I Found Jesus

Last week, I published a post about the lack of Judeo-Christian religious influence in today's design trends. Then today, while looking through old design magazines, I found an example of how such a trend might manifest if it began to show up in high-end retailers.

What do you think? Do you decorate with religious imagery? If so, is it with the religion of your heritage or is it predictably Buddha?

What About Jesus?

It's not Peter and Paul, but you can buy these Buddha statues at ZGallerie.

Unless you're one of the misguided non-Christians who are still unnecessarily blind, you've seen Buddhas Buddhas everywhere in home design. There are Buddha hands, Buddha heads and random (or not so random, but how would I know?) Buddha-esque (Buddhist?) items available at nearly every major home design retailer; I won't be content until I collect every single one.

I'm not officially a Buddhist (not that there's anything wrong with that if you enjoy eternal suffering), but I do think the philosophy has many admirable tenants. And unlike most design trends, the proliferation of Buddha-style door-knockers does at least dovetail into a larger societal shift involving globalization and the reemergence of Eastern countries as spheres of influence - in business, culture and of course, religion.


Buddha hands - Also available at ZGallerie


I don't know what in the hell this is, but it's Buddhist, and you can get it at ZGallerie.

Eastern influence has manifested in countless ways: the loss of American manufacturing jobs, the popularity of manga, their companies buying our companies (Tata buying Jaguar, for example), yoga madness, sushi and of course, the rise of Buddhalicious home decorating.

Having said that, the last time I checked, America is full of Judeo-Christians. So where's Jesus? Not at ZGallerie, that's for sure!

Is it sacrilegious or something to decorate with the trinity? Or do people just think it's tacky? When I was a kid, my grandma had a shelf running around the perimeter of her bedroom ceiling full of ceramic Madonnas. Although the display was in-line with our religion, the family reacted with mild embarrassment; I didn't love it, but I was proud that she at least had the good sense to group like-minded Christian iconography for maximum impact.

If she had Buddha heads on those shelves, however, the family would have been plotting her death to get a crack at them.


The Sacred Heart of Jesus 15 oz. candle, available at MexGrocer.


This cross is available at Christian's Gift Place.

So that's my question; Does Buddha give better house? Is there something inherently more beautiful about Buddhist imagery than our Lord Jesus hanging, in agony, from the cross? Or does Christian design just need to be remodeled? I believe that a zebrawood cross with polished nickel accents (like the below mirror at Williams Sonoma Home) would have even Buddhists lining up for the Rapture.

And for we, the consumers, wouldn't it be smarter, more authentic and cooler to embrace our actual religion and decorate accordingly, to make our heritage, with all its baggage, chic?