We all know the phrase, “God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.” A statement made by bible thumpers trying to tell us that life on earth is to be dictated by who showed up to the garden first. Guess we suck for being fashionably late! They often neglect to remember Lilith (Adam’s first wife and equal) while raising the Adam and Eve story, but oh well, no one is perfect.
A church’s congregation in Sweden has decided to install art on its walls that puts a rainbow spin on the Garden of Eden. Out goes A&E and in comes same-sex pairings.
Boy on boy and girl on girl and a transgender snake, maybe? That’s what Cocktailsandcocktalks.com states as who’s in the tree. The 2012 piece of art created by lesbian artist Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin, is named Paradise, a place where we all have been told we will never make it to.
Is this a little too out there or an amazing piece of work? If it was meant to be inclusive, shouldn’t there be a heterosexual couple? What about that thruple that lives in Wilton Towers? Where are they represented?
OUT mentions that the art was received originally as a political piece:
Wallin originally tried to donate the work to the Skara Cathedral in Sweden, which at the time was preparing to conduct the first same-sex wedding in its 1,000-year history. According to reports at the time, Wallin said she “wanted to test if the Church of Sweden was as gay-friendly as it claimed to be” following its 2009 support for same-sex marriage. The gift was declined by Skara Cathedral, which alleged it was “about political activism and not faith.” – OUT
So it didn’t find a home back in 2012 but Paradise was given space to shine, educate, and be a beacon of inclusivity at St. Paul’s Church in Malmö on Monday,
“It is with pride and joy that we receive Paradise in St Paul’s Church. We need images that open up for greater inclusion and identification in the church,” St. Paul’s said in a statement. “We are grateful to Elisabeth’s artistry, which enables us to build a credible church that shows that we all, regardless of who we love and identify as, are accommodated in Paradise.”
Would you want to see this change in the Garden of Eden depiction? Or are you okay with the Adam & Eve rendition?
You can check out Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin’s photography and works over at ohlson.se . Some of her more recognized works portray Jesus (usually transgender) with “his” apostles, may they be from the leather community or drag queens.
Sources: Cocktailsandcocktalks.com , OUT