Unholy row over New Zealand Mary and Joseph billboard

[Craig 6581]

An unholy row has broken out in New Zealand over a church billboard aimed at "challenging stereotypes" about the birth of Jesus Christ.

 

 

A dejected-looking Joseph lies in bed next to Mary under the caption, "Poor Joseph. God was a hard act to follow".

 

St Matthew-in-the-City Church in Auckland, which erected the billboard, said it had intended to provoke debate.

 

But the Catholic Church, among others, has condemned it as "inappropriate" and "disrespectful".

 

Within hours of its unveiling, the billboard had been defaced with brown paint.

 

The church's vicar, Archdeacon Glynn Cardy, said the aim of the billboard had been to lampoon the literal interpretation of the Christmas conception story.

 

"What we're trying to do is to get people to think more about what Christmas is all about," he told the New Zealand Press Association (NZPA).

 

"Is it about a spiritual male God sending down sperm so a child would be born, or is it about the power of love in our midst as seen in Jesus?"

 

He told NZPA that the church had received e-mails and phone calls about the controversial image.

 

"About 50% said they loved it, and about 50% said it was terribly offensive," he said. "But that's out of about 20 responses - this is New Zealand."

 

But Lyndsay Freer, spokeswoman for the Catholic Diocese of Auckland, said the poster was offensive to Christians.

 

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

 

The family values group Family First said any debate about the Virgin birth should be held inside the church.

 

"To confront children and families with the concept as a street billboard is completely irresponsible and unnecessary," Family First director Bob McCroskrie told the news website stuff.co.nz.

 

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8417963.stm

 

No shit sherlock?

[Monkeys Fist 41321]

Mary's looking fiiiine!

[Kitman 2204]

Lie back and think of Israel? Fuss over nothing imo.

[Kitman 2204]

A controversial Christmas billboard defaced hours after it was erected by an Auckland church is to be resurrected today.

 

The billboard, outside St Matthew-in-the-City, shows Joseph and Mary lying in bed with the caption "Poor Joseph, God was a hard act to follow", and has attracted worldwide attention.

 

The church said the aim of the billboard was to lampoon the literal Christian conception story and invite people to think about what a miracle was.

 

But just over five hours after it was put up yesterday, someone had defaced it with paint.

 

Church spokesman Clay Nelson said a replacement had been ordered and the church hoped to have it up today.

 

Mr Nelson admitted he "wouldn't be surprised" if there was another vandalism attempt.

 

"Our hope is that there are only a few people that would do that sort of thing and they've got it out of the system," he said.

 

"But it would be naive to think it won't happen again."

 

Mr Nelson said the church would not be adopting any special security measures to protect the new billboard.

 

"You have to trust people's civility", he said.

 

"If this one get vandalised, we'll see what we do next."

 

A complaint was likely to be laid with police if the person responsible for daubing the paint was identified, because replacing the billboard was "not cheap", and had cost $250.

 

Meanwhile, Mr Nelson said the amount of reaction to the image had been "phenomenal".

 

The church had expected some comment in New Zealand, but messages were coming in from as far afield as Sweden, the Netherlands, Britain, Costa Rica and India.

 

"Our website has been inundated and I've personally had hundreds of emails," he said.

 

"I would say the overwhelming response has been positive. I'm trying to get a small reply off to all of them, whether they are positive or negative, but it seems to be a losing battle - they seem to be coming in faster than I can answer them."

 

While there had been talk that the church might be disciplined over the issue, Mr Nelson said that would not be the case.

 

"Theoretically, the Bishop could say to take it down," he said. "I just don't expect that to happen."