A CHURCH in the centre of Edinburgh has put up a hilarious satirical mural on their grounds, showing Elon Musk as a baby, alongside a quote from Corinthians.
St John’s Episcopal Church on Princes Street has been putting up murals of this kind since 1982, often commenting on issues within the Church or wider society.
Some previous designs have included imagery such as Paddington Bear handcuffed and sent to Rwanda, and a painting of the earth on fire to raise awareness on climate change.
The murals are intended to start discussions on controversial topics, but “never to offend”.
The church’s location on Princes Street means that their murals often attract attention from passers-by, who are invited to engage and discuss the work and prompt continued conversations around them.
Edinburgh-based artist, Greg Mitchell, is commissioned to create these murals for St John’s Church and works from consultations with them.
This particular mural, put up last week, sees Elon Musk, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin as babies in a twisted Nativity scene, playing with tanks and missiles.
Musk is seen with a nappy full of money, burning a book of “facts” whilst Trump holds a horn and wears a jester’s hat.
Underneath the scene is a quote from Corinthians 13:11, that reads “When I became an adult, I put the ways of childhood behind me”.
A spokesperson for the St John’s Episcopal Church said today that: “Our church has always been very politically engaged – our faith means we should speak up against injustice and oppression.”
“It’s part of our tradition to have a mural that engages with some sort of issue.”
“The Church is behind the idea of every mural, which is then transformed into painting by Greg.
“The idea is to draw attention to the childishness of the most powerful men in the world.
“Christmas is all about the joy of children and Jesus being born, but here we have three men who act like children.”
“The Corinthians quote is about how the work of both human and Christian living is to grow up and mature, but these are three men who haven’t done that.”
St John’s are dedicated to providing an open and inclusive community, often speaking out against injustice and striving towards goals such as the “full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people in the life of the church and in society.”
