That exhibition!

 I am sure happy that I took in the Sistine Chapel exhibition at La Galleria in Fort Lauderdale, as it made me appreciate all over again, the sheer genius of Michaelangelo.

I had actually visited the Sistine Chapel itself in the Vatican decades ago, when my children were just pre-teens but I don't think I appreciated what he had actually accomplished and gave the world. 

In fact the only thing I really remembered was the fact that he had painted the ceiling of the Chapel, lying on his back for the entire time.😊 

Random Old Testament prophets above.

It's only now since I have started to take art classes, that the depth of his ability, conquest of every detail and the general production really hit me. 

Remember, in the 1500's, artists had to make their own paints, (you couldnt walk into a store and pick the medium and your colors😁). His use of colors, tints and shades is therefore out of this world.

Further he had no pictures to guide him, so everything came from imagination. 

He got his inspiration from the Old Testament, but it's his interpretation of those texts that is so dynamic.

Noah drunk and naked.

The great flood.

Another angle of the great flood.

The Adam and Eve story.

Some aspects of the judgement.

The judgement en toto.

I am certainly not into religion, but his dynamic interpretation of some of those characters and events is phenomenal.

So happy I went down to Fort Lauderdale and enjoyed it with fellow student Helena.

Even happier that I have this blog so can turn to it from time to time to remind myself what real genius is!

Whoever can, should take it in.

Whats with Montego Bay?

It’s a pretty well-known fact that Jamaica has more Christian churches than most places in the world. In fact, it has long been reported that the Guinness Book of World Records has Jamaica recorded as the country with the most churches per square mile in the world.

And  now google too has confirmed this.

Even a  hotel in Portland has a private chapel!

I have always wondered how a ‘churchified’ nation such as ours could also consistently be among the top five most violent and murderous countries in the world!

While it is only my opinion, I feel this violent and murderous nature of ours has a lot to do with of our unquestioning belief and support of  the viciousness promoted in the Old Testament. 

But I am no sociologist. 

However I have never been able to get a better explanation anywhere!

There also seems to be a special problem with churches in Montego Bay, one of the most violent crime spots in Jamaica.

 I only  brought up this topic of churches and crime once again on reading the article in the Gleaner on Sunday July 2nd headlined “Authorities raid MoBay church compound.”

For wasn't it less than two years ago that we saw similar headlines coming out of Mobay?

 Then it was concerning the Kingdom Restoration Ministries.

In case you have short memories, that was the church in Mobay led by the late Dr. Kevin Smith.

Granted Smith was more extreme as he was actually performing human sacrifices at his church, whereas the charges against the church referred to in the Gleaner report, though extremely concerning, have not been reported to involve bloodshed.

This latest controversial church in Mobay is ; Bayith Yahweh, Paradise, Montego Bay, St James.

According to the report, the raid by the military, officers from the Area One headquarters, the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse and the Jamaica Fire Department was based on reports that massive child abuse was taking place there.

The report states that several adults were arrested and children rescued from the church’s compound.

While all are innocent till proven guilty and we must await the actual charges  based on solid evidence, aren’t we just getting too many weird reports out of Mobay re religion?

Something stinks to high heavens in that area which seems to have unusual church controversies and an alarmingly high murder rate.

Do we need to do a special study into the relationship between religion and crime in Jamaica in general and especially in St. James?