A Picture Paints a Thousand Words

by cofty 6 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  cofty

  Many years ago I came across this painting in the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. Simply called "Hagar" it was painted by Andrew Geddes in the early 19th C.

  I was touched by the sadness of the subject. At the time I was a loyal JW and my ability to read the bible through a filter that could justify anything was at its peak.

  For the first time I was forced to face up to the scandal of how Abraham and Sarah treated their young slave girl. No amount of words or arguments would have reached me in the same way.

  I bought a postcard of the painting and have had it stuck on the wall of my office at home ever since.

  
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  Heaven

  cofty.... that's exactly how I would picture Hagar to look. My Father and I had a discussion about this just recently. He told me he has the same question I had. Why would God sanction adultery and fornication if it is wrong? Why would he create this whole painful situation? Why would he hurt one of his supposedly best friends?

  This is one of the stories in the Bible that led me to question the validity of what has been touted as "God's Inspired Word".
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  awildflower

  That's a very moving and powerful picture. I love it.
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  maninthemiddle

  There is a beatuiful sadness to that picture.

  Where could I find a larger image? My Google-fu is weak today, and I have turned up nothing.
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  cofty

  I remember being captivated by it the first time I saw it. I never understood the power of art prior to this experience.

  I have never been able to find it online apart from the smaller image above which was on a blog. I have scanned my postcard and I'm hoping this will be a clickable thumbnail.

  
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  maninthemiddle

  wow, thank you, that was great.
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  pixiesticks

  Thank you for the scan! It's such a beautiful painting. So simple, but full of so much emotion. I'm going to print it out.