SubscribeWell, I feel very comfortable saying that this very talented artist is a seeker of truth. Just because you apparently disagree with his religious or patriotic views does not make him a "douche".Just because you agree with his political sentiments does not make him a good artist, nor does it make this painting anything other than laughable.
Any artist who puts Jesus Christ, Lincoln, JFK, Reagan, Jefferson, Clara Barton and Susan B. Anthony all togetherwith the others from all walks of life has obviously put some thought into all thisWell, anyone who puts Jefferson (who rewrote the Bible to remove any indication that Jesus was a god), Franklin (who said he found the Christian dogma he grew up with to be unintelligible), Paine (who said that it would be more appropriate to call the Bible the word of a demon than the word of god), and various other non-Christian Founding Fathers into a painting like this obviously didn't put enough thought into it.
Frederick DouglasF***ing. Awesome.
A famous abolitionist and fighter for women's suffrage. He gets to stand in the very back.
American Soldier*applause*
Represents the modern American Soldier. With "King" written on his body armor, he also fills in for Martin Luther King, Jr., because we can't have two black guys right next to each other. That'd be a mob.
I'm pretty sure this guy is Mormon. Note the reference to Five Thousand Year LeapI'm not saying he's not Mormon, but a reference to Five Thousand Year Leap doesn't cut it as proof. It's been selling like hotcakes among the loony fringe* of the right wing, Mormon and not, ever since Glenn Beck started pushing it.
Fifty Stars. Represents the fifty states of the Union. Some shine brighter than others.
The Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion...
I spot maybe four black people and not a single Hispanic, and not many women either
"The new painting, 'One Nation Under God' has in the last 24 hours come under heavy attack from several liberal blog websites. We received almost 5,000 hits to the website. I had a feeling if I stuck my neck out on this painting there woul...d be a reaction. Thank you for your support. It means a lot to me."
"Jon, don't know if you follow Glenn Beck at all, but he has been asking for his listeners to create patriotic paintings and send in photos of them. He'd probably love this one!!"
"Don't worry about the liberals. They must have nothing better to do right now. I find it is better to ignore then to fight back!"
"I will be making a presentation about the new painting, 'One Nation Under God.- -- Book of Mormon Conference | 1:00PM Friday, October 2nd | Zermott Resort, Midway, UT."
No matter what your political or religious leanings, you have to admit the details and symbolism here are impressive and painstaking.No! No it isn't!
“The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason.” -- Benjamin Franklin Poor Richard's Almanack, 1758John Adams:
“Lighthouses are more helpful than churches.”
“I have found Christian dogma unintelligible. Early in life, I absenteed myself from Christian assemblies.”
“The divinity of Jesus is made a convenient cover for absurdity.”Thomas Jefferson:
“But how has it happened that millions of fables, tales, legends, have been blended with both Jewish and Christian revelation that have made them the most bloody religion that ever existed.” -- John Adams, letters to family and other leaders 1735-1826
“Millions of innocent men, women, and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burned, tortured, fined, and imprisoned, yet we have not advanced one inch toward uniformity. What has been the effect of coercion? To make one half of the world fools and the other half hypocrites.” -- Thomas Jefferson, Notes on VirginiaJames Madison:
“The day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the Supreme Being as His father, in the womb of a virgin will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter.” -- Thomas Jefferson, Letter to John Adams, April 11, 1823
“In no instance have . . . the churches been guardians of the liberties of the people.”Abraham Lincoln:
“Religious bondage shackles and debilitates the mind and unfits it for every noble enterprise.” -- James Madison, April 1, 1774
“My earlier views of the unsoundness of the Christian scheme of salvation and the human origin of the scriptures have become clearer and stronger with advancing years, and I see no reason for thinking I shall ever change them.” -- Lincoln in a letter to Judge J.S. Wakefield, after the death of Willie Lincoln"The founding fathers were a mixture of deists, Christians, and possibly one atheist. Assigning beliefs to the founding fathers collectively, however, is a difficult task. As a group, the founders stopped short of religious establishment because of their own diversity and experience with state sponsored religion in Europe. However, they broadly recognized a 'Creator' or 'Nature’s God' without ascribing to one particular religion. Their belief systems were products of ancient philosophy, the Enlightenment, and the Reformation. Their diverse beliefs, however, refute any exclusive claim to one religion or belief system."*
“He was an avowed and open infidel, and sometimes bordered on Atheism...He went further against Christian beliefs and doctrines and principles than any man I ever heard.” -- John T. Stuart, Lincoln's first law partner*
The present-day American soldier is one of my favorites in the painting. He is a modern 101st Airborne Infantry soldier. He is African American, and you'll notice the name patch on his body armor reads, "KING." I actually had Martin Luther King painted here first, but of copyright issues, I chose to put in a black soldier instead, with the same last name as a tribute to the leader of the Civil Rights Movement.Was he going to paste a photo of MLK in there, or trace over someone else's painting?
Interviewer: It's a shame that he isn't in the painting – he was a great proponent for equal rights and peaceful demonstrations and really belongs in the painting.
"According to the U.S. Dept. of Treasury, the motto 'In God We Trust' came about not at the time of the Constitutional Conventions, but due to increased pressures to recognize God on coins and money during the Civil War. In April 22, 1864, Congress passed an Amendment authorizing the motto to be placed on the two-cent coin. It appeared on various coins throughout the years, and appeared on paper money in 1957. The phrase was eventually printed on all paper bills, superseding the motto 'E Pluribus Unum' (From Many, One) adopted by the Union in 1782."*
"The Pledge of Allegiance to the United States is an oath of loyalty to the republic of the United States of America, originally composed by Francis Bellamy in 1892. The Pledge has been modified four times since then, with the most recent change adding the words 'under God' in 1954."*
Paul Revere. He was a great patriot during the Revolutionary War. Famous for his midnight ride, 'the British are coming!' He stands in front of a window, 'One if by land, two if by sea.' One light is showing.
“Seen it? Jon McNaughton's 'One Nation Under God'. The power and symbolism is stark... overwhelmingly the message in this vision is to create a link, bond, a trust between Jesus and the Constitution of the United States. Do you see it? The ambiance is that of a 'dark hour' in DC, the only light source in the vista is radiating from Christ, yet golden glow does flicker in the Court and the House. You can go to the artist's site and do a mouse roll over of all the archetypes in the painting. But it has crashed. Too many are up to it!
Art is very powerful evocotuer [sic] ! (some made up Frances' [sic] for ya!) It promotes images as connective relationships, unfiltered, unique and readily recalled in the minds' eye. I admire his visionary skill, because I encourage it consistently in my professional life, VISUALIZE! Liberals, in this depiction, are clearly the spawn of Satan. Clearly, loudly, this is a portrait of ... We are GOOD. We are RIGHT. The Justice in tears beside the only true glimmer of the Goddess beside him...mocking him? Yet, she represents the only archetype of the unknown future within her belly. I did find that a liberal success in a landscape of such condemnation.” *
Why do you think it's an internal contradiction?Here you go
flunkie -- that kinda response is just about as dumb and thoughtless as this painting is.Really? Why?
That's got nothing to do with the government enforcing said worship.Perhaps I misunderstood the original question. Perhaps it's because I'm dumb and thoughtless.
Because he did not say that the United States government should enforce that commandment (as far as I know).Here you are imposing your personal interpretation of the original poster's question.
I don't think it's dumb or thoughtless.Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that you do. I was referring to empath on that particular point.
I wouldn't say that either the New Testament or Old Testament is at all consistent in this, but there is a great deal of support in the Epistles and the Gospels for the Roman Empire as it was constituted at the time, which was a purely pagan state.And again, that there are seeming contradictions within a religion does not seem like a good defense for the charge that there seem to be contradictions.
To grab one line from the Old Testament without any context and pretend that's an argument is fairly thoughtless, yes.OK. Goodbye.
Unless I misunderstand what you're saying here, I was the original poster who asked the question.Yes, you are misunderstanding me here, but it's my fault. I shouldn't have said "original poster who asked the question", because the person I was referring to didn't phrase his or her statement as a question. I was referring to the person who said they were having a hard time with this; the person that you questioned. Sorry.
"Worship me, but not because you're forced to by the government" is not internally contradictory.And again, that's your interpretation of the problem that the person brought up.
The Civil War soldier holds his hands in front of his face to symbolize that this was the only war where American fought against American
Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!
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