The Forgery of an Antique God

TerryWalstrom

In the world of Antiquities, especially that of bronze Art, specifically heads, would you be surprised or alarmed to discover that experts estimate about half of all the art sold at auction and donated to museums around the world...

consists of FORGERIES?
Image result for forgery: bronzed head of alexander the Great

While you're digesting the news of corrupt practice, let me raise a rather vexatious collateral issue for your consideration:

. Auction Houses keep silent about this fraud.
In fact, it has been asserted by investigators specializing in such fraud, it is largely the Auction Houses submitting these works at auction under fake identities so they cannot be directly held liable for illicit transactions. Proving they've knowingly done so is too problematic to pass muster.
One expert who exposed such a fraud was sued by the Auction House and forced toward financial settlement out of court under the Libel Laws.

Now why mention all the above in the first place?
For one reason only, the same thing occurs in the religious transactions of Jehovah's Witnesses.
The Auction House (Watchtower corporation) represents its salvific theology as authentic and transacts with potential converts so's they pay for such Art (ful fraud) by giving their lives, honor, and sacred service in exchange.
When flaws are found, instead of owning up to the illicit enterprise, they seek legal redress or prosecute the accuser through coercive threats of disfellowship.

Now here is another insidious parallel.
The "value" of collectible art is that of attribution. It requires "experts" to assign such estimates of valuation and the imprimatur of authenticity is the difference between trash and treasure.

Consider this: a crooked expert gives a false authentication and inflates the fraudulent antiquity into a multi-million dollar treasure.
Watchtower's experts are the Governing Body! What they declare to be Light becomes quite a blinding beam of glowing bullshit. Eight million collectors give up the world for such a treasure. In fact, they'll die for it.

This analogous situation popped into my head while watching this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lNSXB4i4fE

We are the whistleblowers alerting the unwary of the pitfalls of transacting with these cheats and their dubious provenance.

Finkelstein

Good analogy directed toward the WTS for it too presented a fake or forgery of the actual Gospel of Jesus Christ and turned it into a salable commodity, luring many into this commercialization as its own public sales Representative (JWS)

The JWS religion is structured upon false pretentious bible interpretation, an organization of identifiable false prophets according to Scripture.

GrreatTeacher

Thanks for posting. I love when folks post interesting videos that I can get lost watching on lazy weekend afternoons!

The value of these artworks are predicated by the belief in their value by others, not necessarily by the experts who can actually determine their intrinsic value...

...kind of like the stock market...

( In that case, then, are they really a bad investment if you buy them and flip them? )

days of future passed

I read a great book about a man, that was hired to determine if objects were a forgery. One well known family that produced fakes, would dreg up old roman columns from the ocean and make pieces out of them. Then they would put them back in to "age" them.

One of the more well known "fakes" that the Getty museum owns, but won't admit to, is the kouros statue. They paid too much money for it.

But I find this quote interesting. From Bruce Mcnall:

“[As a collector in the 1980s,] any time you find something brand new, it’s sexier,” he said. “Otherwise it’s been around, it’s been seen, and maybe there’s a reason someone else hasn’t bought it…Nobody wants some old broad that’s been around on the town for too long.”

So the WT found something "new" with their religion that didn't have the trinity, hellfire etc. Certainly different from the big Religions that have been around for a while. One of the compelling reasons the Getty museum bought that statue, was that it's history included a hint of being looted. That made it "authentic" in their minds, since many art objects are acquired by shady means. The WT has presented itself as a religion that has been around hidden but was "chosen" by God and Jesus. Haha Hidden goods.

TerryWalstrom

The famous Van Gogh Sunflowers sold at auction to a Tokyo insurance firm for 22 1/2 million dollars is fake. Neither the Auction House nor the Tokyo firm will allow authentication by forensic scientists. Why? Too embarrassing!!

The Watchtower won't own up to the child molestation problems for the same reason: embarrassment is more important than the safety of children.

I look at all the colorful library of Watchtower produced books (Rutherford's rainbow, for instance) and it is (to my eyes) like a gallery filled with inauthentic fraudulent art passed off as invaluable. The reality is (even to the GB) obvious inasmuch as these tomes are filled with obvious nonsense, false prophecy, wonky interpretations, etc.

Counterfeit prophets and a fake religion: the Art of bullshit.

doubtfull1799

I like the analogy, I think its a good one. Thanks for sharing...

TerryWalstrom

The more I think about it the more parallels there are between the world of "high-value" Art and that of Religion.
We rely on the OPINIONS of experts. We can't trust our own eyes because THEY know more than we do. So much depends on consensus and the valuations based on opinions snowball auction prices year after year after year.
The End is always closer and closer without ever arriving in Jehovah-land. But the experts ramp up the estimates and urgency inflates ever so much more.

I think there is a phrase I heard a lot when I was in the Art Business and talking to customers. They'd blush and utter these words, "I don't know much about Art but I know what I like." Well, isn't that REALLY all there is to religious belief as well?
We end up choosing what looks good and sounds good and we invest based upon that alone.

Finkelstein

Relating to the WTS the GB publicly present themselves as the true and honest experts in bible interpretation.

Add into their presentation their interpretation is vitally essential to make it through Armageddon because they alone appease Jehovah to what they are actually doing and preaching.

They even claimed that god has chosen them exclusively over all other Christian faiths because their truthful adherence to the bible.

The WTS designed and created a forged Gospel of Jesus Christ to aid in the proliferation of their own published goods.

When one of their devoted members realizes this forgery, they are more than willing to kick them out of the organization banning all other members to not talk or associate with these people.

The in depth brainwashing the WTS puts people through makes their devoted members abide and relationships stop, even causing families to break apart.

TerryWalstrom

I was in the Art Business for many years both at the atelier level, gallery sales, and as a rep. The naivete' of the buying public was rather heartbreaking.
Accepting an easily forged "Certificate of Authenticity" as the guarantee of provenance was rather laughable. The thing I always said was: "Which is easier to fake: a complete work of art--or a little piece of paper assuring you it isn't fake?"

Jehovah's Witnesses by the same measure, open their Silver Sword and see the fake references to governing body and feel reassured they're in the right religion.

slimboyfat

Except JWs have promoted truths from the Bible: future paradise, don’t fight in wars, the importance of Jehovah’s name, no hellfire or immortal soul. All these things are genuine truths that set people free from fear and bad consequences.

The Forgery of an Antique God

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