Black Lives Matter activist and Democrat Shaun King called Monday for the removal of statues, murals and stained glass windows that depict Jesus as a “white European,” which he claimed “are a form of white supremacy.”
“Yes, I think the statues of the white European they claim is Jesus should also come down,” King, a former surrogate and advisor on Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’s 2020 presidential campaign, wrote on Twitter. “They are a form of white supremacy. Always have been.”
Shaun King introduces Bernie Sanders during his failed bid for the Democrat nomination.
King’s targeting of religious artwork comes as various activist groups have moved beyond tearing down Confederate statues and are now calling for the removal of other historical monuments.
“In the Bible, when the family of Jesus wanted to hide, and blend in, guess where they went?” he added. “EGYPT! Not Denmark. Tear them down.”
Yes, I think the statues of the white European they claim is Jesus should also come down.
They are a form of white supremacy.
Always have been.
In the Bible, when the family of Jesus wanted to hide, and blend in, guess where they went?
EGYPT!
Not Denmark.
Tear them down.
— Shaun King (@shaunking) June 22, 2020
“All murals and stained glass windows of white Jesus, and his European mother, and their white friends should also come down,” King wrote in a second tweet. “They are a gross form of white supremacy.”
People on Social media had a mixed reaction, while some agreed with King’s views, others pointed out that other communities have depicted Jesus that resembled the local community. For example, Ethiopia’s Black Jesus and Asia Jesus in South East Asia. It is common for communities to depict Jesus in their own ethnicity.
There is a long beautiful history of people depicting Jesus looking familiar to their place and culture. Jesus is not about race, and saying to tear down depictions that occur in a European-dominant context is as racist as removing them from any culture. pic.twitter.com/C1wFSr1xXr
— MrSubsidiarity (@MrSubsidiarity) June 22, 2020
Metro Voice Note: Peter Hasson writes for Daily Caller. Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience.
