Your Turn: Biblical Proportions

Whenever I’m running low on zzzz’s, I know I can rely on the readership to keep maintain the pace.  At the same time, your interpretative skills are becoming so developed, it takes an accomplished picture to measure up.

With the Lieberman primary coming soon, Thomas Dworzak offers up this freakish photo in the latest New York Magazine.  Yes, I read the whole feature, but mostly to find some background on this background. Coming up with zilch, the best I could do was read it against the title — Joe Lieberman’s War — and the heading: The hawkish senator finds himself in an epic battle—with his own party.

Maybe it’s all those World War III references I see suddenly, but the juxtaposition between cross and bible, and “war” and “epic battle” makes me think that fear of holy war seems to be permeating just about everything these days.  In that way, is this background simply exploitive?  If not, what lands it in such prominence?

Religion, race, gender, lightening — the collection of symbols is truly hair raising.  What kind of charge do you get out of this?

(hat tip: Justin)

(image: Thomas Dworzak/Magnum.  New York Magazine.  August 7, 2006)