A Device to Root Out Evil

That's the name of this sculpture, by New York artist Dennis Oppenheim. It is in Vancouver. We got this from Gawker, which got it from the aptly-titled Unusual Architecture.

Okay, we'll be honest: our taste in sculpture usually runs toward naked ladies, preferably Attic but Roman in a pinch and French 19th century if one simply must. We don't much cotton to abstraction or symbolism. But still.

Apparently, the sculpture (originally called "Church") had a hard time finding a home, because various municipal authorities were afraid of insulting somebody. And sure enough, we can just imagine the outcry from Bill O'Reilly and -- far worse -- William Donoghue: "Oh, those rassum-frassum liberal New York artists, attacking Christianity again, yadda-yadda-freaking-yadda."

But as most of her faithful servants know perfectly well, the Church could do with a bit of upside-downing. Always. Semper reformanda and all that. In fact, think what a smash hit this image could be with the ultratraddies. After all, it shows a very Protestant-looking edifice, turned upside down and with its roof blown off. That's what they think is left after Bugnini, right? So call it, in Ratzinger's phrase, Reform of the Reform. Then watch their eyes light up.