Brick Testament: Education or Exploitation?

[Norrington]

The Brick Testament

The Brick Testament: Is it Education on the bible, Or exploitation of the Bible and Lego Bricks?

The Brick Testament is infamous for having the most "Inapropriate" or violent parts of the bible illustrated in Lego bricks, as we know. But is it innocent teaching of the Bible, or something else, darker... *skull*

It is illustrated by "The Reverend" Brendan Powell Smith. In his book "Stories from the Book of Genesis" his picture in "About the author" is not very respectable. A man with long, wet dreads, dark lines under his eyes, and other things. What do you think? Is it as innocent as it would seem (my RELIGON teacher thinks it's ok), or is it Heretical, inapropriate and should be gotten rid of? SHare your thoughts...

[Chuck]

Bah! Burn the heretic!

Nah, from the perspective of someone of a different religion with similiar values (me, Judaism), and taking into account that the bible contains similiar parts of the torah, I think it is a good representation of "The Good Book". Do remember that anyone of the Christian faith should also take into account that this is what you think your God wrote in the book, so if presented accuratley, it shouldn't be a problem

Also, this topic has the potential to turn into a religious argument, but here this shouldn't be a problem ;-)

-l2k-

[Brick Miner]

i have always taken the bricktestament as a mockery of parts of the bible... it seems to me the illustrated tales focus on the more out-dated items, making them seem out of context at times.

there were several occasions where i was like, "it says that in the bible !!!???!!!???" i mean, if the goal was to teach the message of christianity, one would expect to see the same ole stories and messages taught in "sunday school".

- BrickMiner

[Capn Frank]

Interesting find Commodore,

I voted for exploitation. Although i don't think it's outright exploitation, maybe this "Rev." Smith needs to mature a bit. :-/

In the FAQ section i found some interesting quotes.

4. What is the purpose of The Brick Testament?

Rev. Smith has stated that the goal of The Brick Testament is to give people an increased knowledge of the contents of The Bible in a way that is fun and compelling while staying very true to the original versions. To this end, all stories are retold using direct quotes from The Bible.

This I like. I know there's a lot of violence in the Bible, but it seems like there are some pics that i wouldn't want to show children.

For instance in Noah's flood, there are pics showing ppl dying and then it shows their skeletons when the waters recede.

His creations seem more violent than needed.

10. Is he really a reverend?

Most ministers, priests, or other religious clerics would not actually use "The Reverend" before their own names, for to do so would be presumptuous and rather vain. The Rev. Brendan Powell Smith is not an ordained member of any earthly church, and is widely regarded as being both highly presumptuous and extremely vain.

Is "Rev." Smith calling himself highly presumtuous and extremely vain? That seems kind of odd. |-/

As for his creations and build technique, I like it a lot.

For instance, I like his design of the ark of the covenant. *y*

This design is much better than any of the designs i've come up with.

Also, I like his design of the lion too.

P

[Norrington]

Bah! Burn the heretic!

Nah, from the perspective of someone of a different religion with similiar values (me, Judaism), and taking into account that the bible contains similiar parts of the torah, I think it is a good representation of "The Good Book". Do remember that anyone of the Christian faith should also take into account that this is what you think your God wrote in the book, so if presented accuratley, it shouldn't be a problem

Also, this topic has the potential to turn into a religious argument, but here this shouldn't be a problem ;-)

-l2k-

Ahem. I am not what you would call "Blindly Faithful". I do not take religon as seriously as most people. In fact, as I was telling my friend in school "Just because you go to mass on Sunday, dosn't make you a good Christian" If you act like an megablocks all week, don't expect that you'll go to mass and be suddenly an "Uber Christian". I think the Brick Testament is exploitation. He interprets most things in there sexually if you take the time to read it. Just look in the Acts of the Aposltes or Epistles of Paul section and you'll see what I mean. Rev. Smith needs to mature himself in that respect, becase he's in a sense mocking the bible.

[snefroe]

well we've had these discussions about the Testament before, it seems we never really come to a final conclusion, the community always seems split about this.

I've only taken the time to go through "Jesus is born". i don't know if that gives a good picture of the entire work, but based on that, I don't really see the harm in his work. i would have used another minifig for Mary, sure.

But most of all, I don't think this is a direct reference to Christianity. It's so much focused on just telling a story that it completely misses the point the authers of the Gospels were trying to make. It doesn't explain the Bible, nor Christian believes... For instance, the Testament talks about Mary being a virgin, and staying that way after having given birth. He seems to approach that from a sexual/humoristic point of view, which is fine by me, even though teachers may disagree, but there's a religious aspect about the virginity that just doesn't seem to be mentioned. This testament is, i.e. a story, but by no means a good representation of "the Bible". a document does not become a religious work by just adding some quotes here and there.

and because of that, Christians should ignore this as a Lego representation of the Bible. It's just a story and should only be seen as that. Sure, i can understand that Christians aren't really happy, but I don't think it's damaging the Bible either...

so i don't think either options of the poll are right. It doesn't teach a new generation much about the Bible, nor do i think it's too violent, but he's walking a very thin line here. If you'd do a remake of star wars and only focus on the violence, then you're result will lead to an extremely violent movie, only te be watched by adults

[Shadows]

A very difficult call, difficult enough that I don't feel I can vote, but will comment. I know that the first time I viewed the site, I thought it was going to be a spoof of some sort. I was less certain the more I looked.

I think it's extremely accurate, for what it represents. Meaning, the parts it shows are taken from the actual writings, but it leaves out so much (how could anyone build every story) that it isn't really a good representation of the entire message.

I won't even touch on the perceived differences in the style and tone of the old and new testaments.

As for violence, it's the most violent book in history. Murders, rapes, torture, you name it. Individuals are sacrificed, plagues strike, people are drowned, a raped woman is cut up and her parts sent throughout a country, cities and entire nations are destroyed violently. I'm not even sure that some of this should be discussed in this forum and we're all supposed to be 18 (we agreed to that on joining). I would not want children to view the Rev's site any more than I would want them to read the book. To condemn one is to condemn the other. I say that both should be held until an appropriate age.

Does that make his efforts good or bad? Only he knows the real reason he does it, and only he can answer that.

[oo7]

I do believe the brick testament is a little fun and a good idea, but like Phred nicely pointed out, it's much more graphic than it needs to be. It really does have good potential but the reverend* could have executed it better.

*Wasn't there some rumor about this title being a joke? I'm still skeptical.... 8-|

[hewkii9]

That's the Bible. He just illustrated it. And I agree with imperialshadows. Of course its violent. If you think something is bad, just look away.

[Norrington]

Instructions on Marriage

Take this as a perfect example. I think the "Rev." exploited the Bible there, because Paul probably did not intetnion it to be sexual. And if he did, it would not ALL be like that, just breifly mentioned.

[Legoman]

well i can't vote either *sweet* .in some parts its great and a cool way to introduce the bible.but then in other parts it's rude, sick, and a downright exploitation :-X .i myself am a christian and have read a lot of the bible.i think this is a mixed message to kids, some very vital things are missed out, then some of the bader pars a made wose..even things that they shouldn't know are in it.i would siggest kids don't go to the site.but sunday school teahers should mabye get a few good pics from there.thats my 2 cents

[Capn Frank]

Instructions on Marriage

Take this as a perfect example. I think the "Rev." exploited the Bible there, because Paul probably did not intetnion it to be sexual. And if he did, it would not ALL be like that, just breifly mentioned.

Holy cow! 8-

[gylman]

We have had this discussion before, though never a poll.

I voted that it's horrible, although that may be too strong a word.

I simply resent the tarnishing of the beautiful and innocent nature of Lego in order to create some of the horrid scenes he has made. To me this is not much different than using Lego to build concentration camps or mini porn scenes. People can make their artsy fartsy arguments all they like, but to my mind these constructions do nto make the world a better place.

Life is hard, dirty, often violent, and there is enough ugliness to go around.

The Lego smiley is one of the oases of clean innocence. It should not be used to display rape, dismemberment, and mass murder.

This being said, the man is a talented builder and photographer. I cut him a lot of slack for that. It seems clear to me that he is mocking the bible, which I also cut him slack for. If you look at his other work, and some of his biographic info, it is obvious that this guy is not a bible-thumper. Quite the opposite.

Still, I wish he had made better use of his talents. Or used Megabloks or Barbie dolls. Not Lego...

[Shine]

Religion.

Just say no.

I simply wish the guy had put his MOCing and photography skills to a different use, Instead of promoting these violent and perverted lessons of a book that many of us are supposed to live by.

[UniqueBuilder]

This one is just horrible.. :'-(

..I can't vote, since I'm an atheist. ;-)

[highlandcattle]

This one is just horrible.. :'-(

..I can't vote, since I'm an atheist. ;-)

Me too but i did vote, the fact that things like sunday school still exist make me shudder.

[UniqueBuilder]

Me too but i did vote, the fact that things like sunday school still exist make me shudder.

I thought people like us didn't exist on this board.. :-P

[Athos]

I'm of a mixed mind about it. I don't mind that he does Bible scenes, including the "inappropriate" ones, as they are contained in the Bible. On the other hand, I'm not a huge fan of his commentary and some of his editing. Specifically, I take issue with his less than balanced titling of certain entries and other similar editiorializing. It seems pretty clear he isn't a fan of religion... which makes me wonder what his intentions are.

On a lesser note, I'm not a huge fan of his modification of bricks either...

the fact that things like sunday school still exist make me shudder.

I thought people like us didn't exist on this board..

I, on the other hand, am a big proponent of Sunday School.

Steve

[Joebot]

I'm of a mixed mind about it. I don't mind that he does Bible scenes, including the "inappropriate" ones, as they are contained in the Bible. On the other hand, I'm not a huge fan of his commentary and some of his editing. Specifically, I take issue with his less than balanced titling of certain entries and other similar editiorializing. It seems pretty clear he isn't a fan of religion... which makes me wonder what his intentions are.

Obviously I can't speak to Rev. Powell's intentions, but my interpretation of his work has always been that he's trying to point out the hypocrisy inherent in Christianity. Christianity is supposed to be about peace and love and "Do unto others" and so forth ... and yet the Bible is filled with some of the most graphically horrible violence imaginable. Take the Noah's Ark story as an example. God murders the entire planet (except for a select handful)!! This is a terrible story. And yet people use Noah's Ark as a theme to decorate their children's nurseries!! Oh, look at the cute animals! Just ignore the corpses floating in the water ...

Rev. Powell has obviously cherry-picked the most violent sections of the Bible in order to argue his point. His work is not meant to be used to teach Sunday School or to be viewed by children. I see it as an artistic work meant to provoke a thoughtful response. Religion is responsible for many of the wars in human history. How many millions have died in the utterly pointless battle of "My God is better than your God!" I think Rev. Powell's work speaks to that question, and if he makes you stop and think a bit, then that's probably a good thing.

Also, his Lego designs are excellent!!

-Joebot

[BearHeart]

A lot of these stories seem to be taken out of context and focusing on the "Fire and Brimmstone", "Eye-for-an-Eye" stories from the old testament and NOT on the Christian teachings of the New Testament. A lot of people seem to be getting this point confused >:-( . The floods, plagues and wars are mostly in the old testament and are not part of the christian message. To those responding, please do some research before you make wild accusations about a religion you know nothing about.

[xenologer]

I think you need to redo the Poll with a 3rd Option:

-It's teaching the bible to a new generation in it's own way.

-It's horrible. It's just some man illustrating the violent or "Inapropriate" parts of the bible.

-It's hilarious. It's just some man illustrating the violent or "Inapropriate" parts of the bible.

I vote option3.

This thing is great entertainment and fun.

clearly its not a serious attempt at option1

and clearly its not 'exploitation' because he not exactly making $$$ or 'converting' people

(and it certainly isn't 'horrible', just look at those awesome builds :-D ).

Hence, like I said, option3, its just entertainment. Both for him in the building process, and us in the laughing process.

Time to lighten up? I may not be a christian but I don't mind when my own religion gets poked fun at, so I don't think any different standard ought to apply to this one.

Its natural to focus on the bad or extreme parts when doing satire.

[Joebot]

A lot of these stories seem to be taken out of context and focusing on the "Fire and Brimmstone", "Eye-for-an-Eye" stories from the old testament and NOT on the Christian teachings of the New Testament. A lot of people seem to be getting this point confused >:-( . The floods, plagues and wars are mostly in the old testament and are not part of the christian message. To those responding, please do some research before you make wild accusations about a religion you know nothing about.

Don't you see the irony here?? You're doing the same thing as Rev. Powell! You're picking-and-choosing the parts of the Bible that back your argument and that match you worldview. And you're just ignoring the rest. Convenient, eh?

[Shadows]

Don't you see the irony here?? You're doing the same thing as Rev. Powell! You're picking-and-choosing the parts of the Bible that back your argument and that match you worldview. And you're just ignoring the rest. Convenient, eh?

Sure he is, but fortunately the New Testament doesn't include any of those inconveniences from the Old Testament. You know, like stonings and slavery and demons and crucifi... hey, wait a minute here! Seems like that isn't exactly the most peaceful and happy book either. Maybe if we toss both out and move on, we can find one that doesn't try to scare the hell out of people (pun intended).

At least the book of Revelation is safe... 8-|

[MatthewUSA]

When I first heard about this "Rev" and his lego models telling the stories of the Bible, I thought that was really cool. What a good way to reach out to children and explain the Bible. But after viewing some of the pics mentioned here, I am very disappointed with the "Rev". Some of his scenes were very disturbing. If this man is really a "Rev", I would think he would not have created certain scenes that he did. On the other hand, he may be one of those "Rev's" that the Catholic church has been having troubles with. No matter who he is, I feel he has no right to degrade certain cultures and religious people with such images. This man definitly has lost my respect. I also feel as a Lego fan, we all need to either petition his work or express our feelings directly to him. Lego toys are not meant to be used in such ways. Even though they are a hobby to us, they are still a toy to a child. And that child does not need to associate Lego with some of these images. What a person does with their Legos in their home is their business, but when that person decides to take it a step further and begins showing certain degrading images to the public, that is wrong.

I am definitly shocked at his work. I will say some of his models were very well created. But he needs to respect all people of the world.

[Asuka]

(...) I also feel as a Lego fan, we all need to either petition his work or express our feelings directly to him.

(...) What a person does with their Legos in their home is their business, but when that person decides to take it a step further and begins showing certain degrading images to the public, that is wrong.

(...) But he needs to respect all people of the world.

It