Visitors at Estonian National Museum Invited to Kick Image of Virgin Mary
The new museum included an exhibit of a virtual image of the Virgin Mary in a glass box. Visitors were invited to kick the display, causing the image to appear to fall to pieces and the word "Reformation" to appear.
Archbishop Urmas Viilma of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church said the image is an affront to the whole Estonian society, all Christians, not just Orthodox but Catholics and Lutherans as well. For Estonians, Virgin Mary has a special meaning, as the country is popularly known as the Land of Mary.
He wrote on Facebook: "I very seriously doubt that this exhibit is suitable for the permanent collection of the National Museum of Estonia, even if it is interesting from a technical point of view or from the perspective of modern approach to the depiction of historical events. The Virgin Mary for a huge number of believers is not some historical figure or event, gone into oblivion, but a reality today." He said the "ridicule" was an "insult to the feelings of believers".
The virtual painting has also been criticized by a number of politicians, entrepreneurs and parliamentarians.
Updated October 18, 2016: the display was modified so that visitors are no longer invited to kick it, but rather, the image of the Virgin Mary would shatter at scheduled intervals without being kicked. Source: Life Site News.
Sources: Christian Today and Pravoslavie