MoFo's Religion

I'd say it depends on the picture. If it's just Jesus laughing, then no, in my opinion there's nothing inherently offensive about it. If he's flashing a big cartoonish grin, then yeah, it might be, especially considering that raising people's ire is really the only reason to create such an image.

In my mind, this is all pretty straightforward if you treat it like anything else that people may find serious. Various people think that various things are somber, and should be treated with respect. They are therefore offended when these things are treated flippantly. What's so hard to understand about that?

Well, there's no giant meeting of all the world's Christians, so, inevitably, we're going to have different opinions about these sorts of things from time to time.

Actually, at first I couldn't understand how anyone could be offended by that picture. Then I remembered that if there is something that religious christians take more seriously than Christianity it is things that could be the tiniest bit offensive towards Christianity. I think that someone who experience that picture as offensive probably shouldn't surf the Net. Nor go out. And, btw, the majority of buddhists as opposed to some christians, it seems, are practical people. And with a sense of humour as well. I'm pretty sure they would laugh at a feathered fedora on Buddha, what the hell ever that is.

Jeez..... It's not like J's got a fork up his ass or something... At first I actually thought you were being sarcastic with your post, Chris. But then I read the next one...

Hmm... You mean the "Buddy Jesus" image is racist?

I'm not exactly laughing my ass off so I guess I don't understand the controversy in the first place. I guess I would have to live in a country where Christianity still plays a significant part for many people while other people wish it didn't and therefore finds pictures like that one funny.

What I think is funny is that no one knows what Jesus looked like so it wouldn't matter in what way anyone decides to depict him - serious or gay. It's a question of interpretation, right?

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The novelist does not long to see the lion eat grass. He realizes that one and the same God created the wolf and the lamb, then smiled, "seeing that his work was good".

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They had temporarily escaped the factories, the warehouses, the slaughterhouses, the car washes - they'd be back in captivity the next day but now they were out - they were wild with freedom. They weren't thinking about the slavery of poverty. Or the slavery of welfare and food stamps. The rest of us would be all right until the poor learned how to make atom bombs in their basements.

I didn't find it offensive I just saw it as someone's attempt to attract maybe young people to religion, making religion look as if it could be fun. The Church in Australia is really missing a lot of young people as they see it as boring

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Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.
Buddha

They're one and the same; someone who takes Christianity seriously is obviously going to take things mocking it seriously. Isn't this to be expected?

I imagnie Buddhists would vary on the appropriateness of the joke in the same way Christians might.

Regardless, just about everyone has a few things they deem too serious to joke about, even practical people with a broad sense of humor. The only thing that sets Christians apart in this instance, then, is whether or not Jesus Christ is one of those things.

No, I wasn't being sarcastic. I also wasn't claiming to be offended. Truth be told, I'm not quite sure what I think of the whole "Buddy Jesus" thing. But I'm not amazed that some people find it offensive, either.

Nope. Just disrespectful; and deliberately so. It's making fun of something simply because some people don't think it should be made fun of.

I find it hard to believe that someone would have to live in a predominantly Christian country to understand this issue. Neither of us live in a predominantly Muslim country, and neither of us is black, but I'm sure we can both understand why certain cinematic stereotypes, for example, bother each group of people.

Completely true. We can probably assume that he was very dark skinned, and I believe there's a passage in The Bible which indicates that he wasn't much to look at, but that's about it.

I have to agree with Yoda on this one. However, that's one reason why it's funny (the fact that people get so offended). The same applies to stuff besides Jesus but, the fact that anyone can get offended by something as simple as that just makes the entire thing so silly. So yea, I totally can see why someone would get offended but honestly, I just really don't care.

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"This is that human freedom, which all boast that they possess, and which consists solely in the fact, that men are conscious of their own desire, but are ignorant of the causes whereby that desire has been determined." -Baruch Spinoza

I understand - people get offended by something they think is mocking something they believe in. And the intention of "Buddy Jesus" is to offended those people who get offended, and to make those who find it funny that people find it offensive laugh.

Just don't think making lite of a Saviour who died for my sins (and the worlds for that matter) is in good taste. I think some things in life should be held as sacred, this being one of these, but then again if you don't believe in Christ or what He taught or knew the sacrifice He made then it wouldn't bother you to make lite of that sacrifice, or to poke fun.

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"Aim high, it costs no more to shoot at eagles then it does to shoot at skunks"

Oh yes, I'm so grateful for his sacrifice for the sins I hadn't even committed yet. And don't even get me started on original sin because man, Jesus was a great guy.

I'm glad that picture was able to spur such a lively conversation.

For me, that picture is both hilarious and capable of being offensive. It represents the way religion is caught between remaining traditional and current. Christmas comes to mind. That whole tradition has become commercialized. It's a matter of time before something like "Buddy Christ" is used to compete with other religions, like Scientology. If cheap marketing gimmicks can work in the competition between Coke and Pepsi, why wouldn't someone want to apply them to religion? Of course it's sac religious, but so was working on Sunday.

"I told those f_cks down at the league office a thousand times that I don't roll on Shabbos!" - Walter, The Big Lebowski

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Held sacred to who? I am a christian and although I am not a practicing one or a religious person I think Jesus was allright. A whole lot more allright than most christians as a matter of fact. You are right, the figure obviously is offensive to some people, including you. That doesn't mean that you can't produce such figures, only that you have to be careful about where you post pictures of them. You would think that a forum about film where pretty much everything goes would be ok - but apparently there's one or a couple of individuals here as well who took offense. I don't know, but my guess is that you're a massive minority. So, since no one's attacking christians or christianity (because no one is) I think perhaps that you just as well as others could show some tolerance.

Yeah, what's worse really? To a devoted christian, I mean. Is the way we celebrate Christmas not further away from what Jesus was about than that smiling figure?

It's similar to the sex vs. violence debate within film. A naked guy is much much worse to the moral guards than people shooting the heads off each other.

To me that figure isn't making fun of Jesus. If it's making fun of anything it is of the christians who actually use Jesus and his message for commercial purposes. The figure is ironic to me, but there's nothing ironic about smiling preachers who want you and your money in their church.

Well, I don't care if it rains or freezes,
Long as I have my plastic Jesus
Riding on the dashboard of my car
Through all trials and tribulations,
We will travel every nation,
With my plastic Jesus I'll go far.

Where did my signature go?

[edit]There it is again! Strange....

Yeah great as in God manifested into man.

Yea, never quite understood that one. What is it? Is he not powerful enough up there in his omnipresent form? Why with the meat machine? Are we to assume humans are more powerful so he chose that form to do his work?

Why can't we think of Jesus as the party animal he was?

Because he was the perfect man. Only, he really wasn't a man. Yea, I know; doesn't make sense. Don't look at me, I'm not the one that came up with the story.

First, I don't want to come off as rude, but it's not a story. It was real. I am sure you didn't mean it like that just wanted to clarify it. Second, He had to be in human form to fulfill Gods plan for the redemption of man. I don't know if you read the Bible or what you think of it, but we all know that man is a sinner(Rom. 3:23 For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.). Ever since the fall of Adam and Eve sin has existed. There is a penalty for the sin we commit (Rom. 6:23a For the wages of sin is death,) What is this death? It is an eternal separation from God and to torment in Hell for eternity. So God doesn't wish that any should perish ( 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.). So in order for man to be able to get to heaven he needed a mediator, or a go between if you will, and that was Christ Jesus. Who lived a perfect sinless life (as you stated) and took upon the sins of the world on the cross. Therefore the debt for sin has been paid and given freely to all who accept the free gift of salvation.

Yes, I'm sure it was too.

No, I meant it like that.

Geeh, my guess was correct then.

Hot dog!!!

Doesn't sound bad to me.

OK then, don't let us.

That makes God a weakling, but I'm becoming redundant.

Wow, he did all that by dieing on a stick of wood? He's even greater then I thought!!!

lol you kill me John!

Its not working

It's the source material, it just makes it way too easy.

But honestly now, I'm ready for a civil discussion.