Bishop Moses Tay had the notable distinction of horrifying the Diocese of New Westminster in the 1990s: he denounced totem poles as “artefacts of an alien religion”. You can’t get less inclusive than that:
Philip Jenkins notes that when Tay visited Stanley Park in Vancouver in the early 1990s, he was deeply troubled by the totem poles he saw there. He concluded that “as artefacts of an alien religion, these were idols possessed by evil spirits, and they required handling by prayer and exorcism.” Jenkins goes on to suggest that this behavior “horrified the local Anglican church,” which “regarded exorcism as an absurd superstition.”
I had the pleasure of leading the musical part of the worship during an Order of St. Luke conference in the late 1990s where Moses Tay was the main speaker. The bishop said something that has always stuck in my mind. It was this:
“You Canadian Christians have a besetting sin: you become offended too easily.”
How right he was.
“You Canadian Christians have a besetting sin: you become offended too easily.” Marvelous. And certainly has application to your big Bird troubles.
Er. Seems to me he was the one offended by sculptures.
I seem to recall that we’ve mentioned something similar before — the inanities of yoga classes in Christian churches or schools. Just stop and think of the foundation and belief system behind yoga — it isn’t strictly about stretching. I also gag whenever I see those oh-so-fashionable piles of carefully arranged rocks (“Inukshuks”, I believe) in yards or elsewhere that are meant to make the viewer feel all warm and cozy and diversified (and superior). Any culture but our own. How sad. Good for Moses Tay.
hahaha not sure if he’s being humorous or serious but I still laughed. I’d say he himself is being judgmental as his initial comments were directly offensive to the native communities. Canadian Christians do not live in an exclusive society thus they must work together will all varieties of communities or they will definitely receive back-lash from others.