My mother and I are members of the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto. As members, we were invited to preview the new addition. I must admit that I went with some scepticism regarding the shape of the new addition. I was pleasantly surprised by the different elements on each level. There was great thought and care in the planning; incorporating the old with the new; the placement of windows; and displays in the stairways.
When I go to the ROM, or any such institution of man, I know that I need to be discerning and not accept everything as absolute truth. I can appreciate the diversity of our cultures; the wonder in creation; the creativity of man. I view all of life through a Biblical worldview. This was very evident to me during this particular visit.
After we had toured the main part of the new addition we enquired about any special exhibits. There were three that we viewed; glass paperweights; Japanese painted scrolls; and burial finds from Peru.
The Japanese painted scrolls were very well done; there was a lot of detail; they often portrayed stories. They focused on the courtesans and their assignations. These were beautiful Japanese women, who were high class prostitutes that lived and worked in a closed community. The men of the upper class would come and the courtesans would parade in their beautiful kimonos; then each man would go to the house of assignation to meet with his chosen courtesan. While we were viewing this display a docent was describing one such scroll to her friend. We asked if we could join in to hear as well and she agreed. The docent said that 60% of the population of Edo were men; they had a country home with their wives and families and they came to the city for business. It all sounded very cultured and proper. Yet when my mom asked if there was any incident of disease since we have STD's and AIDS today, it stripped away the mask to reveal the true nature of these interactions. The docent admitted that the women had a ten year contract, but many often died before they could complete their term. For the most part there was no overt reference to the type of interactions that these scrolls represented. Wealthy men would have these scrolls in their homes and they would bring them out to show their guests. From a cultural point of view this was an excellent exhibit to portray a particular aspect of ancient Japanese culture. Yet, as a Christian, I felt uncomfortable with the interactions they represented.
When we viewed the archaeological finds from ancient Peru I was saddened and grieved. A burial site of a king had been discovered. Along with the king there were other bodies found. They were a couple of young virgin women and youth who had been sacrificed; ceremonially killed. I know that this was a key archaeological find since many such sites had been vandalised over the years and this one was intact. It was interesting to see the objects, but I could not view this exhibit from a detached perspective.
"This is what the Lord says: 'Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,' declares the Lord." Jeremiah 9: 23-24 (NIV)
