UPDATED!!!Just infuriated at a local Pastor complaining about a Michael Jackson mural being painted in local Middle school...

[singedwingangel]

* UPDATE*  I contacted the school and the pstor in the piece and have only received a response from the pastor. He is very upset that teh whole interview was not shown and the fact that his issue was with their lifestyles and the fact that he was abusing drugs. He also had an issue with Marilyn Monroe being on the walls for the same reason. He justs wants people who have lived like that to be designed in such a manner that yes they were talneted but it came with ahigh price ( drug addiction, allegations, suicide in the case of marilyn). Now that I can agree with. But this is where WE as parents need to be towing the line and informing the kids that all that glitters is not gold..

Firs off let me say I am a Christian. But there is a distinct line between religion and Christ like behavior. The behavior shown by a local church leader in my neighborhood has me hopping mad. Every year the 8th grade advanced art students get to paint a mural of a person or artist they admire, living or dead. In these murals we have Marilyn Monroe, Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Van Gogh, many of them have questionable lives. Monroe herself died of a drug overdose. A local station picked up the news story concerning the mural... here is the link.  http://wtvq.com/abc-36-mobile/441-debate-over-michael-jackson-mural

Here is my letter to the station....

As a christian and the parent of a child in the Bath county Middle school I am appalled that a local religious leader has had such an influence on a school's decision. As a christian Brother Rice should know better then anyone else that judging , especially based upon media frenzy, is far from the Christ he serves. I am a mother and a christian and am fully aware of many of the accusations lodged against Michale Jackson in his lifetime. I am fully aware that in many circles he is controversial, but when push comes to shove so is Jesus. However, that being said, Michael also contributed great good to the world, sadly, much more then many of our "religious" leaders have.
I am saddened and infuriated that Brother Rice would chose this particular thing to go and protest against. Despite much of Michael Jackson's real or imagined life and mistakes unless Brother Rice walked in his shoes he should not pass a judgment so wide and powerful that simple complaints from him would have the power to remove art from the halls of the school.. Pastor I would ask exactly what part of "judge not lest ye be judged" is confusing. I would suggest Brother Rice listen to a few of the songs of the man he is so vehemently against being in our schools, Man in the mirror comes to mind as the first he should take to heart.
Marilyn Monroe, also depicted on their walls, died of an overdose.. Pablo Picasso was an anti American protester even displaying his communistic approach and feelings in much of his artwork. He was also quite the womanizer yet He is also displayed on the walls of BCMS..
Brother Rice don't let your religious opinion fall on only the one YOU have deemed unworthy of accolades from our children...better yet let we the parents decide what we view as wrong for our school system. Would you appreciate any of us coming to YOUR school and complaining about your religious posters and sayings on the walls??? I thought not...

[mersieme]

Oct. 6, 2009 at 8:09 AM

yes, I agree this pastor is being very hypocritacal.  As you pointed out, these other ppl. were just as bad yet they are honored.  Michael Jackson was a strange troubled person, but he did do much for charities, organizations and his community.