WELCOME July 19, 1999 Issue

To Our Readers

William E. Moody

Pick Up A Good book on art history, and you're bound to notice it: standards of human beauty have varied widely in different cultures and time periods. There are the rotund, Ice Age "Venus" figurines discovered in Europe at archaeological sites dating back at least 20,000 years. Or the classical Mayan glyphs, showing men and women whose sloping foreheads were artificially created in infancy. Ancient Greek sculpture. Da Vinci's "Mona Lisa." Andy Warhol's "Marilyn Monroe."

Today's culture of beauty in Western society is largely reflected in commercial advertising, the supermodel syndrome, the Hollywood celluloid image, which all paint a picture that is at best superficial. Women and men become preoccupied, anxious, insecure, even fearful, as they are driven to attain what is largely unattainable. Millions of dollars are spent on diet foods, plastic surgery, the "right" look in fashion and make-up.

Yet the Sentinel's Cover Story challenges this whole scene and points to an entirely different standard of beauty—a spiritual standard based on each individual's relation to God. It's a standard that leaves nobody out. It isn't based on physical features but on spiritual qualities and "the beauty of lovely thoughts."

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