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In Reply to: Tamar & Plagiarised Art posted by Jewlz on December 22, 2003 at 21:54:16:
In Maria letter #666 (I am not kidding) rated GP, she explains to the Family her side regarding the images seen in the flash animation file posted in the article: "Plagiarized Art?"
This GN was forwarded to me anonymously, and I am posting it here for anyone who is interested in reading what the Family leadership has had to say about it.
Post-it GN #12
Which Comes First: The Revelation or the Artwork?
By Maria Maria #666 GP 3474 12/03
Dear Family,
1. I love you! Peter and I are praying for you. We know that our life for the Lord isn't easy--and it seems as we get closer and closer to the End, a lot of things are becoming increasingly difficult. The battles are stronger, the attacks of the Enemy are more fierce, his lies are more believable, and your faith is tested repeatedly. But the Lord has shown us that ours is also a very great honor, that we can be living for Him in these last days, bearers of His full truth, destined to see many prophecies fulfilled as the events foretold thousands of years ago come to pass! He reminds us often that because of the great honor we have, which "many prophets and righteous men desired," we also must pass many tests and make sacrifices in order to be worthy of that honor. So don't be discouraged by the difficulties! They're part of our life for the Lord, and they can make you even stronger, wiser, more mature, and more useful.
2. Recently several of you sent us an animated slideshow (put together by one of our detractors) that was posted on the Web and was being circulated to Family members via e-mail. This presentation showed Family artwork--primarily Tamar's art, with one or two exceptions--alongside existing System art that she copied. In some cases a whole GN picture was a copy of existing art she had found on the Internet, although she had made changes to the background or facial expression or details of the picture. In other cases, only elements of the picture were copied and pieced together, such as the sword, the demons, an arm or a hand, or a body pose, etc.
3. This presentation was sprinkled with quotes from the Letters that described what was illustrated in the GN picture, as well as with quotes from Tamar's interview in the Zine , where she is giving the Lord all the glory for her art and explaining how much He likes to be involved in every picture that she draws and all the details.
4. The insinuation or the feeling you're left with when you watch this slideshow, with picture after picture that has been copied from System art either in whole or in part, alongside quotes from the visions or prophecies received, is that prophecy is fake, a product of someone's imagination. The underlying message is‚ "Because the pictures are copies of another artist's work, how can the prophecies be true?" Several of you have written us asking for prayer, because your faith was shaken when you saw this presentation, wondering if the spirit helpers and demons the Lord has revealed to us, as well as other spiritual concepts‚ were all just figments of someone's imagination, or worse yet, copied from some piece of art that in some cases isn't very godly or inspiring.
5. As convincing or clever as this slideshow may be, it's nothing more than an outright attack on our faith. It insinuates that:
1) The prophecies and visions in the GNs are made up, based on pictures someone saw previous to the revelation.
2) The Family can't come up with anything original. We're second-class cheaters.
3) Tamar is fooling everyone when she gives all the glory to the Lord in her interview in the Zine.
And I'm sure it left you with other disappointed or discouraged feelings too.
Copying art is not new
6. There are several points that I want to bring out that I think will help give you a better understanding of the way things really are, and that might also help you understand some things about art and publications a little more.
7. First of all, yes, it's true that Tamar copies other art in many of her drawings. That might be disillusioning for you, but she is what's known as a copy artist. That's what her talent is--she copies or traces parts of other pieces of art and adapts them to suit the style and concept that she's illustrating, using her gifts to combine it all and make it a good representation of the message the Lord has given.
8. The concept of copying art--whether in ideas, style, presentation, or finer details--is not new. It's probably not something many of you think about, because you don't live with artists and see all that goes into their work. If we had more time, I would ask all our artists in WS to give you a glimpse into how they do their work, as each artist has strong and weak points. Some artists are very good with a certain style, but find another style practically impossible.
9. Most artists, even if they're not copy artists‚ use reference material of some sort or another--whether another artist's work, or photographs, or models, or whatever. In fact, there's a huge market for such materials on the Internet. If you do a web search on the term "artist reference," you'll find millions of hits, and many thousands of them are people selling photos, slides‚ reference books and guides and resources for artists. Some artists use more reference than others. Others need help and send their work to another artist to perfect whatever they have a hard time with--like hands, or hair, or body proportions, or animals, or intricate backgrounds, or whatever the case may be.
10. You might not realize this, but no artist is perfect or strong in every area of art, and many artists rely on help from others --either for the sake of speed or perfection. Even Michelangelo, for example, had whole schools of students that helped him with his great frescoes--not because he wasn't capable of painting them himself, but because with their help he was able to do many more.
11. For that matter, copying isn't particular to the art world. Musicians copy other songs and styles--even many of the great hymns of the past were copied from popular songs of their era. Writers copy ideas and writing styles from other writers. Movie makers copy concepts and characters and scenes from other movies. Architects copy the designs of their buildings from other architects. Web designers create replicas of other sites they've seen and like. Even industrial designers copy extensively from their peers, which is why it's often so hard to tell one model of car from another at first glance these days!
12. In order to do her work, Tamar uses reference --she looks for pictures that depict the body pose or the idea that she needs‚ and then she uses parts of those pictures, modifying the facial expressions, sometimes the outfits, sometimes the backgrounds, to match the description the Lord has given. It saves her a tremendous amount of time, and it illustrates the concept that the Lord has given and gets the job done.
The prophecies come first‚ and the art follows
13. But the fact that Tamar copies art is not really the problem. The main message that those who created the art slideshow are hoping to get across is that the prophecies and visions that are published in the GNs are false or a figment of someone's imagination.
14. There's a problem with that reasoning, however, because Tamar doesn't receive very many of the visions and prophecies that are depicted in her art. In fact, in that slideshow there were 38 pieces of her art displayed (out of the 136 GN covers and illustrations she's drawn in recent years), and in only three cases did she receive the vision that she wound up illustrating. All the rest were received by other channels--channels who are not artists, and who have never seen the reference that Tamar uses.
15. In every case, after I put the GNs together, Tamar searched for reference that was similar to what the channel had described. The prophecy or vision was given first, gone over by me, put in a GN, and then Tamar was given the job of illustrating the GN. So in all cases the prophecy came first, and afterwards she searched for reference that depicted what the channel had received.
16. In the case of the pictures of Pan and Bacchus, as you'll see later in Tamar's explanation, she had seen reference pictures in the past that the Lord brought back to her mind as He was showing her those demons, and He brought those pictures to life. The Lord explains how and why He chose to do that, and I think you'll find it interesting. But even then, she first received the prophecy, and then later when she was given the job of illustrating those demons, she looked up reference that matched what the Lord had given when she received the prophecy. However, as I said‚ in most cases she wasn't the one who received the original prophecy.
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17. (Jesus:) This is a storm that the Enemy has kicked up with the goal of discrediting My Word, but he will not win. It will test and try the faith of some, but that is all for the best. My children must be tested and tried, for great honor is to be theirs, and I must know who is worthy of it.
18. The Enemy is not only trying to discredit My Word, but he wants to preserve his evil forces. He's angry that his demons are being exposed and that a "face" is being put on them for My children to recognize and rebuke and actively fight. He's angry that you're learning so many concepts of the spirit that are going to spell such defeat for his kingdom of darkness. He's angry at My Words and he's trying to discredit My Words. But that's useless, because My Words are true, they work, and they have been proven over and over and over again, and will continue to be proven. So the lies will be exposed, and good will come of this. (End of message from Jesus.)
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Tamar's explanation and apology
19. (Mama:) I'll let Tamar explain a little bit here in her own words.
20. (Tamar:) Dear ones, I'm so sorry if my copying other artists' work has in any way caused you to doubt the veracity of the Lord's Words or visions. I can see how the presentation of this slideshow and the questions about my art could cause you to wonder‚ be left with questions, or even serious doubts. So I pray that this explanation will clear up your questions.
21. First of all‚ let me say that I'm what's known as a copy artist, which means to a large degree I lean on reference--in the form of photos and pictures from various sources--in composing and putting together my pictures. This is the talent the Lord's given me and the way I've drawn for many years now.
22. Of course, I feel that it would be wonderful if the Lord had given me the gift of literally being able to get "spirit drawings from Heaven," but with me that's not the case. To my way of thinking, the ideal would be to be able to draw completely freehand without the aid of photos, models or reference, but I've learned to accept and thank the Lord for the talent He has given me. It's a "lesser" talent, I know--and I've struggled with that and taken it to the Lord many times myself--but it's one which the Lord has always sweetly encouraged me that He can continue to use for His glory if I continue to yield to Him.
23. From my experience‚ almost every artist has reference material of some kind to help them in their work. It's particularly helpful in that it saves a great deal of time, which would otherwise be laboriously spent trying to draw something that you can't picture in your mind alone. The fact that other GN artists before me used reference and copied pictures from time to time, and the Lord was able to use those pictures for His glory, liberated me and encouraged me.
24. Prior to joining the Family, while attending art school‚ I learned how much copying was just part of life within the art and graphics world. Something was always a copy of something else. Copying was the norm--whether copying an idea, or part of a picture, or even a large part of a picture with just a small adaptation made. It was the accepted norm for many artists in the world. Prior to this I think I had somewhat of an idealistic view of art--that it all had to be totally original. Even the realization that top artists and designers use photos, models and other pictures was new to me. I was shocked that people actually did that. Now that broke my bottle, but once I realized this and took my unrealistic ideals regarding art off the pedestal I'd placed them on, that's when I felt encouraged that even my talent--however small--could be used and developed.
25. Anyway, back to the slideshow. Certain GN covers were presented, as well as the System art reference I copied for these covers. This is true; I copied those pictures. However, I was not the channel that received most of those visions or descriptions, with the exception of three. Because I was the channel who received the vision of Pan and Bacchus, I can see how this could cause doubt that the vision and pictures the Lord gave were real, particularly when portions of the vision are so close to what's depicted in the System reference material I used. That understandably would raise questions.
26. The Lord had already revealed to Mama through another message months earlier that Pan and Bacchus were fighting our youth. So the original revelation about them and the way they fight us had already been received. When the Lord showed Mama that it was time to get that revelation about those two demons out to the Family, she asked me to ask the Lord for a picture of them so that we could visualize them, as that often helps in being able to really fight them.
27. However, I want you, my dear Family, to know that when I sat down to pray and receive the Lord's descriptions of those demons, I was very desperate. I don't look forward to asking the Lord what demons look like; it's difficult for me, not to mention being a real step of faith to ask the Lord such things. Just as I always do when hearing from Him, I asked the Lord to clear my mind of anything but the pictures, descriptions and words that He wanted to give me. And those are the pictures I saw when I prayed--those same System reference pictures I had long ago stored away in my reference directory. I had last seen those pictures at least a year or a year and a half before receiving the vision of these demons. I did not look at those pictures prior to receiving this prophecy assignment or praying, nor did I refer to them throughout the vision and prophecy I received.
28. Now why the Lord chose to bring those pictures to my mind as a description of Pan and Bacchus, I don't know. I just described what I was seeing, and those pictures literally became reality--not just a picture on paper anymore. At the time I simply trusted the Lord that He knew what He was doing in showing me a description of these demons that was very similar to those particular reference pictures that I had seen before. In the past, the Lord has told us that demons can take on many different forms. When Mama had someone ask the Lord about this, He explained that He chose to make things easy for me by recalling and using these particular pictures as a good starting point for the depiction and description of these demons--something which would be easy and quick for me to translate from concept to paper.
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The Lord uses what we know to explain or illustrate what we don't know
29. (Mama:) I was curious as to why the Lord would bring those pictures to her mind. Of course‚ when the Lord speaks to us‚ He will often bring things to mind that we know--verses from the Bible, quotes from Dad, experiences that we can relate to--and He uses those as part of His message. He even sometimes uses things that we might not consider so spiritual, such as advertising slogans, stories or songs from the world, and even pictures from System sources.
30. Remember Dad's vision of the goddesses? (ML #224, Vol.2). He was looking at a photo from Playboy magazine, and the picture seemed to come to life and give a message from the goddess of America, which inspired Dad to give a message on reaching the American young people. So it's not that unusual for the Lord to draw from our experiences or surroundings to give us new insights and understanding. But I was curious and thought you might be too, so we checked, and here's what He said:
31. (Jesus:) I brought those pictures to Tamar's mind because they were a fairly accurate description of these demons --although, as I told you, they take on many forms. Most demons can take on many forms, but because you're not yet in the spirit world, it's easier for you to picture them, grasp their reality and really rebuke them when I describe them to you or give you a glimpse of how they look, even if it's not how they look all the time. That was the case with these two demons.
32. I searched through Tamar's mind and experiences for something that she could relate to, and then used that as a starting point, modifying the details that needed changing in order to be an accurate description of these two demons. If she had not had any experience or reference point that would have been a good starting point, I would have started from scratch to describe them. But usually when I need to give you a message or describe something to you‚ I will try to find something that you can relate it to‚ because that gives you faith to get started and often makes it easier for you to receive the message. (End of message from Jesus.)
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33. (Tamar:) I hope this helps explain these two particular pictures of Pan and Bacchus. I especially pray that it helps to resolve any doubts you might have regarding either the Lord's Words or the visions due to my having received the vision and then copied the very similar art reference. I know the Lord's Words are true because I've seen their fruit in my own life and because I've heard of their fruit in the lives of others. I know I'm human and I make mistakes, but when I ask bread of the Father in prophecy, I believe He's not going to give me a stone. I'm very sorry if my having used this System reference material in any way distracted or cast a shadow on the Lord's Words. If this has happened, I take the blame--something which is my responsibility alone to bear.
34. (Mama:) Please let this strengthen your faith, dear Family, not weaken it. The Lord's Words are true and I have confidence in Tamar's ability to hear from Him. It's up to you how you receive it, of course, and I know that's a test sometimes--one that the Lord allows, because He hopes it will strengthen you.
35. You know, Tamar didn't have to bring up the fact that she received the messages describing Pan and Bacchus and later drew the pictures of them. We didn't mention that in the original GN about them and we didn't have to mention it here. In fact, we knew some of you would have questions when we brought it up. But we wanted to be honest and open with you and explain how this happened, and when we checked with the Lord on this, He confirmed that it was a good idea and gave us the following wise counsel:
36. (Jesus:) This is an example of being honest even if it might not "bolster your case." You are truthfully explaining how things happen sometimes, and it can strengthen My brides' faith if they choose to see the spiritual realities at work. For some, it will cause questions, but even those can strengthen their faith if they'll bring them to Me. While everything would seem more uncomplicated without this example, sometimes I allow these things purposely‚ knowing the end result, because it will be a test for My children. I must allow tests. That's how you grow and how your faith is strengthened.
37. After that, it's up to people whether they want to believe My Words or the doubts of the Enemy, which he will be screaming in their ears, because he's about to be defeated. It's their call. That's what free choice, life on Earth‚ and tests of your faith are all about. You must decide. And it's in these kinds of situations that you really benefit if you've been obedient to remain in the Word and nurture your faith, because then these things will just roll like water off a duck's back. Whereas if your faith is weaker, it can be a much more painful struggle. (End of message from Jesus.)
(Mama:) If you're tempted to believe the apostates ' words and advice over God's Word and the things Peter and I have said over the last few years in many different GNs … then you'd be wise to ask the Lord why. If you are having a hard time believing His Word or certain specifics in His Word, then go to Him about it personally. If you're really serious about living for Jesus, then you've got to live His Word, because that's the basis of our faith. And how can you live His Word if you don't believe it? It's very important, folks! (ML #3458:17, GN 1043).
38. (Tamar:) It may help you to know that even though Mama and my teamworkers realize I am a copy artist and that I use reference for my work, they don't see what reference I use for the pictures, nor how much reference I use or copy. They also did not know that I was copying so extensively. My co-workers are not artists and are not familiar with the world of art reference. I work alone in my room, my reference is on my computer, and I've never been in the habit of displaying my reference or showing those I work with what reference material I use for my pictures. However, I do circulate the art ideas and finalized GN picture to people in Mama's Home and other units for their suggestions and input. Then Mama final approves the picture.
39. Just as I explained in my Zine interview‚ on every picture I ask the Lord for the idea, then I check in with Him and ask Him on each further step--including what reference I can use and what I need to change or adapt on the reference so that it carries His Spirit. Almost always--even when I'm copying a picture of a person's entire body or form--the Lord leads me to change the face or certain features, so that the picture has the right spirit. That's where the spirit is most often visibly captured--in the face, the eyes, and the countenance. So even though I use reference, I still faithfully take each piece of reference material--no matter how small--before the Lord, and ask Him if it's the right reference to use.
40. However, I know that there have been times where I have leaned on reference too much and more or less completely copied an existing System picture. This was my mistake, not Mama's or Peter's or anyone else's. As I said‚ Mama and those I work with aren't aware of what reference I use‚ or how much. Of course they trust that I'll be prayerful and discern what reference to use and what not to use. But in reality‚ the buck stops with me when it comes to what reference I use or how much of it.
41. So my prayer is that despite any mistake or blame factor here--of my going overboard in the use of reference and copying pictures--you won't allow this to steal your faith in the truth of His Words or wonder why Mama allowed me to copy System reference. As I mentioned, Mama isn't involved in the reference aspect, but certainly when it comes time for her to approve a picture, she is very attuned and gifted in discerning any discrepancies or ways in which a picture could send the wrong signal, or doesn't accurately portray the Lord's Words, or doesn't convey enough of the Lord's Spirit.
42. In retrospect, I know I crossed the line in copying too much. I've always been insecure about my gift and felt I didn't do a very good job all on my own, so I've sometimes defaulted to using reference automatically--whereas I know the Lord wants me to have more faith and to expand and grow and reach out for His power to work in me more fully. I'm very sorry if my leaning on this crutch has caused your faith to be hurt. I also should have given credit where credit was due when a picture was a complete copy. I do pray this explanation helps and answers any questions you may have.
43. Now you see how much I need your prayers. It's a priceless privilege to illustrate the Lord's Words, and every day I thank our dear Husband for this very special place of service and this calling He's given me. But it's also a responsibility, one that I feel the weight of. I don't take that responsibility lightly or casually. In fact, I think this ministry has gotten me more desperate than I've ever been in my whole life. The greatest desire of my heart is to do the very best I can in illustrating the Lord's Words, and my desire is to give you, my dear Family, the very best representation and portrayal of His Words that I can. Please pray that I can continue to do and be all that the Lord wants me to do and be. (End of note from Tamar.)
The Enemy's attempts to discredit the Word
44. (Mama:) We're not really worried that Tamar copied some art. It was a mistake in some cases to copy so much or to not to give the original artist credit, and we will remedy that. In some cases the art she was copying was drawn by an artist who emphasized the dark side. As Tamar explained earlier, we weren't aware of the reference she was using, and she takes responsibility for that. In some cases it was necessary, because the picture needed to depict demons and the evils of the Enemy, and in other cases it wasn't. In the future she will use more inspiring reference when possible.
45. While she's going to use more positive reference when she can, there will still be times she'll need to use the ugly stuff in order to get the job done. The Lord commends her for being willing to wade through the uninspiring reference when necessary, and spend the needed time getting cleaned up afterwards.
46. (Jesus:) Be thankful that your dear artist has been willing to wade through the uninspiring reference to find the pictures that help to depict these unpleasant spiritual realities. It's not fun, and it wasn't good or uplifting for her spirit, but she did it for you. And because she was faithful to seek Me for My protection, and to spend time with Me afterwards cleansing her spirit, I didn't allow it to affect her permanently. But still, it's a dirty job to look at unpleasant works of art that depict spiritual realities of the dark side.
47. So pray for those like your artists, media teams, shepherds and others, who, as part of their job for whatever reason, must at times wade through things that are unpleasant and uninspiring. All of you must be mindful of this to a certain extent, for, like "Dirty Dishes," you all have to sometimes get dirty in order to witness and be My light in the dark places. And I commend you for your willingness to do it for Me. (End of message from Jesus.)
48. (Mama:) In the future, she will use more inspiring reference when possible, and in all cases she will continue to ask the Lord to give the picture His light and Spirit, and He certainly has anointed her to portray that. So please, dear Family, don't let Tamar's use of System reference material stumble you or become a big deal to you.
49. What should be a big deal to you, however, is that the Enemy is trying to discredit the Word. That's his purpose. He's out to attack your faith. I'm sorry that you have to go through these tests. But the Enemy is fighting, and will continue to fight. He'll continue to come up with brilliant plans, façades and mirages that could throw you for a loop if your faith is shaky or if you're looking to man instead of to the Lord, or trying to figure things out and have everything make sense in the physical‚ rather than in the spirit. The Lord said:
50. (Jesus:) This attack by your enemies doesn't faze Me--if it wasn't this, it would be something else. Nevertheless, I am the Victor. That is already decided. I already suffered on the cross and rose again, defeating the worst powers of evil. I'm not worried about the outcome.
