I'm sure there are those who will find irony in this post's title, but sometimes we have to fight our battles where we find them. Roughly a month ago, I found this statue assaulting my aesthetic faculties at the
corner of Water Street and Old Slip.
Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism. Somehow, this monstrosity cost $300,000.
Joseph Smith (of "Latter Day Saint" fame) has a loose historical affiliation with what is now the Financial District, or so I am told. And that much is fine. Despite my overwhelming distaste for the sculpture, I wouldn't be one to complain if it were merely there to point out that "Joe slept here." Fair enough.
Unfortunately, the display really went for the evangelical gusto. There is of course the bravado
with which it was erected:
Bless those who come upon this monument, who do not yet know Joseph,
with a desire to learn more concerning Thee and Thy Gospel restored
through him. May this statue serve in spreading the message of Thy
Gospel to growing numbers of local inhabitants and to visitors to this
great city. [source]
Which, sickly as it may be, is perhaps not yet in violation of any laws. The inscription on the statue, however, does cross the line. This is the message I sent to the director of the parks department.
Mr. Benepe:
I am very troubled by the presence of the Joseph Smith statue in Old Slip park. While it is conceivable that Mr. Smith
could be considered a historical figure, the fact that the inscription
refers to him as a "prophet" and mentions that he "reported a vision of
God the Father and Jesus Christ" makes this a clear violation of the
Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. It is a de facto state
endorsement of religion, and it should be removed immediately.
Dan McKinley
I had all but given up on this crusade (pardon the term) when I received a letter dated February the tenth tonight. I'll not reproduce all of it, since I don't want to expose the poor Parks worker to any undeserved criticism and because he expends several paragraphs nonsensically flailing straw men who apparently want to ban sectarian weddings in public parks. This is the important bit:
I understand your concern that a particular art display appears to advocate for a specific religion. This particular temporary schulpture commemorates the 200th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Smith, founder of Mormonism. A large group of Mormons embarked from Old Slip on the ship Brooklyn, en route to California in 1846. This art installation was organized by the Mormon Historic Sites Foundation. Nonetheless, the particular language you have brought to our attention was not approved by our Art & Antiquities Division. We have directed the Mormon Historic Sites Foundation to remove that sentence from the inscription, and they have advised us that they will do so shortly.
To that, I sent this in reply.
Thank you very much for your reply regarding the Joseph Smith statue in Old Slip Park.
I
agree with your conclusion that a historically relevant statue should
be permitted. It was the wording on the statue that I objected to, and
I am very happy to hear that it will be removed.
Sincerely,
Dan McKinley
An outstanding and unexpected turn of events.