Opening in June
UNIVERSE IS FLUX THE ART OF TAWARA YŪSAKU Organized by the Indianapolis Museum of Art
June 19 – September 15, 2013 As Wyly commented, “Texas changes, and our religious diversity grows with it. Buildings take new forms, and the languages spoken inside change, but Jews, Protestants, Evangelicals, and people of all faiths have always found a welcoming home in Texas. It is absolutely a big part of what Texas got right!” However, there are limits to Texas’ warm welcome to its ever-growing interfaith assortment. There is still resistance in pockets of the Texas population, and with freedom comes the opportunity to deride and denounce those with which we disagree. At times, dissenters react violently or irreverently, lashing out with vitriol at people from those religions they disagree with. This is a lamentable abuse of liberty. Prime among those persecuted in Texas are atheists. Alternet ranks Texas as the third scariest state to be a non-believer and Houston atheists say that even though the metropolis is fairly progressive, there are still many who use political, economic and social capital to ostracize secular humanists and the like. Texas can improve on its already stellar spiritual situation by continuing to listen and learn to diverse perspectives and provide opportunity, and land, to those who come to “God’s country” to advance their way of life, and beliefs (or lack thereof). Texas should be a place of new beginnings and second chances, as it always has been, said Wyly. It is vitally important that Texans continue to accept people as they are and underscore its libertarian view towards religion. Wyly said, “As we say in Texas Got It Right!, ‘Blood and baccalaureate don’t matter to us. We care more about what you do than where you’re from.’” He said, “That’s why you see immigrants coming here from all over the world, and migrants flocking here from all over the US, especially from states like California, Illinois, and New York. Our diversity and youth hold challenges, but also opportunity. We think Texas provides a model for the rest of the country to follow.” I could not agree more. Texas, when it comes to religious liberty, you get it right.
Ken Chitwood covers religion from Houston as a freelance writer. Passionate about religious education, he writes to share fascinating religious stories from various spiritual perspectives. His work regularly appears in the Houston Chronicle and his work has appeared in Religion & Politics, RealClearReligion, Publisher’s Weekly, and Sightings from the University of Chicago. Ken serves two local churches and is a graduate student in theology and culture. Ken has learned about, and taught, religion in several countries and actively encourages religious literacy through teaching, blogs, professional writing and speaking. Follow Ken on Twitter @kchitwood.
Tawara Yūsaku (Japanese, 1932–2004) Untitled, Ichi [99], from Sora series May 10, 2001 ink on paper image: 5-5/8 x 4-1/8 in framed: 20-3/8 x 15-3/8 x 1-1/2 in. Indianapolis Museum of Art, Martha Delzell Memorial Fund © Tawara Yūsaku
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