By the Waters of Babylon | Acrylic Painting on Canvas by Robert Moore
For many, one of the most problematic features of Christianity — a religion whose prophet owned effectively nothing — is its historical tolerance of wealth among the pious. Apart from contemporary (predominantly American) preachers who celebrate personal wealth as a mark of God’s approval, I’ve always found the portraits of the Dutch Golden Age (think Rembrandt, Hals, de Hooch) particularly suggestive in this regard. The proud Protestants in these portraits, complete with their jewel-encrusted crucifixes, are anxious to have their private wealth immortalized as the material expression their righteousness. How passing strange is that?! If you ever needed proof that cognitive dissonance is a thing — that we humans are ‘past masters’ at living out contradictions — you have it in these portraits. – Robert Moore
