Image: Screenshot @nypost/Twitter
At the US Merchant Marine Academy in New York, a painting of Jesus was closed after complaints that a religious image should not be visible in a space used for mandatory activities.
Michael Weinstein, founder and president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), wrote a letter to Vice Admiral Noonan urging him to remove the painting, saying, “I come to you today to urge the USMMA, which you currently command as its superintendent, to urgently do so. Remove the large, sectarian painting depicting the glory of Jesus Christ from the so-called “Elliott M. See Room” inside Wiley Hall, which serves as the administrative building at USMMA.
“Admiral Noonan, I don’t want to make the brutally obvious fact that this very large painting of Jesus, as currently displayed, is completely antithetical and destructive to the maintenance of good order, morale, discipline and unit cohesion in the USMMA. , especially to the non-Christians under your command. “
Trending: BREAKING: DOJ search finds more classified documents at Biden’s Delaware home (UPDATE: FBI ‘consent search’)
The Academy has put up a large screen over a painting of Jesus with his arms outstretched over a lifeboat full of sailors lost at sea.
Image: Screenshot @nypost/Twitter
The New York Post reported:
Eighteen people, including five Jews, asked the Military Religious Freedom Foundation to appeal on their behalf to Kings Point Academy, which reported to the US Department of Transportation, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported.
Mikey Weinstein, the foundation’s founder, asked Academy Superintendent Joanna Nunan in a Jan. 10 letter to move the painting to a more appropriate location, such as a chapel.
Eliot M., who currently owns the painting. Weinstein noted that the Sea Room is used in a variety of situations, including as a classroom, advisory board meetings and as a courtroom for disciplinary hearings.
“The extravagance of that Jesus painting is further exacerbated by the fact that this room is regularly used for USMMA Honor Code violation boards, where midshipmen are literally fighting for their careers,” Weinstein wrote, according to the report.
Noonan immediately responded to the letter, noting that the size of the painting made it impossible to move, but quickly came up with another solution.
“I have asked my staff to buy a screen to put in front of the painting,” he wrote in response, the report said.
“This completely restricts viewing of the painting, but allows those who wish to view it to do so. Second, I have asked the director of the American Merchant Marine Museum to prepare a plaque detailing the history of the painting, which will be installed near it. Given the size of the painting, there is no other place to move it.
