Be More Human / Mehr Mensch Sein - a photo on Flickriver

February 14th, 2008 - Zermatt, Switzerland

I am not a Christian. Indeed, I do not believe in God - or at least not in anything remotely resembling God as he (or she) is represented in any of the mainstream religions. But I am a spiritual person. Had I been born two thousand years ago, I may well have been a pantheist, seeing the divine (in its most very abstract sense) in everything. And nowhere do I feel more spiritual or closer to understanding the essence of existence than in the mountains.

I admit too to being at best ambivalent about organised religion. But that does not prevent me from respecting those who sincerely believe, nor from admiring much religious iconography and art.

I'm not sure what a Muslim or a Buddhist or a Sikh must feel upon reaching the highest point of the Klein Matterhorn, 3883 metres above sea level, and finding himself confronted by a giant wooden representation of Christ on the cross, but whatever my personal beliefs I found it stunning, if nothing else then from a purely aesthetic point of view. And it's hard to argue with the exhortation engraved in four languages beneath the cross :

Mehr Mensch sein.
L'homme d'abord.
Uomo prima di tutto.
Be more human.

This image was used on November 7th, 2009 to illustrate an article on a Catholic newsblog regarding the recent ruling by the European Court of Human Rights against crucifixes in Italian schoolrooms, which, unsurprisingly, has generated a quite heated debate.

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Taken in: Schweiz / Canton de Valais / Gornergrat (show map)

Taken on: February 14, 2008

Tags:

zermatt

switzerland

klein Matterhorn

valais

wallis

alps

mountains

christ

cross

crucifixion

wood

mehr Mensch sein

l'homme d'abord

uomo prima di tutto

be more human

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Sets appears in: • 30+ faves • Switzerland more » • Things, Not People « less

Groups appears in: • Religious Photos • Valais / Wallis more » • Jesus Christ • The Cross • Sculptures, Statues, and Public Art • Statues and Sculptures. • Religious Iconography • Schweiz / Suisse / Switzerland • Zermatt • Photograph the Pla.net • Mountains Anywhere • Deus é Amor//God is love//Dios es amor//Dieu est amour//Dios è • Croci di montagna / Cruces de montaña / Crosses of mountain • Unsere Erde----exklusiv----our earth #1 « less

Camera: Panasonic DMC-FX100, f/9.0, 1/320 sec, 6.4mm, ISO 80 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Panasonic DMC-FX100
Aperture:	f/9.0
Exposure Time:	0.003 sec (1/320)
Focal Length:	6.4mm
ISO:	80
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0 Windows
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