Dutch Christian Destroys Hundreds Of ‘Idols’ In Netherlands

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By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

MAARSSEN, NETHERLANDS (Worthy News) – A devoted Dutch Christian has destroyed hundreds of “idols” made of ceramic in the Netherlands, saying there is “only one God and that is Yahweh.”

The 81-year-old woman, only identified as Harriët, traveled hours by train from her Dutch eastern city of Enschede to the central Netherlands town of Maarssen, where the small statues were shown, local media reported Friday.

They were shown at the “Exodus” exhibition in Buitenplaats Doornburgh (‘Country Estate Doornburgh’), a former Maarssen monastery, and organized with the Bijbels Museum (‘Biblical Museum’) and artist Marieke Ploeg.

Volunteers made some 3,000 ‘fertility goddess’ Asherah dolls as part of Ploeg’s attempt to “advocate a female manifestation” of God.

However, Harriët, who worked as a Christian missionary in the Middle East, called the exhibition “blasphemous” and wanted to “take action.”

She entered the Buitenplaats Doornburgh, bought a ticket for the Exodus exhibition, and looked around before walking to the many Asherah statues. To the amazement of those present, she then trampled on what she called the “idols,” witnesses said.

Soon after, the woman was detained and spent several hours in a “police prison,” she told the Christian newspaper Nederlands Dagblad (‘Netherlands Daily’).

POLICE SURPRISED

Local police were reportedly surprised about the incident. “You are twice as old as [the suspects] we normally receive here,” an officer was quoted as telling the elderly woman.

After her release, Harriët told the media that she is usually an “extremely loyal, law-abiding person.” Still, when she heard about the “shocking works,” she wanted to destroy hundreds of Asheras. “Because every visitor was allowed to take a statue home with them, the museum actively contributes to the spread of idol statues,” Harriët argued.

In a reaction seen by Worthy News, Ploeg stressed she was “upset” by the destruction. “My work is not made to polarize at all; it is made from soft power and the search for openness and connection. Such a brutal action crossing the lines is intense.”

The artist added: “I could have removed and straightened all the broken and fallen statues. But I decided to leave the work as is so that the devastation was also visible. This is also what this work is about: can we make room in our society for the vulnerable, for an open conversation, with an open attitude to each other’s views?”

However, critics have referred to the Ten Commandments from the Biblical book of Exodus, where God forbids the people of Israel to make idols. That Asherah is mentioned in ancient scriptures is no excuse to exhibit them, suggests critical Christians, including Harriët. “There is only one God, and that is Yahweh,” she said. Additionally, Christians have called attempts to express God’s alleged femininity wrong as Jesus appeared as a man, and nowhere in the Bible is God referred to as “she.”

Yet, Carolien Croon, the director of the Biblical Museum, urged people to look beyond these undisputed Biblical facts. “It becomes complicated when your image of God is so fixed that another vision cannot challenge it,” she noted in published remarks. “That is sad, especially in a society with great cultural and religious diversity. Tolerance and love for humanity are essential.”

Don’t tell that to “idols” destroyer Harriët. She “hopes for a lawsuit” and would accept “all consequences.”

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