The Words of the Halsey Family
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The Words of the Halsey Family |
Fossil collages, including “Dang,” made of 130 eighty-million-year-old fossil shark teeth. Fossil mammoth teeth and bones on bottom shelf.
Texas Unificationist Jon Halsey was featured on National Public Radio in an 11-minute segment dedicated both to his unique pastime and his religious vision. “Museum of God” produced by NPR science reporter Lindsay Patterson follows Mr. Halsey on a hunt for fossils on the Sulphur River east of Dallas and concludes with a tour of his extensive collection of fossils, which he calls the “Museum of God.” Ms. Patterson’s segment forms one part of a package of features on the science of evolution and the current discussion coinciding with the 150-year anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species.
Her encounter with Mr. Halsey, who is an amateur paleontologist, a sculptor and an imaginative spokesman for Unificationist views of creation, yielded a sort of epiphany. In her words, “before I visited with Jon, science and creation seemed to be in opposition, as simple as that. Intelligent design seemed like a deception, like creationism in camouflage. But Jon’s love of the scientific record reinforces his love for God and vice versa. It seems almost obvious that he wants people to bond over his sense of wonder.”
Mr. Halsey said he is ready to answer objections by visitors to his museum that is devoid of religious symbols such as crucifixes or portraits of saints. “What I would point out to them,” he says, “is, ‘Look! This is my museum of God. You can use anything on earth to illustrate any nature or aspect of God.’ Every home could have a little museum of God that could sit on the mantle. They could say, ‘this is what I believe God to be,’ instead of taking their church’s doctrine and beating people over the head with it.”
Jon Halsey tells in his own words the history and purpose of the museum of God below:
The idea for a museum of God just popped into my head one day back in 2002. I had always been fascinated with museums since I was a kid. I was also a collector. It must have been in my genes. My father saved things, but I collected things -- big difference -- I was picky. By the age of 10, I had collected several dozen animal teeth, mostly dog and cow teeth. I was really into teeth -- still am. I won 1st place in my 5th grade science fair with an entry called “Different Kinds and Shapes of Teeth.” Then in high school I started finding fossil shark teeth and fossil mammoth teeth. I didn’t date or go to football games in high school; I went fossil hunting.
While going to University of Texas at Austin in the ‘70’s the Texas Hill Country awakened my senses to a different kind of treasure: rusted farm tools. I would go tooling around the back country roads in my ’66 VW, purposely getting lost. I would come upon the most intriguing abandoned houses and barns where I would find artifacts of a bygone era, things that I felt yearned and clamored to be immortalized in some way. The cross-cut saw and the solid oak “Hames” mule harnesses still pulsed with the sweat and emotions of the farmers who used them. They were calling to me. I still hear them.
Between 1993, when I moved my family back to my home town of Irving, Texas and 2002, I had made several artistic creations from my collection of fossils, rocks, farm tools, cow bones, tree stumps, and a variety of other “found” objects. I just didn’t know what to do with them all. I think the idea of the Museum of God really hit me because of reading True Father’s speeches for 30 years. He kept talking about God’s suffering and loneliness. It occurred to me that there were thousands of museums and monuments dedicated to man and his things. So I figured that the creator of the universe itself, God, surely deserved a museum to honor his existence and being. “That’s what I could do with all my stuff,” I said to myself. “I’ll put it in a museum of God.” I soon registered it in Dallas County as The American Museum of God. Since 2006, when I got re-blessed, I’ve been adding creations to the museum and expanding its concept with the support of Yoshiko, my new Japanese wife.
My big break came Nov. 21st when National Public Radio aired an interview with me as part of an hour long program about Charles Darwin and evolution. But my 11-minute Museum of God segment was just the tip of the iceberg, The rest is summarized below. The American Museum of God has several purposes:
Showcase the nature and character of God, focusing primarily on the heart of God. I’m using my own “found object” sculptures to do this, but plan to incorporate other disciplines like science, music, literature, and sports into the mix of religion and history.. I am trying to illustrate God’s greatness as an artist but also His suffering as the Parent of humanity. My museum is also non linear in the arrangement of its exhibits. Instead of displaying artifacts on a shelf in a straight line, I’ve gone one step further by creating artistic and functional sculptures, such as lamps, clocks, collages, and tables with my found objects. In addition to looking at my displays, one can touch and hold them and feel the pulse of history still beating in them. A variety of background music will also enhance the visual and tactile experience. Individuals, groups, and communities will also be encouraged to start their own Museums of God, using artifacts such as art, photos, testimonies, poems, crafts, hobbies, etc. that reflect their particular beliefs in God. A museum of God can be as small as a Kleenex box or as big as a football stadium. One could invite his friends and neighbors to watch a hockey game and tour his museum of God.
Conduct theological education and discussion about God. The museum could inspire dialogue and help break down the barriers between religions, races, and the boundaries between science and religion. With God as the common base of discussion, but with natural objects as the focus of discussion, groups could leave their ideologies, politics, and agendas at the door.
Promote the development of character, virtue, and ethics. People could be encouraged to use an institutional Museum of God as a meeting place to discuss the adoption by individuals and institutions of Godly standards of conduct based on the traditional values of our American forefathers.
Develop workable strategies to solve human problems. Using the common belief in God as a foundation, we could use the resources of the Museum of God to foster more unity among faith and service-based organizations.
Establish an international registry of faith. Let’s encourage all people to register the basic tenets of their beliefs in a short succinct form, for the benefit of their descendants. This step is down the road a little. There are still a few things I need to address such as a web site, a 501C3, a large building, a staff, and money. Just a few small details.”
Listen to Jon Halsey’s interview with NPR here: www.studio360.org/episodes/2009/11/20
Contributed by Doug Burton and Jon Halsey