I don't consider myself to be especially prudish, I must admit the picture offends me, too. There doesn't seem to be any reason to include such an image unless the objective is to shock and offend.
But take a look at the picture and see what you think:
The company which included the picture in their publication has apologized, stating that the photo was included in textbooks due to "human error." I think it clearly demonstrated a serious error in judgment, but perhaps it should also stimulate us to do a bit of introspection. How do we treat others who come from a religious tradition different from our own? Do we treat them with the same sort of respect we want for ourselves?
I wonder: is it possible that the root of religious intolerance is confusion between wholehearted acceptance and complete indifference? Is religious bigotry caused by failure to recognize that it is possible to accept that someone's beliefs differ from our own without accepting their beliefs as our own?
What do you think?
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Well Sue, the picture itself is taken from those rather sugary Sacred Heart pictures so popular in Catholic homes, especially Irish. I'm not fond of them at all. The beer and the tobacco - well we know Jesus certainly drank wine, so I suppose beer, if it was around, He would have drunk that too. I'm pretty sure they didn't have tobacco, but I see no reason why He wouldn't have smoked that too. He spent a lot of time in the homes of "sinners" no doubt accepting all their hospitality.
ReplyDeleteThe picture is probably intended to offend, but in what way? Is it a jibe at those wicked drinking, smoking Catholics by an anti-Catholic? I just find it rather silly - like those horrible "modern" Jesuses that Sister Mary Martha has been showing us lately.
Yeah, Marion, I know. But it bothers me precisely because it seems to be designed to be offensive.
ReplyDeleteSad that some see this as "art".
ReplyDeleteMeh. Lots of things are designed to be offensive. Lots of things are bad art. Lots of things that are designed to be offensive are also bad art. Let's move on to focus on things that are good and wholesome and uplifting and not get too worked up about these things. Kind of like the fish-with-feet-Darwin symbol on people's cars or the swearing bumperstickers. I have no idea why people would want to represent themselves (and spend money and deface their vehicles in the process) by declaring what they are NOT or what they think is a finger in the eye to someoene else... but I don't need to engage their unhappiness, either. There is so much more out there to pay attention to than to devote mental bandwidth to people who just want to stir the pot.
ReplyDeleteIn answer to your last question--yes, absolutely! It's also possible to be genuinely interested in learning what the truth is about the beliefs of others without subscribing, or seeking to subscribe, to those beliefs.
ReplyDeleteMy mantra: "Understanding (acceptance) equals understanding. Agreement equals agreement. Understanding MAY, but doesn't necessarily, equal agreement."
I personally love my sacred heart pictures, but I understand not everyone does. Looking at that photo doesn't want to make me lash out on whoever made it or printed it, but it makes me stop and thing - not so much about those "wicked drinking and smoking Catholics" because there are other organized religions who practice bad habits and more, but it makes me think of all they hypocritial Christians who claim to have the direct line to God when in fact it's all hype and propaganda and just another means to make war - organized religion is the reason for war and separation.
ReplyDeleteI think everyone should have stayed Catholic!
I agree that the picture is offensive because it seems designed to offend. Just like those maddening Darwin fish with feet bumper stickers. I have to admit that I get boiling mad when I see those, but I guess I shouldn't play into their hands so easily.
ReplyDeleteI find it disturbing that this picture was in a children's text book.
I wonder if Jesus would have drunk beer and smoked cigarettes? Maybe, but I can't picture it.