In a lovely resort town, Coeur d'Alene Idaho, which is two miles from Hayden Lake which was the local base of the Aryan Nation
ten years ago, has controversy over a local piece of art. A program of the local Arts Commission, Art Currents, has art placed in public and it is for sale,
http://lovecda.com/news/2011-artcurr...wntown-display http://www.cdaid.org/%5Cmod%5Cuserpa...tsBrochure.pdf One such piece is a statue of Ganesha a Hindu god, and people from local churches are protesting it because it is offensive, and:
"...the symbol of Ganesha is too similar to the swastika, the elephant's trunk depicts a phallic symbol, and the weapons in the statue's hands represent tools used to put fear in Hindu followers to the "gods who control their lives," according to the petition."
more on their issue with Ganesha:
"But one of the most troubling aspects of the Ganesha piece, according to Vander Griend and Lighthouse church pastor Ken Smith, is that the Nazis used a variation of Ganesha's symbol in the swastika design."
and
"Still, it's too close for comfort, said Vander Griend, who believes it goes against the Neo-Nazi reputation the area fought to overcome.
I just don't think this is something that was researched very well before it was placed in the community," said Smith, who plans to sign and share the petition against the "pagan god" with his roughly 100-member community bible church congregation. "I think most of the churches who look at this will feel the same way."
http://www.cdapress.com/news/local_n...f091ce839.html
http://www.cdapress.com/news/local_n...cc4c03286.html
The comments on phallic symbols from the professor at Stanford are good lulz. Obviously the best way to show the world Idaho doesn't have white supremacists anymore is to be religiously intolerant. I'm hoping to get a picture of it tomorrow and have some photoshop and meme fun. The artist living locally, in Spokane, and also created one of the two other religious pieces in the collection, a statue of St. Francis of Assisi