I had my father pose for this picture. The gun, in conjunction with the crucifix on the wall and the Jesus and Mary figurines make a statement which can be interpreted in several different ways.

What immediately comes to mind is despair and maybe even suicide. Definitely a sin. There are those who would consider hunting or any use of a gun violent and sinful. There are those who would consider my creating this photograph a sin of disrespect for holy symbols.

My father was a non-Catholic in my strict Catholic home. He never went to church and let my mother dictate how we were to be raised (strictly Catholic). So, is he a sinner for not going to Mass? People would differ on that point. Is it a sin to be an atheist, as my father was?

Some might consider me sacriligious for creating this image. My mother's anger at my father for not going to Mass is a sin, according to the Catholic Church. In the microcasm of my own family, and probably in all families everywhere, we're all sinners, each and every one of us. It all depends on who is making the call and their point of view.