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By Brent Simon
Antigua has always had statues. Stone reminders of people most of us never met, achievements we barely remember, and empires that never cared for us.
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They stand quietly on church facades, in public parks, and in the hallways of power — the marble faces of saints, politicians, and colonizers alike. Nobody calls those “graven images.”
Nobody starts a crusade. Recently , an Antiguan artist has sculpted something original — something that doesn’t come from Europe’s imagination or government order — and suddenly the island’s moral compass starts spinning like a broken fan.
The latest uproar over the statue on All Saints Road isn’t about religion, art, or national pride. It’s about control. It’s about who gets to define what is sacred and what isn’t.
The irony is blinding: we live in a country where corruption, deceit, and violence barely stir a whisper, but a piece of sculpted stone brings out the marching orders.
For context, the verses being thrown around — Exodus 20:4–5 and Hosea 4:6 — have been lying dormant through centuries of colonial statuary and religious decoration.
Nobody quotes them at the Cathedral, nobody preaches them when they walk past the likenesses of men who helped write the nation’s inequality into law.
But the moment an Antiguan dares to sculpt his own interpretation of prophecy, everyone suddenly becomes a theologian.
Let’s be honest.
The outrage is pathetic. Antigua has never been a society deeply immersed in art or symbolism. We don’t have the habit of questioning what we see, as a matter of fact, it seems that in our society that “good people”, don’t rock the boat, and that’s why anything thought provoking orunfamiliar gets branded as evil.
This isn’t about blasphemy — it’s about discomfort. A local artist contracted by a religious leader and led by BIBLICAL descriptions, dared to stepped out of the narrow box this country reserves for “acceptable expression,” and that alone was enough to trigger the self-righteous.
Meanwhile, the same voices decrying a statue as “ungodly” stay conveniently silent on matters that actually degrade this island: greed masquerading as governance, exploitation dressed as opportunity, and mediocrity baptized as tradition.
The moral theatre is endless — people who can’t manage decency in daily life performing outrage over a rock.
What should have been a proud moment — an Antiguan sculptor producing something daring, interpretive, and locally rooted — has instead become a spectacle of insecurity.
Because the truth is, many of us still can’t tell the difference between art and idolatry, expression and offense, reflection and rebellion.
And that ignorance, not any statue, is the real graven image carved into our collective conscience.
The problem isn’t that the statue stands; it’s that we, as a people, refuse to.
We shrink behind borrowed morality whenever we fear thinking for ourselves. We talk about righteousness but can’t handle reflection.
We claim to defend faith while betraying reason. The country has become a cesspool of convenient conviction — loud, brittle, and easily offended.
So let the so-called faithful rage.
The artist has already done what few in this place ever attempt — provoke thought, awaken conversation, and, in doing so, expose the deep rot beneath our polished hypocrisy.
The statue doesn’t mock faith; it mirrors us. And maybe that’s what really offends.
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The biggest outrage for me really is the hypocrisy of it all. There is nothing Christian about this country. NOTHING. There is the brainwashing that we suffered at the hands of the colonizers who used the white-washed specially written King James Bible to control us and convince us that the white man with blue eyes and blind hair, was our God and all people who lookd like him was better than us.
Today only the elderly cling to that religion as they are convinced that there is a heaven and hell.
And all, I say ALL, the leaders of churches in this country behave like Gods and lord their power over their followers.
What is the difference between a sculpture and the living image of these Gods.
Can the writer tell us which statues of colonizers grace the halls of buildings etc??? To my knowledge the only statues I’ve noticed are ones of National figures.
Well said!!….
This is a powerful opinion piece that strikes at the heart of the selective morality plaguing our nation. I wholeheartedly agree with the author who brilliantly exposes the stench of hypocrisy. The sudden, fierce outrage over a thought-provoking, locally-produced sculpture—one rooted in biblical prophecy and contracted by a religious leader, no less—is simply a convenient distraction. It’s a spectacular instance of a society mistaking discomfort for blasphemy.
The loudest voices now railing against a “graven image” on All Saints Road are the same ones deafeningly silent on the issues that truly degrade and diminish our people: rampant corruption, economic imbalance, and profound immorality. The annual pilgrimage to the VC Bird bust on the first Monday in May, where concrete is practically worshipped as we pay homage to the “Father of the Nation,” offers a blinding comparison. That is a statue of national pride, yet the blind spot to the idol worship in that ritual is astounding.
The self-proclaimed “theologians” are not guided by reasoned faith, but by a fear of the unfamiliar. They jump onto an uninformed bandwagon to condemn a work with deep biblical context, without ever seeking an explanation from the artist or understanding the prophecy it interprets.
As Helen Keller said, we “have eyes but lack sight.” The very prophecies the artist is exploring warn us that the kingdoms we set up for ourselves will fall. Yet, we remain an unempathetic lot, loudest on religious platitudes while ignoring the profound social ills affecting our brothers and sisters.
This statue hasn’t triggered a religious crisis; it has exposed a crisis of conscience. I commend the artist for having the courage to provoke the very conversation this country desperately needs.
The hypocrisy is palpable. We rush to condemn a thought-provoking piece of art—an Antiguan interpretation of prophecy—while remaining shamefully silent on the true ‘graven images’ degrading our society: corruption, economic exploitation, and a staggering lack of empathy.
The outrage is a theatrical sham. We have national icons like the VC Bird bust, which draws a yearly ritual of homage that could easily be branded as idol worship, yet the nation’s “theologians” are conveniently silent. Suddenly, an Antiguan artist dares to sculpt a prophecy, and the moral compass spins out of control. The issue isn’t the rock on All Saints Road; it’s the deep-seated hypocrisy that ignores genuine ‘graven images’ like corruption and apathy, but performs over art that forces us to think.
I endorse this post. Well penned
I’m not really a biblical person, so I do not know much about the statue and what it represents, all I know if that statue remains its not going to engage in corruption, nepotism, cronyism or thievery so it’s the least of my worries, the self righteous will kick up a storm but do nothing about the people who have us in this quagmire
This is truly ON POINT……
Well said Brent! well said! I can read and will read this piece again and I wholeheartedly agree with your thoughts and sentiments. Well said!!!!!
Antigua is nothing without hypocrisy, the Black people were once not allowed to be in God’s churches. Soon after they got to enter but had to sit in a particular area. God’s people not only killed the natives of this land but also bought and worked slaves to death for gain.
Blacks wanted to be good slaves and denounced their own beliefs so that they could be recognized as Christians and trust worthy. The sad part is Antigua a hub for lies and hypocrisy because all the churches that serves this very God of the men that conquered this land in the name of Jesus are the ones that set the foundation for the main religion celebrated in this nation to this day.
Kaiso_Thyme
…and, if night should turn to day!
Ain’t that what Broddah Bob say?
…a lot of people/sheeple would run away.
So, it don’t matter; how we much we pray
…the #Indoctrinated_Mind,
Shall always march in line
…and, just like those #blind_mice
Ignorance will be tagged, on their behind
…like white, that is stuck on rice!
Oh gad! Dem gog!
…now, fu shore! For sure! I really know
…our Culture? Is it a #Pappy_Show?
Papi! Papi!
…come and, blow de conch shell fu we
…all over this island; where land and sea make beauty!
…as, the truth of our hypocrisy’s
…is causing all of this, confusion & controversy’s!
Oh gad! Your gog!
…please help me!
…’cause, I’m just; a simple #Jumbee_Picknee!
Jumbee_Picknee aka Ras Smood
De’ole Dutty Peg 🦶🏿 Garrat_Bastard
Vere Edwards
Nicely put, Thanks a lot
Good forum posts . Thanks
WHAT THE HELL…! …WHAT THE HELL MORAL COMPASS..? …IMAGERY: SPIRITUALITY OR RELIFIOSITY?
***
The issueat hand seems more to do with:
(a) ‘…CHURCH AND STATE:
(b) …THE SPIRITUALITY OR RELIGIOSITY: and
(c) …CONSTITUTIONALITY OF A ‘…SCULPTORED IMAGERY:’ than of
(d) …MORALITY’ [Paragraph 3]: or of
(e) …THE SCULPTOR: or
(f) …THE SPIRITUAL ELDER.’
***
WHATEVER
To the ‘…Lay-person,’ the contents appear easily understood.
***
NOW
Given the ‘…FOUNDING CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLES,’ that which ought to be understood by:
(i) ‘…THE PEOPLE: and
(ii) … ARMS OF GOVERNMENT:
(a) …The Executive:
(b) …The Legislature: and
(c) …The Judiciary.’
***
These were often seen as creating more ‘…CONFUSION IN THE MIND,’ than enlightenment,’ the ‘…CONSTITUTION ORDER’ stands ‘…SUPREME’ above all, and over any other ‘…LAW’ [CO: 1981: Section 2], whether or not:
(i) ‘…CURRENTLY EXISTS: or
(ii) …TO BE FUTURISTICALLY ENACTED.’
***
SYMBOLS:
Those who may never have heard of ‘…MONKEY GODS’ may wish to visit : WIKEPEDIA.’
***
THEY WILL SEE ALL SORTS OF ‘…SYMBOLIC IMAGERIES.’ including ‘…FIGUERINES OF MONKEY.’
***
FORMAL TRAINING, LEARNED A FEW THINGS AT THE ‘…ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE COLLEGE (RCMP-1987 & 1993).’
***
SAW SEVERAL ‘…IMAGES/SYMBOLS’ BROUGHT BY MIGRANTS FROM THEIR COUNTRY OF DOMICILE TO CANADA.’
***
GUARANTEED PROTECTION
Could state without challenge, under the ‘…CONSTITUTION ORDER OF CANADA,’ whatever ‘…SYMBOLS’ so prefered, under the ‘…CANADIAN CONSTITUTION ORDER’.’
***
WHAT THE HELL…!
RESPECT AND FOLLOW THE ‘…CONSTITUTION ORDER-1981’ [Antigua and Barbuda].
***
ELDER CLAUDE WEAVER:
That which ‘…Elder Claude Weaver: families: associates: affilliates: and followers and friends, are specific provisions contained in the ‘Constitution Order,’ particularly: ‘…SECTION 12 (3)’ [CO: 1981…].
***
RENDER YOUR HEARTS, ONLY.
NOT GARMENTS AND IMAGES.
***
HAPPY SABBATH.
***
I normally don’t respond or get into religious arguments as such, but oh how they “Strain at and gnat but swallow a Camel”.
The irony is alarming isn’t it!
This statue has accomplished exactly what the owner set out to do. Wake up the slumbering believers, shake up those in authority and make us all reflect on our lives, our societal norms and our nation as a whole. While some of us openly protest the existence of the statue, others observe the country’s reaction, good and bad, and consider the principles set forth in the Bible at it relates to “graven images”. Some of us actually worship the statues currently in place around us, not necessarily by physically bowing down to them but by blindly embracing ideas and agendas that were pushed by the persons the statues depict. Looks like a case of Soongu and Loongu to me. The pot and kettle are both black and the winner of the beam vs the speck is debatable.
I recall as a child their were statues all around big church. Did not see or heard any protest.
If the statues around big church are still up can Christian united organize a picket please and take their protest to big church.
The Dream of Nebuchadnezzar’s Statue
Found in: Daniel 2
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had a troubling dream he couldn’t remember or understand. God revealed the dream and its meaning to Daniel, showing not only what the king dreamed but also its prophetic significance for the future of world empires.
—
🗿 The Statue in the Dream
Nebuchadnezzar saw a great statue:
Head of Gold
Chest and Arms of Silver
Belly and Thighs of Bronze
Legs of Iron
Feet partly of Iron and partly of Clay
Then, a stone “cut without hands” struck the statue on its feet and destroyed it completely. The stone became a great mountain that filled the whole earth.
—
🌍 The Interpretation (Daniel 2:36–45)
Daniel explained that the statue represented a timeline of world kingdoms, starting with Babylon and extending until God’s eternal kingdom.
Part of Statue Metal Kingdom Meaning
Head Gold Babylon (Nebuchadnezzar) The golden empire known for its splendor and power (605–539 B.C.)
Chest & Arms Silver Medo-Persia Inferior to Babylon but larger; a dual kingdom (539–331 B.C.)
Belly & Thighs Bronze Greece (Alexander the Great) Swift and strong; spread Greek culture (331–168 B.C.)
Legs Iron Rome Crushing power and military might (168 B.C.–476 A.D.)
Feet Iron & Clay Divided Kingdoms of Europe The remnants of the Roman Empire—strong and weak nations mixed together (476 A.D.–present)
The stone cut without hands represents God’s Kingdom, established by Jesus Christ, which will destroy all human kingdoms and last forever.
—
✨ Why It’s So Important
1. Prophetic Accuracy:
It’s one of the most detailed prophecies in the Bible. Every kingdom predicted came exactly as Daniel said, proving God’s sovereignty over history.
2. Reveals God’s Plan:
The dream shows that human empires rise and fall, but God’s Kingdom is eternal. No political power will last forever.
3. Jesus’ Kingdom Foretold:
The “stone cut without hands” points to Christ, who will return to destroy earthly kingdoms and establish God’s everlasting reign.
4. Faith-Strengthening:
It proves that God is in control, even when nations seem unstable. History follows His plan, not man’s.
5. End-Time Significance:
We are currently in the “feet” phase — the divided nations. This means the next great event in prophecy is the coming of God’s Kingdom.
I was blind but now I see
well said. tell dem again
Now that your curiosity has been awakened, the image is prophetic and we are now in the stage between the legs and the feet of iron and clay. The next event on the prophetic calendar is Jesus’ return. Yes… he’s still coming.
Doesn’t anyone else realize how this was apparently timed to coincidence with that crusade at Rising Sun? I believe it’s Adventist. Great marketing.
I would simply say. We now see the really bad state that our country is in when we have forgotten prayers in our schools. What a shame.
Notwithstanding the observed morally decrepit condition painted by the writer, one has to wrestle with the notion of building a statue on a church ground. It appears that there is actually precedence in the Bible for a divine mandate to build statues as reminders of God’s Almighty presence, not for worship. For example the bronze serpent built by Moses, and the statues of cherubim on the Mercy Seat in the sanctuary. So, peace be still…
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