now collage: weapon of the word

"weapon of the word"

mixed media collage (found papers, acrylic paint, glue on book board)

gregory a. milinovich

september, 2018

"a bible used as a weapon against other human beings is always a bible misused." -kristen rosser

i know this new collage i made a few weeks ago isn't going to win any beauty contests, but i wasn't trying to make something pretty. i was reflecting on how i so often feel about how some Jesus-followers sometimes use the bible. standing on a foundation of fear, they pack the bible like a pistol, loaded and aimed at anyone who challenges them. it gets aimed at those who are different. it gets aimed at those who interpret it in different ways. in this way the word is weaponized in order to silence the voices of those who would ask questions.

for me, the bible is much more a love letter than a loaded weapon. it invites relationship not retribution. it gives life, not death. it creates beauty in diversity, not blood stains on the differences.

so when people use the bible to bludgeon, to shut down, to silence and exclude, i cringe and sometimes even cry. this collage is an expression of that emotion in me.

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