When Jesus Became a Christian, Did He Cease to be a Jew? (Part 1)

Renaissance religious art poses two questions: In depicting Biblical personalities, why is there no nude female and why aren’t all the Jewish male figures circumcised? Obviously, it appears to show male chauvinism and anti-Semitism by the Christian church that lasted many centuries. Is this no longer a problem today? It will be argued that religions have been guilty of provoking and perpetuating xenophobia and racism for a long time. The Christian church is no exception. There is a problem of homophobia among some Christians, which is as problematic as the threat posed by Al-Qaida and Taliban. It is important to question the misinterpretations of teachings from the founders of major religions in today’s reality, when religious extremism is a serious thread to our civilization. The speaker will examine Renaissance religious art to expose the way the church used artists to perpetuate the doctrines, thereby excluding certain groups of people. Speaker: Tadashi Mitsui Tadashi Mitsui (Tad) is a retired United Church minister residing in Lethbridge since 2001. He was born and lived in Japan until 1957 when he immigrated to Canada. He was trained in theology and obtained BD in Tokyo, STM in Vancouver, and STD in Montreal. Tad worked in Vancouver, Lesotho in Southern Africa, Geneva in Switzerland, Toronto and Montreal, as a pastor and university teacher. He also managed development programs and was an ecclesiastic administrator.