Instead of Where is Waldo! Where is Jesus?

[Ed Bass]

Marketing & religion is non-pc today.

Give your head a shake. The simple fact is that there is a never ending immigration line entering America and along with that comes new and different religions. The Christian America that existed in the 1950's just does not exist any longer. Our forefathers guaranteed this with the First Amendment.



The First Amendment contains two clauses about the Freedom of Religion. The first part is known as the Establishment Clause, and the second as the Free Exercise Clause.

The Establishment Clause prohibits the government from passing laws that will establish an official religion or preferring one religion over another. The courts have interpreted the establishment clause to accomplish the separation of church and state.

The Free Exercise Clause prohibits the government from interfering with a person’s practice of his or her religion. However, religious actions and rituals can be limited by civil and federal laws.


Religious freedom is an absolute right, and includes the right to practice any religion of one’s choice, or no religion at all, and to do this without government control.

Your rights to Freedom of Religion and the free exercise thereof means:

The Freedom of Religion is an inalienable right.

The First Amendment provides for the Freedom of Religion for all Americans.

The Free Exercise Clause provides that government will neither
control nor prohibit the free exercise of one’s religion.

So, in short, Freedom of Religion also means Freedom From Religion.

Why not just celebrate Saturnalia like I do?

Best, Toots

 

[Edward]

I would imagine there is not too much of a market for a dishtowel with Jesus on it but hey, what do I know. It sounds like you should start a company.

The Jesus Dish-Washing Set: cleans your crockery as clean as he washes your soul!

Christian Supply stores should include dinnerware with the last supper boldly painted on it. I would buy a whole set.

Sounds like to sort of thing you an sometimes find in goth or kitsch stores - you know the sort of places where you can buy things like "Jesus the action figure" (comes in two versions, white skin and black skin. Oddly enough, not Middle Eastern....).

 

[scotrace]

"Those who like this sort of thing will find this just the sort of thing they like." Lincoln

Merry Tossmas. (click)

 

[Feraud]

The Jesus Dish-Washing Set: cleans your crockery as clean as he washes your soul!

I need a crown of thorns pot scrubber for those tough to clean baked ziti dinners.

 

[Twitch]

Hehehe! Only in the US can you find images of Jesus on a tortilla but not on Christmas related items. In the huge Catholic world I have to wonder what they hell those folks think of us if they knew we had this redundant politically correctness that completely defies common sense. And we call many of them backwward countries.

Sounds like a lot of little boys and girls here should vist our @$&#*! Thread and decompress.Hohoho! lol

 

[BeBopBaby]

Give your head a shake. The simple fact is that there is a never ending immigration line entering America and along with that comes new and different religions. The Christian America that existed in the 1950's just does not exist any longer. Our forefathers guaranteed this with the First Amendment.

Why not just celebrate Saturnalia like I do?

Best, Toots[/B]

Great post, Ed! :eusa_clap

Personally, I'm ready to celebrate Festivus.

 

[Miss Neecerie]

I don't think its political correctness...but rather perhaps the idea for people ...that it's disrespectful to -eat- off of , or clean up with towels or dishes that have the Lord on them.

I know that I certainly would not consider choosing to worship the Lord via eating on plates with his image, or displaying a dishtowel with Him on it.

Maybe -that's- why there are not such products.

 

[Samsa]

I don't think its political correctness...but rather perhaps the idea for people ...that it's disrespectful to -eat- off of , or clean up with towels or dishes that have the Lord on them.

I know that I certainly would not consider choosing to worship the Lord via eating on plates with his image, or displaying a dishtowel with Him on it.

Maybe -that's- why there are not such products.

Very well put. At my most devout I would not have dreamed of eating off of a plate with the face of Jesus on it. And I would have rather gnawed off my arms than use a towel with his image on it. Whatever happened to religious images at home being no more than a few crosses/crucifixes, and the occasional statue?

 

[Bebop]

I know this is not a religious thread and I don't want to hijack but....I understand an individuals convictions about their religion. Having said that, I don't understand how they could desire an image of their holy one on a dinner plate. I say that with no joke intended. I would love to have FooFoogal explain why having something so serious and passionately worshiped could be downgraded to dinnerware or dishtowels. What am I missing? The idea that the "Christian Supply Store" exists boggles my mind. What kind of supplies do you need to worship your holy entity? It's not like you need a prayer rug. I have had questions like this for years and have always had them answered defensively but I truly am curious.

 

[Samsa]

I know this is not a religious thread and I don't want to hijack but....I understand an individuals convictions about their religion. Having said that, I don't understand how they could desire an image of their holy one on a dinner plate. I say that with no joke intended. I would love to have FooFoogal explain why having something so serious and passionately worshiped could be downgraded to dinnerware or dishtowels. What am I missing? The idea that the "Christian Supply Store" exists boggles my mind. What kind of supplies do you need to worship your holy entity? It's not like you need a prayer rug. I have had questions like this for years and have always had them answered defensively but I truly am curious.

On some level I can understand it. Images, statues, etc. call our minds to a higher reality. Same goes with architecture. Being in a great cathedral helps elevate one's mind towards God, both through the structure of the building as well as the iconography.

That said, I can't say the same thing about plates or towels with Jesus' face on it; I'm not sure how that would elevate one's mind or help them pray. Rather it seems to me to be bringing the sacred down to the level of the profane. I do, however, respect people's right to do what they want, which of course includes the way the choose to worship.

 

[Foofoogal]

Boy, oh boy. Talk about putting the bite on someone with total disrespect.
Let me back it up a bit and try to explain. The conjuring up of blasphemous images is in ones mind but certainly not in mine.
Here are a few examples that if I look hard I can maybe give a bit of an idea.

http://search-completed.ebay.com/se...ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&fsop=1&fsoo=2

http://cgi.ebay.com/Set-of-4-Christ...ryZ36032QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD4VQQcmdZViewItem
http://www.earthling.com/7408/PictPage/3923164692.html

I am talking about like a cake with Happy Birthday Jesus or something. The point I was trying to make is I should be able to find these in my local wallyworld.

 

[Bebop]

Boy, oh boy. Talk about putting the bite on someone with total disrespect.
Let me back it up a bit and try to explain. The conjuring up of blasphemous images is in ones mind but certainly not in mine.
Here are a few examples that if I look hard I can maybe give a bit of an idea.

http://search-completed.ebay.com/se...ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&fsop=1&fsoo=2

http://cgi.ebay.com/Set-of-4-Christ...ryZ36032QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD4VQQcmdZViewItem
http://www.earthling.com/7408/PictPage/3923164692.html

I am talking about like a cake with Happy Birthday Jesus or something. The point I was trying to make is I should be able to find these in my local wallyworld.

Disrespect? I don't think I am being insensitive failing to see where the disrespect ties in. Just comments and legitimate, unanswered questions.

Cake might be a bad example since you could have anything you want written on a cake. Maybe you should be able to find these items at Wal-Mart but I don't think discrimination is the reason you can't. I think that the market for such items is low enough to keep them off the shelves. We can complain about not being able to find a decent fedora at Sears anymore for the same reason. I would not think it's due to discrimination against fedora lovers.

 

[Viola]

I am talking about like a cake with Happy Birthday Jesus or something. The point I was trying to make is I should be able to find these in my local wallyworld.

But its not discrimination to not be able to find something in a store. I want green cowgirl boots with yellow flowers on them in wide width but I don't think anyone's out to get me that I can't find them in Payless. And I'd at least go to a shoe store rather than complaining when I can't find my boots at the local five-and-dime.

I can sympathize with "its annoying" or "I wish someone sold this" but there's not some big plot afoot.

I find that pretty disrespectful to every person who was ever told "your color/religion/culture need not apply" or "we don't serve your kind here."

 

[PrettySquareGal]

*Thinking*

Jesus was a carpenter, so he was pretty handy with things. I know of many honest hardworking Jesus worshiping craftspeople who, by hand, make wonderful items to give as gifts. I don't know about dish towels, but I've seen some lovely hand made toys and knit items at local Church craft fairs. I'm sure you have them near you, FooFoo.

Personally, I think buying items made by your neighbors that helps support the Churches as well would be a great way to celebrate the birth of Jesus instead of looking to some giant manufacturing company to mass produce baubles imprinted with Jesus art.

I don't get wanting to wipe dishes with the likeness of Jesus on the towel.

 

[Foofoogal]

The Christian America that existed in the 1950's just does not exist any longer.

Give your head a shake. The motto of the USA is Trust in God!

In God We Trust" became the national motto of the United States by Act of Congress July 30, 1956.
"36 USC Sec. 186, TITLE 36 - PATRIOTIC SOCIETIES AND OBSERVANCES, CHAPTER 10 - PATRIOTIC CUSTOMS, Sec. 186. National Motto - STATUTE - The national motto of the United States is declared to be 'In God we trust.'" Source: (July 30, 1956, ch. 796, 70 Stat. 732.)

 

[Viola]

Give your head a shake. The motto of the USA is Trust in God!

In God We Trust" became the national motto of the United States by Act of Congress July 30, 1956.
"36 USC Sec. 186, TITLE 36 - PATRIOTIC SOCIETIES AND OBSERVANCES, CHAPTER 10 - PATRIOTIC CUSTOMS, Sec. 186. National Motto - STATUTE - The national motto of the United States is declared to be 'In God we trust.'" Source: (July 30, 1956, ch. 796, 70 Stat. 732.)

1956 is not very old-fashioned.

"E pluribus unum" is a motto found on the Great Seal of the United States, along with Annuit Coeptis and Novus Ordo Seclorum, and adopted by an Act of Congress in 1782.

I prefer the original message of multiculturalism to Red Scare propaganda.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

A cake with Happy Birthday Jesus (i understand this was just an example) on it just strikes me as kitsch or parodic. The same for any other of this kind of product. I get the same vibe from the over-the-top idolatry you see in your local Latin American supply store.

A cake into which one would then drive a knife? Aim for the flank?

bk

 

[Viola]

The words 'Happy Birthday Jesus' makes sense, I thought that was all we were talking about, not photo-cake.

I thought the birthday cake was one of the more logical things, actually. Reminds people, especially little kids, what the holiday is really about.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Aim for the flank of the cake is what i meant. One would think that any representation of "the Lord" should not be stabbed/cut to pieces? I would imagine that the very word Jesus - intended as a reference to "the" Jesus - would be considered a representation of "Him"

bk

 

[The Wingnut]

I am strangely reminded of a scene from Cheech Marin's Born in East L.A.