Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Ronald McDonald Sculpted as Jesus on the Cross; Christians Protest "McJesus" at Israel Art Museum

An artwork titled "McJesus," depicting a crucified Ronald McDonald, at an art museum in Haifa, Israel has brought angry calls from local Christians to remove it, the Religion News website reports today (January 15, 2019).

On January 11, hundreds of Christians demonstrated in front of the Haifa Museum of the Arts, demanding that it remove the artwork. Some protesters threw fire bombs and stones at the museum and attempted to enter the building to remove the sculpture. Three police officers managing the crowd were injured.

The piece, by Finnish artist Jani Leinonen, is part of an exhibition called "Sacred Goods," which focuses on "the responses of contemporary artists to issues of religion and faith in the contemporary global reality, which is dominated by the consumer culture," according to the museum's website.

Israel's culture minister, Miri Regev, said she has received numerous complaints about a "grave insult to the Christian community's sensibilities" and threatened to cut the museum's funding if it did not remove "McJesus" and other controversial items from the exhibition.

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