Shaun King has made a name for himself as an activist. Now he is calling for all representations of Jesus to be removed from society around the world.
Newsweek reports King, who has been an outspoken supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement, tweeted his remarks on Monday."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 a followup tweet "In the Bible, when the family of Jesus wanted to hide, and blend in, guess where they went? EGYPT! Not Denmark! Tear them down." When you say tear something down that is calling for it's destruction.
He also remarked that stained glass windows and other images of a white Jesus, his white mother and "their white friends" should all be destroyed, insisting they are "racist propaganda" and "a gross form of white supremacy."
In another tweet Shaun says "Christian whiteness needs white Jesus. It's not about generosity or kindness. It's not about protecting the vulnerable. It's about whiteness itself. Attack white Jesus, and you attack their faith."
As should be obvious to everyone on the planet, no one knows what Jesus looked like. The Bible didn't describe his appearance because his physical appearance wasn't important. He was born a Jew and probably looked a lot like most people of the Middle East look.
The fact that Leonardo da Vinci painted Jesus and his disciples after people he saw in Milan has been the basis for this type of argument for years. There are also portrayals of Jesus and the disciples as Africans. Those are special to some people as well. They're pieces of art, nothing more. But to call for the destruction of any art is reckless and divisive.