What to do with a nativity set created by a pedophile?

Would she really feel comfortable selling/giving it to someone who did not know the set's origin? Would she really feel comfortable selling/giving it to someone who did know the set's origin and wanted it anyway?

"Hey, we've got a nativity set painted by a proven pedophile! Anyone want to bid a little extra for it? It's for charity!" Am I the only person who finds this creepy? I also find the idea of smashing up some inanimate object because someone who had something to do with its creation had done something bad to someone else, and a totally different person did something similarly bad to ~you~ to be.. odd. I mean.. if he'd helped detail a car, would you think someone would want to smash ~that~ up because he'd done some painting on it?

it is a symbol of lies, painted holiness, false purity. it's not the same as other things he may have created, because it's ment to be a symbol of divinity, holiness , light. if she is troubled by this object for what it represents, she may want to purge the object , lay it bare for what it is. is it made of wood, or plastic, metal , ceramic? to simply smash it would not truly unmask what it represents. what it represents is a wolf in sheep's clothing. this item is powerful psychologically to those who feel victimized in that manner, to blow that off is a mistake. i'm not sure what i would do in her shoes, but i think removing the paint might be a good place to start, using paint thinner or some other solvent, or simply setting up a burn pit for the object. it may seem foolish , but once the artful mask has been removed, seeing the clumsy material it's made of with out it's serene depiction of devotion, maybe it will help to disassociate the actions of the priest, from the idea of the nativity. i know that this may seem an strange approach, but i thought i would mention it. hope she can find the best thing that fits for her.

I second the idea of removing the paint and re-painting it. It's sort of symbolic and might be more therapeutic than smashing -- undoing something that is generally accepted as permanent, then repairing damage that is in some ways irreparable. If only we could really go back in time to undo these sorts of things. Besides which, if she sells the set after repainting it, she will be selling something that isn't tainted, at least not in the same way. And even if she doesn't reveal its history, it would be good for her to know. Alternately, she could ask a clergyman/woman she trusts to repaint the set.

I want to thank everyone for answering. To answer some of the questions brought up: The friend doesn't believe the set itself is evil, but she wants it out of the house because she is creeped out by it being there. Sure we all probably have something in the house created by a criminal. But we don't know what thing, or who it was created by. This was created by a priest in her church, and the thought of touching something he touched, with hands that touched others in horrible ways, is too much for her to handle. She didn't spend time figuring out who it was. She just noticed some initials and a year carved into the bottom of a piece, and the information just clicked. I think the idea of selling it on ebay, to someone who won't know what the initials on the bottom stand for is the best solution.

She should just give it away if it's really bothering her but possibly learn something important in the meantime. Paint is not pedophilia, the objects are just physical objects, they hold no power in themselves, they're just chunks of wood (or whatever they're made of), the man's spirit does not live in them. Is ascribing power to these things not akin to breaking the 'no graven images' commandment which warns against believing in the mystical power of mere things, a sort of worship of material objects, believing there's more to them than there is? Worth considering may be Paul's lesson to the Corinthians about eating meat sacrificed to false gods. He said there was no danger because the sacrificial ritual added nothing whatsoever, no power, no meaning, nothing to the physical object. A piece of meat is just a piece of meat and if you know that, there's no harm. Unless you're doing it in the presence of someone 'weaker', lacking this understanding, and therefor vulnerable. IMO, she shouldn't repaint or scratch out initials, doing that might only reinforce the notion that the perp still needs to be faught physically, that he retains some sort of physical control or influence over children, which he doesn't in reality.

There is no inherent evil in the nativity set. Ebay it, sell it, or give it away, so that any inherent beauty can be appreciated. The more effort put into the object, the more power he still has as a molester. Get it, and him, out of her life. Moving towards forgiveness and understanding is a good ideal, but having an item so closely affiliated with a molester around is not a good idea.

1) Fire 2) Video camera 3) You Tube

I think she should do whatever she is most comfortable with. Terrible answer, I know, but people have strong feelings about pedophilia and I can see how the feelings can get transferred to an inanimate object. If it makes her feel better to smash it, then do it. Perhaps down the road she could explore her feelings about it, or not. I guess I don't have as much of a visceral anger reaction to sex offenders anymore since I began treating them. I guess I realized by talking to them that they aren't "monsters". They're people who have a bad problem and who did something (or a bunch of things) terrible that profoundly victimized others. Personally I'd probably keep the set - and then get involved in the prevention of child sexual abuse in a manner that might actually reduce its frequency. Smashing it certainly won't make that happen.