Commentaries
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 Ghoulish 'Art' The Body Worlds ExhibitWhy should we care about how human corpses are treated? Your answer depends on your worldview. Stay tuned to BreakPoint. Listen Now | Download
As the father of a twelve-year-old girl, I find that opportunities to teach worldview lessons pop up at the most unexpected times. A few weeks ago, my daughter came home from school and announced that her class was attending an exhibit called “Body Worlds.” If you've never heard of this, “Body Worlds” is an exhibit of human corpses. Unfortunately, I’m not kidding. There's a cadaver of a pregnant woman, her belly sliced open to reveal the corpse of a fetus. One cadaver is riding a horse — a horse cadaver, that is. Several cadavers appear to be dancing together — a true dance macabre. Frankly, they look like something out of a horror film. The corpse choreographer is a German doctor, Gunther von Hagens. And his traveling cadaver circus has stirred up an international debate about the sanctity of the human body. Dr. von Hagens preserved the cadavers using a technique he invented called plastination. He says his exhibit is meant to help lay people understand the workings of the human body. But thoughtful people around the world are repelled and disgusted by what he's doing. Some countries and U.S. states have passed laws in an effort to ban the exhibit. Three years ago, a judge in France ruled that putting dead people on display for profit is “a violation of the respect owed them.” A German prime minister called the exhibit "degrading to human dignity." Religious leaders, including Catholics and Jews, have condemned what von Hagens is doing — including, three years ago, putting on display a dead male and female which, were they alive, would be engaging in sex. Von Hagens claims that all the cadavers came from people who volunteered to have their remains used this way. That may not be the case: He has been accused of buying the corpses of executed Chinese prisoners and purchasing cadavers from prisons and psychiatric hospitals without the families being notified. That would make the for-profit exhibit even more horrifying. It probably won't surprise you that von Hagens is an atheist. As Chuck Colson noted a few years ago when he learned of this exhibit, “Dr. von Hagens's grotesque work is a product of his materialist worldview. His public comments suggest that he views the human body as nothing more than a complex mechanism, a complicated network of cells. So he sees nothing wrong with putting corpses on display like so many stuffed owls or racks of deer.” By contrast, Scripture teaches that the human body, even one that is deceased, has great value. It's a belief that comes from the Incarnation — God taking on human form. And of course, we as Christians believe that these bodies of ours will be resurrected as was Jesus’ body. Sadly, even the faithful sometimes forget the Christian teaching that the body deserves great respect — which is why my daughter's Christian school thought nothing of taking children to see this ghoulish exhibit of cadavers. But when I explained why such exhibits were wrong, I’m happy to report that they canceled the field trip. Situations like this demonstrate why it's so important that we have a thorough understanding of the Christian worldview. Once we do, we all ought to speak up — respectfully, of course — when we run into this type of thing. And we ought to teach our children why it’s wrong to turn human bodies into a display for the entertainment of others: Because God Himself took on human form.Further Reading and Information
Cadaver Art No Way to Tell if Plastinated Bodies Come from Executed Prisoners - Company Admits Human Dignity The Image of God and Human Dignity PERSPECTIVE: Human Dignity Macabre Eroticism in the Guise of Education Human Dignity
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Comments:
I believe that PFM has a former Miss America on its board. Women on the beauty queen circuit alter their bodies. They scrape off all their natural hair and surgically alter their bodies. I'd like to hear your analysis of these practices because beauty queens serve as role models.
The Bible is full of human activities that will never qualify as positive role models for Christians. I understand the concept of basic respect for human remains, but I think most traditions stem from the emotional needs of the living. Should we create a doctrine/principle from Joseph wanting his bones to be buried in Canaan?
I believe in a physical resurrection, but as many believers now exists as parts of other organic forms, preserving the body cannot be a requirement.
My wife and I saw the “Body Works” exhibit during the first USA tour. We also marveled at our creator.
But I'm sure Eric would agree that the study of cadaver anatomy has yielded vast and irreplaceable good for the world. If it is inherently wrong to study and admire the workings of real human bodies, however, all of this should be considered wrong (and perhaps Christians ought to refrain from partaking of the resultant medical advances).
By the way, I've seen the "Body Worlds" exhibit, and did not find it "ghoulish" or like "something out of a horror film." I was awed and educated by the glory of God's engineering, and found new meaning to the Psalmist's description of the body as "fearfully and wonderfully made."
And to the best of my understanding, the accusations that bodies in von Hagens' exhibit were obtained illegally or without the consent of their owners have come to nothing. Why was this not mentioned?
Overall, it seems to me a lot more thought could (and should) have gone into this commentary.
Now I will remark on your story. A Christian should not live in fear. Our Father, our creator, is very pleased with His creation: His image. But unlike our creator, our God created us as sinful beings to use our sinful nature to glorify Him and work His mysteries. To see this art as a horror against God is silly. My grandfather was lost at sea and his body will be raised - God will make all things new. These dead "people" all gave their consent to be made into art. Perhaps the "consent" to do this to a body should be pondered but the artist's work has no deep meaning… it is just his art form. The artist surely did not meant to glorify God through his art but when I, as Christian in awe of God, see this form of art, I pause at the wonder of our creation, of our creator, as I suspect most people do as well. So... in effect this atheist artist is causing many people to reflect and see the glory of the human body... the glory of God's creation. If God can use sin to glorify and word a Godly purpose... fear not this art work will not cause children harm. A father who fears the world and feels the need to rush off to protect his child from the very world his child dwells 180 days a year just might cause more harm to the child than this form of art. Fear not, God will protect His children and lead them to see His glory in ALL things. Amen Perhaps next time volunteer to chaperone or take in the show before your child goes so that you both can sit down and talk about what you both saw… two of God’s children turning this art form into Godly art. Life and what you see is what YOU MAKE IT TO BE... do you see SIN or do you see GOD?