated to the christian community. As I look through your web site I feel a collaboration is at hand. I would be inclined to acknowledge your website offering it to our users as I'm sure our Christian reformed audience would benefit from what your site has to offer. I look forward to your thoughts or questions regarding the matter.
ReplyDeleteVicky Silvers
vicky.silvers@gmail.com