‘My God is no clown’

Grantleigh Curro’s controversial art exhibition on the relationship between money and religion has been taken down in the wake of an outcry that it was “demonical”, said the man who complained about it.

The school did not respond to queries for confirmation of this, but Pastor Andrew Anderson said he was happy after attending a meeting at the school.

On Tuesday, Anderson called for a protest and for prospective parents to refrain from sending their children to the Christianity-based school.

“My God is no clown,” said a choked-up Anderson as he filmed the work at the school near Richards Bay.

“It felt like we were crucifying Jesus all over again,” said the Ballito Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) pastor.

He was particularly upset by the pupils’ interpretation of religious paintings and art, such Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper, in which Jesus was portrayed as a clown and dollar signs were on a lintel behind him.

Torn pieces of excerpts of one of the Bible’s books, Chronicles, were pasted on a sculpture. This almost had him in tears.

Anderson praised the school for the quick response to the controversy, which had elicited angry comments from upset Christians. Other comments were mixed with praise for the high artistic standard of the work, but objections to the message.

Anderson said there were two things he was aiming for: That the school admits it pushed the boundary and crossed its ethos of “to God be the Glory”; and that it makes a statement that this will never happen again.

“They realised they made a mistake. They realised this was not right,” he said.

In a statement, the school apologised for offending anybody. The school “reaffirmed” its commitment to the constitutional right of every individual with respect to their religious belief, race, ethnicity, or gender orientation.

The matric artist has also seemingly responded to the outcry, with a statement explaining the context of the work, and asking that “before anyone speak, they perhaps think”, adding that “I cannot damage that which has already been shattered”.

Anderson felt that “that barrier cannot be crossed”, and wanted religion to be used in a positive way.

– News24 Wire

See also Page 27