Anyone who has scrolled through social media or read the news this week has probably encountered some of the controversy surrounding a performance during the opening ceremony for the Olympics in Paris. Was this short dramatic intepretation intended to be a parody of the story of Jesus gathering with his disciples for his last supper? Or was it a parody of the story of some Greek gods who gathered for a feast on Mount Olympus? Having done a little research, I would say it was most likely the latter, however no one seems to know for sure. That’s probably because people have different perspectives and interpret things in different ways based on their own experiences. People familiar with famous paintings of the Last Supper probably interpreted it as such. People who are more familiar with Greek mythology than Christian art probably interpreted it as the feast on Mount Olympus. People who had no knowledge or experience of either Christian art or Greek mythology would not have connected the performance to either of those things.
Here is my personal perspective on the performance and controversy surrounding it:
I didn’t find that particular segment of the opening ceremony entertaining, so when it came on the tv screen in my living room, I switched my attention elsewhere for a couple minutes, scrolling through some funny dog videos on my Facebook feed. That’s what I usually do when something doesn’t personally appeal to me or interest me - I simply assume it appeals to some of the other millions of people on the planet who are not me, and I redirect my attention. So far, this clever life hack has worked for me although I guess there is always the off chance that I will be forced to watch something at gunpoint in the future, in which case I will obviously take offense and have to write a different kind of blog post.
When social media blew up the day after the opening ceremony with Christian leaders feeling offended on behalf of God, I was stunned. Offended by some actors dressed up in costumes engaging in a dramatic performance? I looked it up on YouTube and watched the entire thing. No one was raped, tortured, starved, beaten, bombed, or killed, which are things that happen multiple times a day in real life in our world with much less outrage from Christian leaders and politicians.
Although I have a deep spiritual faith, I don’t believe in a patriarchal God. But if I did, I cannot imagine that a loving father would be offended by a three- minute artistic performance when so many of his children are suffering from horrific diseases, deprivation, abuse, poverty and violence in real life.
I consider myself a Christian not because I believe Jesus was tortured and crucified to pay a debt for my sins, but because I am empowered and inspired by his life and his teachings and try to follow the examples he set. I have read the passages in the Bible portraying the life and death of Jesus hundreds, if not thousands of times. I've studied those words, meditated on them and committed most of them to memory. The Jesus that I am familiar with through the gospels seemed to be obsessed with many social issues - poverty, disease, intolerance, inequality and injustice among them. He did not seem at all concerned about people's sexual preferences, gender roles, or how they dressed or sang or danced.
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