I was watching a documentary that featured people on a tour in Bethlehem, and at a point they visited a very interesting place. The tour guide described that place as where Jesus Christ was born; with various details to go with the narrative. And one of the tourists asked him whether he was certain about the place being the actual birth place of Jesus Christ, and whether what he was saying was the absolute truth. His response was that he was not sure, and that, what he was presenting is what he had been told. His body language added to confirm that he himself did not believe the narrative he was relaying to the tourists. That was curious!
Indeed, what is the guarantee that all the supposed historic places we pay money to see are genuine, and that some are not just make-believe or representations?
There is this picture of a narrow-faced whiteman with blonde hair that adorns many walls around the world; in homes, offices, schools and churches, etc. And literally worshipped by multitudes with extreme piety because they have been presented to the world as photographs of Jesus Christ. There are statues of that in some churches and grottoes as well. Also statuettes in various forms, including jewellery pendants. It was only recently that it came to light that they happen to be images of some random actors, and have nothing to do with Jesus; no bearing whatsoever! These misleading representations still remain all over with no effort to do away with them, and are still being presented as Jesus Christ.
On 20th March 2020, National Geographic carried a publication titled: “Dead Sea Scrolls at the Museum of the Bible are all forgeries.” Apparently, “all 16 of the museum’s Dead Sea Scroll fragments are modern forgeries;” according to the publication. These were part of the sweeping permanent exhibit on the fourth floor of the Museum of the Bible, and were warmly lit sanctum at the exhibit’s heart; purporting to be fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls, ancient texts that include the oldest known surviving copies of the Hebrew Bible.
According to the publication, “a team of researchers led by art fraud investigator Colette Loll found that while the pieces are probably made of ancient leather, they were inked in modern times and modified to resemble real Dead Sea Scrolls.” In the words of Colette Loll, “These fragments were manipulated with the intent to deceive.”
In essence, the exhibit was inadvertently a hype show.
There are a few other models – particularly religious models – I would like to talk about; I do that much later, in Chapter 3. But suffice it for me to say that, when it comes to earning income, meeting the human need to feel important, and so on, most people – including very reputable and noble looking individuals; some with admirable titles and credentials – throw away objectivity, honesty, and care for humanity. And will do anything and everything they possibly can – including carefully planned outward appearances (especially costumes or regalia; visual identity or branding), choice of words, cadence, body language, and other actions and inactions – to mislead others, even if that leads to the suffering of others. And even if that leads to the death of others. There are so many – indeed, too many – examples of this in life.
National Geographic Publication https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/museum-of-the-bible-dead-sea-scrolls-forgeries Accessed 11:35Hrs Friday 22nd September 2023.