LONDON, U.K, March 8, 2001: William Dowsing arrived in Cambridge in December, 1643, filled with Puritan zeal, determined to smash the lingering reminders of the old Roman Catholic faith. A similar determination inspired the Taleban in Afghanistan to destroy ancient images of the Buddha, horrifying the world. “Images, symbols, whether religious or not, always attract violence when there is conflict because religious symbols are more densely packed with meaning,” said Carlos Eire, professor of religious studies at Yale University. Iconoclasm marked the Protestant Reformation in Europe. In the eighth century, there was conflict in the Eastern Church over the use of icons. Christian iconoclasts have drawn inspiration from parts of the Bible which condemn idols and images. Dowsing had the authority of the British Parliament which had enacted an ordinance “for demolishing …monuments of superstition and idolatry” regardless of value of art or history.
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