Destroying a Masterpiece

Jane Isley
Jun 2, 2025
2 min read

Girl With a Pearl Earring, painted by Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer around 1665, is considered one of the most beautiful and priceless masterpieces in history.

Now imagine someone taking that canvas and painting right over it, covering the unique brushstrokes, brilliant lighting, and her timeless expression.

The thought alone feels wrong to me. It would ruin everything unique about her and permanently erase the original. You don’t have to be an art lover or collector to know that would be a travesty.

When we honor a masterpiece, we respect its story, its meaning, and its history. But when someone paints over it, they aren’t just adding their own “version.” They’re destroying the original and trying to replace it with something that never was.

Now, to the point.

Why is it that we wouldn’t dare do this to a painting, but so many are quick to hop on board and do this to the Bible?

Scripture is being pulled apart, rewritten, and rebranded to suit feelings and modern taste buds. The truth is being stripped away, painted over with new ideas that are often unrecognizable from the original.

At this point, why not just write your own book and leave the Bible alone? If you dislike what it says so much, why attempt to rewrite history as though you can change God’s word and believe He’s going to let you?

I’m baffled by it.

I think people believe they can sanctify their sins by reshaping Scripture.

Deep down, they still want the hope of Heaven, but don’t want to face the parts of God’s word that call for repentance and obedience.

Then others use Christianity as a PR stunt, reshaping it for personal or political gain.

Whatever the reason, the result is the same: the truth is distorted, and what remains is no longer Christianity at all.

The Bible is not meant to be cut up, relabeled, and stitched back together.

That is what is called false teaching.

My faith cannot be rewritten. You can deny it, reject it, or ignore it, but you can’t change it into something it never was.

If God’s word confronts you, that’s not a Bible issue; that’s a you issue.

You can pander to feelings.

You can normalize sin.

You can try to bend truth into whatever shape makes you most comfortable.