The Dead on Display – Art or Science?

On October 19, Body Worlds 3 opens, at the St. Louis Science Center. If you have not heard about this, you will (see www.bodyworlds.com for more information). Body Worlds is an anatomical display of real bodies, which have been preserved through a process called “plastination.” The body tissues in human corpses are infused with polymers and resins to replace all liquids and fats, thereby preventing decay and keeping the flesh pliable until the plastic hardens. Gunther von Hagens is the creator, and he has posed his cadavers playing basketball, smoking a cigarette, riding a plastinated horse, and even flirting with the viewer. By the time you receive this, those who want to know more can turn on the TV, open the paper, or search the Internet for more details. My point in writing is not to educate you on the morbid details of the exhibit, but to help guide the reader into some reflections about this cultural event that is happening in our midst. There is no doubt that our children’s friends at school, our co-workers, and even our families will be talking about it. It should make us uneasy, uncomfortable, and thereby provide Christians with a good topic for discussion and reflection.

While many of you probably have some immediate reaction to this, let me point you to the primary question this display poses, “Is the display of human cadavers an educational exhibit, or is it art? This is an important distinction, since Christians have supported and defended the use of cadavers for medical training, research, or educational aids. This is also the position of The International Society for Plastination (ISP), which is a professional body dedicated to the study and dissemination of plastination techniques.... The ISP respects the human being, the dignity and the right for peace of the deceased and, thus, completely disaffirms display of human specimens if not entirely for educational purposes. It has never been acceptable in our culture in the Christian Church, to use the dead people for secular artistic creations. So the question is before you, is Body Worlds 3 an education exhibit and therefore a permissible use of cadavers? Or is Body Worlds 3 a secular art form that exploits the dead for financial gain? As you consider debate this, perhaps the following points are worth considering:

• If the goal is education of the general public, couldn’t plastic models be used? Is it really necessary to use real bodies? If yes, why?

• Over 20 million have viewed this exhibit, so what is the huge attraction? Is it the opportunity to learn something about the human body, radical nudity, or morbid curiosity? What accounts for the exhibit's sensationalist and entertainment-oriented aspects? Why are people paying for when they buy an $18 ticket?

• Clearly there is some educational value to the exhibit, but do the non-educational elements undermine the overall educational intent?

• The Church has supported the desecration of a body to save a life, i.e., organ donation, medical use of cadavers in training. However, can one defend Body Worlds by using the same logic? Defenders of Body Worlds point out that it is saving lives since it teaches people the harmful effects of smoking since a diseased lung is part of the exhibit – but is this the same thing?

• How are Christians to honor the dead? Are these dead on display being honored? If so, how? If not, why?

• What does it mean that Gunther von Hagen signs each body? Does his signature make each plasticized and molded cadaver an artistic creation? And if it does become an artistic creation, doesn’t this require the original person’s identity to be discarded in order to make them von Hagens’ work?

Finally, please notice how little debate this “cultural event” is causing. A quick search on the Internet reveals how little objection or thought has been given to this ethical question. From my perspective, this lack of resistance or challenge to putting dead people on display for profit is perhaps the most significant aspect because it means that Body Worlds accurately represents America’s current attitudes toward the body, death, and human dignity or lack thereof. I’m not saying all Americans agree or support Body Worlds, I’m just saying that displaying the dead is generally becoming an accepted part of our culture. (The popularity of CSI would support this observation). I hope this helps you to having some good discussions with your neighbors, friends, and family, but before I conclude, let me add several theological points as guideposts for your discussions. First, humans are more than flesh and blood. Each person also has a soul and spirit as we learn from Jesus words in Matthew 10:28. Two good web links from our Synod are:
https://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=4659, which discusses whether we are body and soul, or body, soul and spirit. The short answer is that scripture describes humans both ways, body and soul, as well as body, soul and spirit. Another resource is our synodical statement on Death, Resurrection, & Immortality. It also shows how scripture teaches that humans are more than flesh and blood, that there is a resurrection of the body, and life eternal.

Second, human dignity comes from God, and it happened when He gave each individual a body and soul. He also created humans to be conceived and born into life, live upon the earth for a time, then a time to die, finally coming to judgment, and eternal life. This dignity of life, given by God, cannot be transferred or duplicated. In addition, the dignity of each individual life is to be preserved by each society, so that every body and soul, each human being from conception to the grave is respected as an individual and treated as having individual worth. An individual does not lose that dignity in death, rather it remains in tact looking forward to the resurrection of the dead. What is happening in Body Worlds, however, is that the dead are stripped of their identity, stripped of their dignity, and through our legal system have become the property of another for financial gain – a “work of art for educational purposes.” Whenever one individual is treated as a piece of property, or when someone uses another human being for financial gain, our society has always condemned the practice (at least it did in the past).

It is my position that Gunther von Hagens is using other people’s flesh for financial gain, under the guise of education. It does not really matter if the individuals in question are dead or alive, the ethical issue is the same from a theological standpoint. It also does not matter if those who died willingly gave their consent; people consent to immoral acts all the time, but that does not make these acts right in the eyes of God. It is a sin to exploit another human being’s body for financial gain, and my point of comparison is prostitution and slavery, both helpful comparisons when considering the ethical uses of the human body. Of course, I am assuming that a live person and a person who has died has been awarded the same amount of dignity by God, and should be treated as such (especially if one remembers that the dead shall rise again). If one agrees with my logic, then it follows that Body Worlds has dehumanized hundreds of cadavers in order to treat them as property in order to make money ($300 million so far). I would argue that the reason money is being made, is not due to its educational value, but an exploitation of humanity’s morbid curiosity.

This is an ethical question revolving around our understanding about what is right and wrong, what ought to be done, and what ought not to be done. My primary motive is not to dissuade people from attending, and if one has attended, it is not to bring judgment upon them. Whether it is a sin or not, probably needs to be decided by the individual, since it is a matter of the heart; let me suggest the Romans 14 as a place to begin, especially verse 14 and following. My primary motive is to help people reflect about what is happening in our society, and to enable the reader to use this “cultural event” as a means of exploring one’s faith, and discussing it with family, friends, and neighbors.

Christians are the salt of the earth, the light on the hill, and one way we do this is by bringing our faith to bear upon events and attitudes in our society. The better one understand what it means to be human, and why Christians ought to protect human dignity from conception until judgment day, the better one will be able to discuss other issues like abortion, stem-cell research, euthanasia, end of life issues, and others. They are all connected, and the answers people seek cannot be found in anatomy, biology or psychology; they can only be found in Christ. Christianity offers a much higher dignity for humanity than the plasticization process that results in an “object of reverence” to use von Hagens own words. Our dignity, worth and value comes from Christ, and while the visual display of bright and clean cadavers many be aesthetically pleasing to the masses, I still prefer word picture described by Job: “I know that my Redeemer lives and that He shall stand at the Last Day upon the earth. And though, after my skin, worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God; Whom I shall see for myself and mine eyes shall behold, and not another.” Sola Dei Gloria