Christ Church,

Morningside

What the world rejects

         “The stone which the builder rejected
         has become the cornerstone;”  Matthew 21:42
 

Some of you might be aware of the controversy surrounding the newest statue to grace the hallowed precincts of Trafalgar Square in London.  The statue depicts a very pregnant woman who has no arms and very small stunted legs.  Now, this isn’t some artistic convention, like the Venus De Milo – the statue depicts a real person – Alison Lapper.  This is what some of the critics said about it:

“How can you compare the little, personal heroism of Lapper [the woman depicted in the piece of art], coping with her physical disabilities, to the public, martial bravery of Nelson?”  (from The Tablet, 24th September, p.10)

One punter, interviewed by The Independent said:

“I don’t think it’s beautiful at all.  I would have liked something more feminine.”

But Alison Lapper, the model for the sculpture, had this to say:

“We [disabled people] have been hidden away for far too long.  It’s about time people started to confront their prejudice… Disabled people are not vulgar or ugly or grotesque, and hopefully people will recognize that.”  (The Tablet, ibid, p.10)

And she should know about being hidden away.

“Doctors did not allow her mother to see her at birth, informing her only that the infant was unlikely to survive…[Alison] spent 19 years in institutions… cared for by nurses who denied emotional attachment in the name of best practice.  Her childhood holidays were trips across the street to the artificial limb workshop or with a kindly nurse in caravans set up on-site for parents visiting [patients] at holidays.”  (ibid)

And, sadly, Alison Lapper has not only had to battle with her body – her physical disabilities – if that wasn’t enough she has also had to battle (and this has been perhaps her greatest struggle) she has also had to battle with other people’s, “society’s treatment her body has evoked.”

Prejudice, rejection, or in the words of her own mother, “a certain admiration mixed with pity and revulsion.”

“The stone which the builder rejected
has become the cornerstone;” 

Of course, Alison is not the only person who has been rejected by her own people.  There are many segments of our society that are marginalized, pushed to the side or just plain ignored.

The old are rejected – unlike many other countries (particularly in the ‘developing world’) we live in a culture that exalts youth and seems not to value or respect the wisdom of the old (vis: the furore created at the Labour Party conference this week!).  We dye our hair to keep it from going grey; we rub gallons of anti-aging cream into our faces to prevent wrinkling; for the more serious there are botox injections; plastic surgery; tummy tucks: All to deny the natural process of aging, growing older – to stay or appear to stay young.  And then we have homes to park people in; unseen, out of the way.

The ‘ugly’ are rejected – just look at any glossy magazine, newspaper, turn on the TV, look at any ad… it’s beauty that is used to sell (and a very narrow interpretation of beauty at that!).

The mentally ill are rejected – ‘Care in the Community’; high levels of medication – particularly among young people.

The poor are rejected – it’s their own fault; why don’t they get off their duffs and get a job; not in my neighbourhood – how many of us even look at people begging for money on our streets, let alone give them any…

Women are rejected – the glass ceiling at work; discrimination and prejudice; motherhood undervalued; sexist language.

Gay people are rejected – only this week it seems as if part of the Church – the Vatican – is going to issue guidelines banning even celibate gay men (even people who have been celibate for 10 years) from being ordained to the priesthood.  80% of schools in the UK surveyed by the Health and Education Research Unit were, “aware of incidents of homophobic bullying, the practice of tormenting someone because they were gay, might be, or just looked like it.”  (The Guardian Weekend, 1.10.05, p.35)

People of colour are rejected – don’t even get me started on that one…!

With all of these ‘minorities’ rejected or in some way marginalized, one actually one wonders who is included…?

“The stone which the builder rejected
has become the cornerstone;” 

But we are all in good company because Jesus was rejected too.  In fact it was his own society, his own people who turned him over to the occupying military authorities to be tortured and executed.  His own people rejected him, but they were too low, too cowardly, they hadn’t got the guts to kill him themselves.

 Simon Justice
2nd October 2005

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