inappropriate and disrespectful?

Nick the Pilot

Nick the Pilot

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Poster of naked Virgin Mary sparks unholy row - Yahoo! Canada News

WELLINGTON (AFP) - A church billboard showing an apparently naked Virgin Mary and Joseph in bed together has sparked the ire of conservative Christians in New Zealand.

On the poster a sad-looking Joseph lies next to Mary, whose face is turned heavenwards under the words: "Poor Joseph. God was a hard act to follow."

The billboard was erected outside the progressive St Matthew-in-the-City Anglican church in Auckland on Thursday.

St Matthews' vicar, Archdeacon Glynn Cardy, said the billboard was meant to challenge stereotypes about the way Jesus was conceived.

In the bible, the Virgin Mary becomes pregnant after an angel appears to her and tells her she will give birth to the son of God.

Cardy said the billboard was meant to challenge literal interpretations of the Bible.

"It is intended to challenge stereotypes about the way that Jesus was conceived and get people talking about the Christmas story," he said.

Conservative Christians have criticised the billboard as offensive.

Auckland Catholic Diocese spokeswoman Lyndsay Freer said the poster was disrespectful to the church.

"Our Christian tradition of 2,000 years is that Mary remains a virgin and that Jesus is the son of God, not Joseph," Freer told the New Zealand Herald.

"Such a poster is inappropriate and disrespectful."

One protester was so incensed, just hours after the unveiling of the poster, he climbed on top of his car and covered the images of Joseph and Mary with brown paint.
 
I don't have an issue with it. Of course I didn't personally have an issue with the Mohamed caricatures.

And I know none of the Christians who couldn't understant the uproar of the other pics by the Muslims would have any uproar about this.

That being said, I do believe offense is determined by those that are offended. And that this poster was done to spark discussion and offend.

In that case, it is highly succesful.
 
Comedy is rarely seen as respectful to those who find themselves at the butt-end of the joke.

Personally, I could think of better ways to challenge peoples' assumptions.
 
IMO it is a crude way to poke fun.
Certainly done to offend.

But for those idiots who think that Mary was some kind of eternal virgin.....what about Jesus's brothers?
 
I think it's funny :/ End of the day humour... And if you don't like it and it offends you. Just turn the other cheek and don't look at it, you have free will right? :)


"One protester was so incensed, just hours after the unveiling of the poster, he climbed on top of his car and covered the images of Joseph and Mary with brown paint."

Ah destruction of art.... Beautiful. Let's burn books next.
 
shawn said:
IMO it is a crude way to poke fun.
Certainly done to offend.

But for those idiots who think that Mary was some kind of eternal virgin.....what about Jesus's brothers?
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But I'd say Joseph was more productive than God. Jesus had four brothers and at least two sisters, if I remember right. Which means:

Joseph 6, God 1

Go Joe!
 
Dondi said:
But I'd say Joseph was more productive than God. Jesus had four brothers and at least two sisters, if I remember right. Which means:
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Namaste Dondi,

I've got to admire you for your ability to look at the humor. I did not expect it.

But now that you started allow me to join the fray...
Dondi said:
Joseph 6, God 1

Go Joe![/
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yes but G!d created Jesus the Christ, how many books were written about the others?

So I'll agree with your score with a simple 'correction'

Joseph 6, G!d won.

We give Joe an honorable mention for effort...and compassion, understanding and forgiveness.
 
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This billboard and the person trying to get attention is stupid. It is disrespectful to Christianity. It also foolishly implies that the Holy Spirit and Mary had sex and she enjoyed it. That is blasphemous to the Spirit of God.
 
Not being Christian myself my reaction to the story of this kind of thing is problematic when people complain about it..

because then it gets posted in a lot of places and people discuss it where if it was ignored it would not get the publicity..

Are there inappropriate and disrespectful representations around.. ?

Yes indeed especially on the internet these days.

What can be done to stop them? Nada..Zit ... Nadie nunca..

So my advice is to ignore it and simply move on.

- Art :)
 
arthra said:
Not being Christian myself my reaction to the story of this kind of thing is problematic when people complain about it..

because then it gets posted in a lot of places and people discuss it where if it was ignored it would not get the publicity..

Are there inappropriate and disrespectful representations around.. ?

Yes indeed especially on the internet these days.

What can be done to stop them? Nada..Zit ... Nadie nunca..

So my advice is to ignore it and simply move on.

- Art :)
Click to expand...
Wonderful advice...what we resist persists....
 
Well the Catholics are going to freak out because they have sex hangups to being with. And the conservative Christians are going to take offense because they are the other group of Biblical literalists whom this billboard was said to be targeting. But I think the words of the vicar, Archdeacon Cardy, need to be taken into consideration. He clearly states what the purpose of the billboard was, and these are the people who put the thing up ... a progressive, CHRISTIAN church. {imagine that} :)

But then, not everyone wants to be progressive, or to be made to THINK.

Yes folks, in the animal kingdom there are virgin births. Read up on the Komodo dragon if you're interested in that sort of thing.

Why on earth the church found it necessary to bungle things up and present us with a VIRGIN giving birth, some will continue to puzzle, while others just swallow the myth whole hog. Thus, indeed it is true for some that ANYONE who dares to challenge, and asks them to THINK about what they believe, is an automatic enemy. Pity really.

Here is some interesting food for thought (but please, remember to CHEW, even if you do decide to pick bones):
"The ideas of the Virgin Mary in orthodox Christianity have been taken over from the pagans, as for example from the mother in the triad which heads all cosmogonies of the countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea (Isis, Juno, etc.). The word Mary from the Hebrew would seem etymologically cognate with the Latin mare (sea); the Hebrew word meaning bitter, and the sea likewise being bitter it is also cognate with other words meaning water, as in the Jewish expression, the waters of space, or the feminine productive principle." (Encyclopedic Theosophical Glossary)
​
 
taijasi said:
Well the Catholics are going to freak out because they have sex hangups to being with. And the conservative Christians are going to take offense because they are the other group of Biblical literalists whom this billboard was said to be targeting. But I think the words of the vicar, Archdeacon Cardy, need to be taken into consideration. He clearly states what the purpose of the billboard was, and these are the people who put the thing up ... a progressive, CHRISTIAN church. {imagine that} :)

But then, not everyone wants to be progressive, or to be made to THINK.

Yes folks, in the animal kingdom there are virgin births. Read up on the Komodo dragon if you're interested in that sort of thing.

Why on earth the church found it necessary to bungle things up and present us with a VIRGIN giving birth, some will continue to puzzle, while others just swallow the myth whole hog. Thus, indeed it is true for some that ANYONE who dares to challenge, and asks them to THINK about what they believe, is an automatic enemy. Pity really.

Here is some interesting food for thought (but please, remember to CHEW, even if you do decide to pick bones):
"The ideas of the Virgin Mary in orthodox Christianity have been taken over from the pagans, as for example from the mother in the triad which heads all cosmogonies of the countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea (Isis, Juno, etc.). The word Mary from the Hebrew would seem etymologically cognate with the Latin mare (sea); the Hebrew word meaning bitter, and the sea likewise being bitter it is also cognate with other words meaning water, as in the Jewish expression, the waters of space, or the feminine productive principle." (Encyclopedic Theosophical Glossary)
​
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Well, this follower of Jesus agrees with you, as do many, many Christians who are not hung up on the virginity of Mary.

Besides, the New Testament, which is supposedly the source of information for Christian doctrine, makes it clear that Jesus had siblings. This appeared lately in Our Daily Bread, a devotional booklet from the [Christian] Radio Bible Class:


Jesus was called Mary's firstborn son (Luke 2:7) because Jesus had other siblings (Matt. 12:46; Mark 3:31; Luke 8:19; John 2:12). He had four brothrs -- James, Joses, Simon and Judas. He also had sisters, although we do not know how many or what their names were (Matt. 13:55-56; Mark 6:3). His siblings did not believe at first that he was the Messiah (John 7:5). In fact, they thought he was insane (Mark 3:21). But after his death and resurrection, his brothers were seen praying with the disciples (Acts 1:14). And James, to whom the resurrected Christ personally appeared, (I Cor. 15:7), eventually became a leader ithe Jerusalem church (Acts 15:3; Gal. 2:9). He also wrote the epistle of James
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Yes, I've heard the [very lame] argument that the word translated "brothers" really ment "cousins." Right. :cool:

Jai Ram
Art


 
Some people find it both desirable and easy to stir up other people's beliefs for self promotional purposes.

And in this case, as so many others, it's worked.

Obvisouly they were very aware of the potential for creating attention around themselves at the church involved. :)
 
I remember a comedian talking about the issue of whether Jesus had brothers: "Wouldn't it suck to be Jesus's brother? Can't you just imagine Mary saying: Why can't you be more like Jesus? He never sins! And he has disciples that follow him, what have you got?"
 
I am indifferent to the poster. I don't find it hilarious, but neither am I offended.

The idea that Mary remained a virgin forever boggles my mind.

And the idea that sex is somehow a bad thing and shouldn't be poked fun at or mentioned is also odd to me. Sex is holy. And it is humorous. It's not like these are incompatible elements of life.

Christian history is replete with imagery of marital union between God and humanity, Christ and the church. It's a metaphor with deep significance, I think- choosing betrothal as the conceptualization of union with God rather than only parentage or another close and intimate human relationship. My 2 cents.
 
Geez louise, lesbians have babies all the time these days and lots of them have never known a man.....just the divine turkey baster.:eek:
Maybe we should look at these kids as being "special":rolleyes:
It is just a plausible that this "ahem" "angel" was not as divine as he posed as....very likely some kind of extraterrestrial intervention.
That is just a plausible as some kind of "spiritual" insemination, which IMO is ridiculous.
 
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