"Poor Joseph. God was a hard act to follow."

[kai]

The large poster depicts a dejected-looking Joseph lying next to Mary, whose eyes are turned heavenwards, under the words: "Poor Joseph. God was a hard act to follow."



Archdeacon Glynn Cardy said the billboard was intended to lampoon the literal interpretation of the Christmas conception story "and that somehow this male God impregnated Mary".
"What we're trying to do is to get people to think more about what Christmas is all about," he said.
"We actually think God is about the power of love as shown in Jesus, which is something quite different than a literal man up in the sky."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/new...poster-showing-Mary-and-Joseph-after-sex.html


what do you think?

 

[kiwimac]

I know Glynn, fine man & St. Matthews in the city is a fine church. I like the billboard, it challenges assumptions.

 

[Storm]

I think it crosses the line from pointed satire to mean-spirited taunting.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I think it crosses the line from pointed satire to mean-spirited mockery.

Does the fact that the billboard was produced by a Christian church factor into your assessment?

 

[Storm]

Does the fact that the billboard was produced by a Christian church factor into your assessment?

No, just makes it a little more bizarre. People in glass houses, etc..

Archdeacon Glynn Cardy said the billboard was intended to lampoon the literal interpretation of the Christmas conception story "and that somehow this male God impregnated Mary".
"What we're trying to do is to get people to think more about what Christmas is all about," he said.
"We actually think God is about the power of love as shown in Jesus, which is something quite different than a literal man up in the sky."

To elaborate, I think the intended message was good, but will be completely missed due to the attitude.

 

[Mikael]

...and Joseph, appearently, was so insulted that he left and never came back. Poor him...

 

[Quagmire]

I think it crosses the line from pointed satire to mean-spirited taunting.

I agree. To me it looks like some Catholics taking a shot at Protestantism.

It would be about the same thing if Protestants put up a billboard with Jesus talking to (say) Peter inside a Catholic church with Peter pointing at the confessional and asking, "Hey Boss! When did we start out-sourcing"?

 

[Tiapan]

I think its hilarious.

Cheers

 

[Storm]

I think its hilarious.

Well, yeah. But the hypocrisy overrides that, for me.

 

[Cobblestones]

Archdeacon Glynn Cardy said the billboard was intended to lampoon the literal interpretation of the Christmas conception story "and that somehow this male God impregnated Mary".

I fail to see how moving away from a literal incarnation can in any way help people understand Christianity. It's rather central to the whole religion, isn't it? I mean, if there was no literal incarnation then the whole idea of the Trinity is bunk and the whole idea of Christ, God the Son, suffering to reconcile man to God is pointless.

We actually think God is about the power of love as shown in Jesus, which is something quite different than a literal man up in the sky.

Just what does this group hope to gain? If they want to say that Christianity is about love and they do so by removing the central doctrine of the incarnation then aren't they in fact heretics? Is this a Unitarian church?

I don't know, man, it seems really weird to me. Bagging on Joseph seems the wrong way to go about making your point. Personally, Joseph is one of my favorite people in the Bible story because he did took on a responsibility that was not his and protected a woman who, under Jewish law, ought to have been stoned. And you know the neighbors talked and blamed him for knocking Mary up. That people are still talking bad about such an honorable person is, to me, simply evidence of sheer ignorance and blatant disregard for one of the few men in the whole Bible who is in fact worthy of honor.

 

[Smoke]

I think it crosses the line from pointed satire to mean-spirited taunting.

Why? Who's being taunted?

I agree. To me it looks like some Catholics taking a shot at Protestantism.

Look again. It was put up by a Protestant church and denounced by a Catholic spokesman.

 

[Quagmire]

Why? Who's being taunted?

Look again. It was put up by a Protestant church and denounced by a Catholic spokesman.

I didn't say it was a perfect metaphor.

 

[Storm]

Why? Who's being taunted?

Does it matter? They obviously thought someone would be upset by it.

 

[slave2six]

Does it matter? They obviously thought someone would be upset by it.

Pretty pathetic when religious people resort to shock-marketing. Seems to me that the Biblical Jesus would have had some pretty awful things to say about these kinds of religious people. In fact, I can't think of any time that he didn't take a shot at the religious institutions in those stories.

I wonder of modern day Christians realize this.

 

[gnomon]

First, let me just get this part out of my system.

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

Okay.

Now, I agree with Cardy's idea to get the literalism out of Christianity. After reading books about fundamentalists, The Family and Dominionists lately I'm ready for almost anything within the community itself to challenge such mentalities.

But given the obvious reaction it would probably be better to find a better advert. Someone's going to get hurt. Probably by hurting themselves trying to deface the thing.

Personally, I think it's brilliant. The Virgin Mary mythology and the deification of Mary is perhaps the one of the most useless holdovers in my opinion that detracts more from the overall point of the story of Jesus than adding anything. That a Catholic Church had the audacity to do this is great.

Oh well.

Bwahahaha!

Oh, silly humans.

 

[Cobblestones]

That a Catholic Church had the audacity to do this is great.

I don't think it was a Catholic church. I couldn't imagine any Catholic church defacing Marian theology. They'd certainly get the Vatican's panties in a bundle, wouldn't they?

I never understood the obsession with Mary's uterus or the idea of the perpetual virgin. First off, wouldn't that make her a prime candidate to feed to the dragon? And secondly, isn't the union between a husband and a wife a "holy" act according to the Church? So what's so wrong with Joe gettin' some? Wouldn't that encourage infidelity if he was denied?

 

[gnomon]

I don't think it was a Catholic church. I couldn't imagine any Catholic church defacing Marian theology. They'd certainly get the Vatican's panties in a bundle, wouldn't they?

I never understood the obsession with Mary's uterus or the idea of the perpetual virgin. First off, wouldn't that make her a prime candidate to feed to the dragon? And secondly, isn't the union between a husband and a wife a "holy" act according to the Church? So what's so wrong with Joe gettin' some? Wouldn't that encourage infidelity if he was denied?

You're right. I misread it. It was an Anglican Church. My mistake.

 

[Falvlun]

I never understood the obsession with Mary's uterus or the idea of the perpetual virgin. First off, wouldn't that make her a prime candidate to feed to the dragon? And secondly, isn't the union between a husband and a wife a "holy" act according to the Church? So what's so wrong with Joe gettin' some? Wouldn't that encourage infidelity if he was denied?

?
It is common understanding among Christians that Jesus had half-brothers. Thus, I don't think even Catholics believe that Mary was always a virgin. Just when Jesus was born she was.

 

[Rain Drops]

Emotionally immature people will love it.

Just another thing 'Marketing' people are doing to destroy culture and decency.

Now what other faiths can we mock today?

The 12 year old (Emotional Maturity Age) Atheists are loving this one.

 

[gnomon]

Emotionally immature people will love it.

Just another thing 'Marketing' people are doing to destroy culture and decency.

Now what other faiths can we mock today?

The 12 year old (Emotional Maturity Age) Atheists are loving this one.

I guess that's why a religious group set the billboard up.

Or it could possibly be that the numerous people who flock to every water stain or bun that reminds them of the Virgin Mary to seek healing are the ones who need to be reading the billboard.

But hey.......I'm lovin' it.

Emotionally immature, arrogant, supposedly has some sort of mythology atheistic jerk right here.

Hope a mod doesn't hit me for dissing myself.